Is it safe to lose >2 pounds/week?

meggwtw

I see a lot of people on MFP are on 1200 calorie diets, but I'm currently on a 1450 calorie diet and considering switching to the 1200. The only thing is, that would be more than a 2 pound weight loss per week, for me. I've gradually been eating fewer calories as the days pass until I think I could reasonably sustain 1200/day. I don't want to be a on "very low calorie diet," but it would be appealing to lose weight more quickly if it is actually safe.

EDIT: If I were to do a 1200 calorie diet, I'd lose 2.4 pounds per week (I checked).

monty619

is it safe??? yeh u wont die... but for sustained weight loss??? no, because in a nutshell, you slow the metabolism down way too quick. ultimately with lower caloric defecits over a longer period of time you will lose and maintain weight loss and have a higher caloric intake at your goal weight.

Aviva92

I'm on a 1200 calorie diet, but according to mfp that only will result in my losing 0.6 pounds a week. I don't have a lot to lose.

mamasmaltz3

For me, it has always been tempting to want to lose weight as fast as possible. A few years ago I cut my calories to about 1000 a day and I lost about 40 lbs in less than 3 months. Then, I was unable to stick to such an extreme diet and when I started eating my regular food again I gained it all back. I have also done low fat diets and low carb diets. Both of which I lost weight on, but again, could not stick with them and gained all my weight and then some back.

So, now here I am 54 lbs of my 115 lbs gone and I am losing slower than I ever have in the past. Is it tempting to try and do it faster? Sometimes, especially when I see people who have started after me begin to catch up to my weight loss or even pass me. But, I will not give in to that temptation. My reason is that I am learning to think differently about food. I don't view my eating as what is going to make me fat, but what is going to nourish my body. I want fuel for my workouts. I have not removed a single thing from my diet. I am learning to eat all things in moderation. A lot of things I eat very seldom because they just aren't worth eating anymore when I workout so hard to get strong.

I also noticed for me that I feel better eating at least 1600 a day sometimes more on my workout days. In the summer I had dropped to 1420 following the MFP recommendation that pops up every now and then when you are losing. My weight loss actually stalled and i felt hungry all the time until I upped my calories again. I am not saying that is for sure going to happen to you, I am just telling you my experience.

The best thing for anyone though is to find something that you can live with always. The yo-yo stuff is out of my life for good. I am so happy and at peace with food now it is a wonderful feeling. I hope you get there too.

TArnold2012

6 months = 60 lbs here, that's more than 2 a week.

Hollycat

As long as you are on a nutrient-rich diet, losing more than 2 pounds a week should not be a problem for your health. It's when you're eating a somewhat toxic diet [that includes sugar, white flour, and the other 'baddies'] that you begin to have a problem, which will undoubtedly result in CRAVINGS to alert you to the fact you are under-nourished.

I've lost an average of 2.95 pounds per week on a plant-based, 70-80% raw diet. I've never felt better or more energized. I only track my calories periodically, but I probably average around 1100-1500 per day. Some days, I eat more than 1500 calories. It just depends on how hungry I feel, as opposed to experiencing crazy cravings - there is a difference. If I'm not able to discern the difference, I get some healthy food in me fast and wait for the feelings to subside. As long as I nourish my body with something nutrient-rich, whatever it was always goes away.

Hollycat:flowerforyou:

cordianet

There's pluses and minuses to everything. You might find this educational:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html

mercymarque

slow wins the race... if u want to keep it off

monty619

slow wins the race... if u want to keep it off

^^^exactly

obviously if you are morbidly obese you can lose more weight per week than 2lbs but for someone trying to drop like 40lbs or less i would even try and say try and lost like 1lb a week and just stay consistant.

HannahsBestLife

OK so I know everyone's all 1-2lbs a week max for safety reasons, sustainable weight loss etc BUT I'm from New ZEaland and here we use KG's to weigh ourselves.. Thing is we are told by all our doctor's that safe sustainable weightloss is around 1-2KG a week.. 2kg is 4.4lbs.. that is what's in any info we are given / told etc..

SO anyway my point is some people say 2lbs a week max some say 2kg a week max.. My advice is simply to do what works for you..

Remembering of course that if you feel tired weak, lacking concentration or anything your over doing it and to slow down

Cranktastic

no

Mitzimum

For me, it has always been tempting to want to lose weight as fast as possible. A few years ago I cut my calories to about 1000 a day and I lost about 40 lbs in less than 3 months. Then, I was unable to stick to such an extreme diet and when I started eating my regular food again I gained it all back. I have also done low fat diets and low carb diets. Both of which I lost weight on, but again, could not stick with them and gained all my weight and then some back.

So, now here I am 54 lbs of my 115 lbs gone and I am losing slower than I ever have in the past. Is it tempting to try and do it faster? Sometimes, especially when I see people who have started after me begin to catch up to my weight loss or even pass me. But, I will not give in to that temptation. My reason is that I am learning to think differently about food. I don't view my eating as what is going to make me fat, but what is going to nourish my body. I want fuel for my workouts. I have not removed a single thing from my diet. I am learning to eat all things in moderation. A lot of things I eat very seldom because they just aren't worth eating anymore when I workout so hard to get strong.

