How long does it take you to lose 1 pound?
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Hi All,
Just wondered, how long does it take you to lose 1 pound?
I know the recommended weight loss is 1 - 2 pound per week.
I am only losing 1 pound every fortnight. What can I do to increase my weight loss?
I'm on 1480kCals per day and 6 out of 7 days a week I am within that limit.
My job is a sedentary job but I work out 3-4 times a week and at least one of those would be a HIIT.
I go walking in hilly parks / field at the weekend if the weather is good or even shopping, just to keep me moving.
Am I doing anything wrong?
Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.
Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.
The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.
Taller people have more room in their calorie budget to go up or down. Shorter people like me have less room and get frustrated with "eat more" because that typically does not work for us. If you are confused about it don't just listen to any of us, do some research and get approval from your doctor, then just do what you need to do and tune the rest of us out.
It really depends on your RMR. If you are short like I am then your RMR is really just above the 1200 limit so you really don't have much room for a calorie deficit and going up is less likely to work. If you are taller you will have a higher RMR and can go up or down and still be in a deficit so you can lose no matter what. All that matters is a calorie deficit. If you are short it can be hard to have a deficit at 1200 or above so your only option is to check with your doctor. I did and he agreed and had me go down.
Once I got leaner I had to taper UP my calories. The leaner you get the less of a calorie deficit your body can handle. It needs to be a long slow shallow deficit. For me still under a doctor’s care, this is lower than others because I am so short, petite, and am under 12% body fat where I truly can go into starvation mode if I ate too low. I've worked with my doctor and for me it's much lower than MFP would have me eat even while I'm maintaining.
Seek advice from your doctor. Myself or anyone else on here can’t tell you how much to eat, or to go up or down. If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for woman over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I pretty much proved that for myself by staying strong and building muscle and doing what I did. I'm the leanest, most muscular, and most fit that I have ever been in my life at almost 52 years old. My doctor looked at my blood work throughout my journey and it remained fine even with “taking breaks from eating” for periods of time and eating less. Even now at less than 12% body fat everything is A-OKAY. I am healthy, active, and vibrant, muscular not skinny. I have never had eating disorders nor do I now. If you have eating disorders you should not be on a diet unless you are under a doctor’s care and/or get those issues resolved first. I do not advocate unhealthy eating or promote eating disorders.
While there is no one size fits all I listed the things that worked for me here --> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout
I found the following quotes helpful for sorting through all the myths plastered all over the placeWhat is the exact number of calories for you?
We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.
In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.
This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.
-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.
At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].
-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)
Thank you so much.
I am really wanting to lose body fat for health reasons. Heart problems run in my family and that is why I'd like to lose bodyfat overall (I am at 33% at the moment and would like to be around 25%) I am 5'8". My body is quite 'condensed' as the BMI chart at my doctors tells me I'm past overweight but I'm a UK size 12 (US size 6)
I'm trying my best to eat 'clean' and treat my body as my temple.
I enjoy the cardio, reminding myself I'm caring for my heart.
I shall speak with my doctor but I'm not a fan of dieting or starving. I'd rather run more and do more.0 -
It took me about 4 weeks before I lost anything so I had a close look at my logging and rejigged it a bit. I now lose, on average, 1lb a week. I also have a desk job but ride a cycle to work. My job sometimes involves me going out so I either ride orr power walk and count that in my exercise. I also do circuits 5 times a week (20 minutes of high intensity stuff), 2.5 hours of Tea Kwon Do a week and run once a week. This might seem a bit intense for some people but I really enjoy it and miss it when I don't do it.0
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Hi there,
your daily intake of calories needs to be 500 calories less than your daily output to lose half a kilo (around 1 pound), or 1000 calories less to lose a kilo (about 2 pounds). You need to work out your basal metabolic rate to calculate that (there are plenty of websites that help with that although my fitness pal basically does it for you when you set your weight loss goals.
https://www.michellebridges.com.au/bmr-calculator/
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/0 -
Am I doing anything wrong?
Yes. Your expectations are too high.
You have 14 pounds to go. A half pound a week is ideal for you.
Track your progress through how clothes fit, measurement and progress photos, not just on the scale.
And we have a winner!!
Since you are already in a good range of weight it will take longer. In fact its not uncommon to take 3-6 months for the last ten lbs. The bigger thing is ensuring its 14 lbs of fat you lose, not fat and muscle. Depending how long you workout and your stats, 1480 calories might be too little. Are you eating some if your exercise calories back? Also, what type of exercise are you doing?
Hi there,
It seems 1480 calories is what MFP calculates I need to lose 1pound per week.
I work at a desk job and hardly move, perhaps that is why.
Also it used to be 1600 calories and as I lost weight it became 1550 and not 1480... so I'm guessing it's related to my current weight.
I do the Curves Circuit Training. I do the Advanced workout on Mondays which essentially is a HIIT.
Then another 2 times per week the regular circuit training.
I also have a minimum of one day of strength using my body as resistance, push ups, sit ups, dips etc.
So i am assuming you are eating back some of your exercise calories? If not you should eat about 50% of them or you can set your account to moderately active and not eat back exercise calories. This will put you around 1700-1800 calories total.0 -
Half a pound a week sounds about right given your stats.0
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Weight loss is all calorie deficit.
If you want to lose fat and maintain muscle, lift heavy weights and eat enough protein.
The rest is noise.0 -
So i am assuming you are eating back some of your exercise calories? If not you should eat about 50% of them or you can set your account to moderately active and not eat back exercise calories. This will put you around 1700-1800 calories total.
Is that bad?? Yes I do eat some exercise calories.. is that not good??0 -
One trip to the bathroom usually does it for me!0
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Jillian Michaels (and other popular exercise programs like Insanity and P90X) says the "fat-burning heart-rate zone" idea is a dinosaur -- it's all about maximum effort and working many large muscle groups at once.0
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Well if I average it out I've lost 3.25lb per month (counting all of October even though we're only part way through). However it's been very far from linear - 14lb in the first month and the rest in erratic drops (and sometimes gains) here and there since. I don't help myself through being inconsistent, TBH - but considering I've not got huge amounts to lose, the overall direction is good, and as there's only so much I'm willing to compromise my lifestyle I feel it's not a bad result.0
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Takes me about 10 years.0
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Takes me about 10 years.
LOL0 -
Yes. Your expectations are too high. You have 14 pounds to go. A half pound a week is ideal for you.
Track your progress through how clothes fit, measurement and progress photos, not just on the scale.
This
The last 15lbs took me forever. I see nothing wrong with what you're doing. You could add some more exercise in the form of resistance training (weight lifting or pushups/situps like you've been doing) more frequently, but at this point, to be losing 1lb a fortnight is as good progress as you can expect. You're doing great.0 -
When I started this at 335lbs, I was losing 3-4lbs per week. I am now 229lbs and 19 away from goal, and I am lucky if I lose a pound in 2 weeks. It's alright... Im patient 0
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Weight loss is all calorie deficit.
If you want to lose fat and maintain muscle, lift heavy weights and eat enough protein.
The rest is noise.
Agree 100%, especially the last line. Its so damn simple.
Creepy avatar Btw.0 -
Bump. These are all great tips! thank you!0
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I was just looking this up. I have lost 22 pounds in 22 weeks. But I averaged more than a pound a week for the first 10 weeks and only .75 pounds/week for the last 12.
I lost less as I got closer to my initial goal - a weight marker I'd been trying for for about 10 years and within a healthy BMI. I'm now down to the weight I was 24 years ago when I got pregnant with my eldest. I am now shooting for my college weight - 16 pounds to go!
As I get into 'older' fat, it gets slower. But it is still steady and, more importantly, I haven't gained anything back and am still very comfortable at my calorie levels.
Bottom line - keep going at it. It's the pace it is. The most important thing is to keep moving in the right direction. You'll eventually get there.0 -
So i am assuming you are eating back some of your exercise calories? If not you should eat about 50% of them or you can set your account to moderately active and not eat back exercise calories. This will put you around 1700-1800 calories total.
Is that bad?? Yes I do eat some exercise calories.. is that not good??
You need to eat your exercise calories.0 -
I am so glad to read about people whose weight loss is not linear. I've lost about 30 pounds since Easter (27 while logging everything on MFP). Some weeks I lose two or even three pounds. Most weeks I seem to lose about one, but I was totally stuck for the month of September, and then lost 3-4 pounds last week. September was difficult. It was a grind, without the positive reinforcement of the scale. I did FEEL thinner, however. So, thank you to those with wisdom and experience for the words of encouragement, and thank you to the person who asked this question.
Gosh, you sound EXACTLY like me, except I started in May.0 -
So i am assuming you are eating back some of your exercise calories? If not you should eat about 50% of them or you can set your account to moderately active and not eat back exercise calories. This will put you around 1700-1800 calories total.
Is that bad?? Yes I do eat some exercise calories.. is that not good??
No it's good. .It means you feed your body. Generally, people tend to plateau quickly if they don't add back exercise calories.0 -
you didnt put the weight on fast so you shouldnt expect to take it off quickly either... look at it like this if you lose 1lb a week for a year you have loss 50lbs and looking at your picture you are not extremely overweight and even if your were 50lbs on anyone would be a noticeable difference.
so keep on doing what you are doing and look at this new lifestyle as a marathon not a sprint.0 -
Losing one pound is highly individualistic, be patient, make a thousand small good decisions and then a few small ones that are not the best won't matter. Think of it this way, losing a few ounces a day that adds up to 16 means one pound per week. Secondly, a bigger engine (more muscle) requires more fuel and burns more calories. So build and condition your lean mass and it will help you all day long to burn extra calories. I have just increased my caloric intake by four to five hundred calories because of the intense weight lifting and the inches are decreasing but not the pounds, so keep a balanced perspective.0
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The closer you get to your goal, the slower you will lose weight. The slower you lose weight, the longer you can practice the habits that will help you keep the weight off. The longer you can keep the weight off, the longer before you have to do it all over again. Having to do it all over again typically doesn't occur until you've gained even more weight than you lost. (Don't ask me how I know.)
You listed your menu but you aren't eating real food. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life eating shakes and prepared meals? If you don't start eating the way you plan to live the rest of your life, what will happen when you do?
Also, you say you only get 6 hours of sleep each night. That's pretty low, especially if you want your body to release excess weight.
You appear to be young, so your body is still pretty flexible about rebounding from abuse, but it won't do that forever. Learning what YOUR body needs to be healthy long term is the best investment you can make.0 -
I am 65 yrs old and pretty much lazy. I have set my goal at 1800 calories. I have never gone over that but I stay under that alot to the point I get a message that says, not eating enough calories. I am 5'7', how many calories should I be eating, anyone know?0
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3 weeks. O_o0
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I am 65 yrs old and pretty much lazy. I have set my goal at 1800 calories. I have never gone over that but I stay under that alot to the point I get a message that says, not eating enough calories. I am 5'7', how many calories should I be eating, anyone know?
Why dont you try to follow the program and eat 1800 calories. Eating 1300 calories is just going to increase the chances of you losing more lean body mass which will slow down your metabolic rate.0 -
I've been here a while and manage to gain and lose the same 2lbs. I'm determined to lose 10lbs but it's very hard and slow going to for me. I've recently changed my MFP to be 1,410 calories a day with .5lb weight lose goal a week. I'm hoping that change will make a difference. otherwise I don't know what what else to do either0
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