I also noticed for me that I feel better eating at least 1600 a day sometimes more on my workout days. In the summer I had dropped to 1420 following the MFP recommendation that pops up every now and then when you are losing. My weight loss actually stalled and i felt hungry all the time until I upped my calories again. I am not saying that is for sure going to happen to you, I am just telling you my experience.

The best thing for anyone though is to find something that you can live with always. The yo-yo stuff is out of my life for good. I am so happy and at peace with food now it is a wonderful feeling. I hope you get there too.

I am currently on the 1200 a day but for me i don't need to lose too much so its a way of shocking my body into fat burning. However, the foods I eat on this calorie level are mostly raw, I think about everything before I put it on my plate. In terms of how it will affect the work i've done already, how it will affect my training and how it will make me feel. I haven't 'cut' a single thing out of my diet because I think it is un-maintainable as well as difficult. If I want to have chicken and rice for dinner, I have it, but I work out exactly how much I can afford to eat based on the calorie restriction. I've found I never feel deprived and i'm getting used to that lovely light feeling of not having a stomach that is completely full all the time. So in essence, I agree! :-D

DontStopB_Leakin

Safe? Sure.


Will you eventually crash and plateau? Absolutely.


Will you keep it off losing at that rate? Unlikely.

jofjltncb6

no

^this

minkakross

I eat 1200, some weeks I lose as much as 4 pounds, others I lose less than a pound and sometimes I don't lose for a couple weeks. Your average will depend on how much you have to take off, age, genetics, activity level, and fluids as well as calories and as you get closer to "normal" it will be slower then say when you started. Overall I averaged 1.5 pounds per week for the first few months now I'm closer to .8, do what works for you and don't get afraid because of the people who claim you'll just gain it back. People don't gain weight because they lost it too fast, they gain because they over eat and under exercise when they stop counting because they reached their goal and start behaving as they did before they found MFP or whatever diet plan they followed.

slkehl

You're gonna kill your skin's elasticity with losing weight too fast. No one wants saggy flabs of skin hanging off them once the diet is over!

Aviva92

I eat 1200, some weeks I lose as much as 4 pounds, others I lose less than a pound and sometimes I don't lose for a couple weeks. Your average will depend on how much you have to take off, age, genetics, activity level, and fluids as well as calories and as you get closer to "normal" it will be slower then say when you started. Overall I averaged 1.5 pounds per week for the first few months now I'm closer to .8, do what works for you and don't get afraid because of the people who claim you'll just gain it back. People don't gain weight because they lost it too fast, they gain because they over eat and under exercise when they stop counting because they reached their goal and start behaving as they did before they found MFP or whatever diet plan they followed.

this is what i think too. when i get to my goal weight, i'll slowly up my calories from 1200 to maintanance level. i don't see why that would result in gaining it all back. with how easy it was to lose weight, i'm not even sure why i got to the weight i was in the first place.

stacy_1971

For me, it has always been tempting to want to lose weight as fast as possible. A few years ago I cut my calories to about 1000 a day and I lost about 40 lbs in less than 3 months. Then, I was unable to stick to such an extreme diet and when I started eating my regular food again I gained it all back. I have also done low fat diets and low carb diets. Both of which I lost weight on, but again, could not stick with them and gained all my weight and then some back.

So, now here I am 54 lbs of my 115 lbs gone and I am losing slower than I ever have in the past. Is it tempting to try and do it faster? Sometimes, especially when I see people who have started after me begin to catch up to my weight loss or even pass me. But, I will not give in to that temptation. My reason is that I am learning to think differently about food. I don't view my eating as what is going to make me fat, but what is going to nourish my body. I want fuel for my workouts. I have not removed a single thing from my diet. I am learning to eat all things in moderation. A lot of things I eat very seldom because they just aren't worth eating anymore when I workout so hard to get strong.

Like the above poster, I lost a quick amount in 3 months: 38 pounds. I couldn't keep up the low-cal eating and eventually gained all my weight back and more. So here I am, bigger than ever, trying to do it the right way.

I like what the poster states about thinking of food as nourishment.

geekyjock76

I eat 1200, some weeks I lose as much as 4 pounds, others I lose less than a pound and sometimes I don't lose for a couple weeks. Your average will depend on how much you have to take off, age, genetics, activity level, and fluids as well as calories and as you get closer to "normal" it will be slower then say when you started. Overall I averaged 1.5 pounds per week for the first few months now I'm closer to .8, do what works for you and don't get afraid because of the people who claim you'll just gain it back. People don't gain weight because they lost it too fast, they gain because they over eat and under exercise when they stop counting because they reached their goal and start behaving as they did before they found MFP or whatever diet plan they followed.

this is what i think too. when i get to my goal weight, i'll slowly up my calories from 1200 to maintanance level. i don't see why that would result in gaining it all back. with how easy it was to lose weight, i'm not even sure why i got to the weight i was in the first place.

You should be upping to maintenance the closer you get to your goal - not when you reach it. If you only have a few lbs to lose, you shouldn't pursue something stupid like a massive deficit.

alaskaang

I also think it matters greatly how much you have to lose and also don't think it's sustainable over a long period of time. What I have found that is working for me is cutting calories more drastically for two to three weeks, and then switching to maintaining for two to three weeks. Almost everyone goes through plateaus, I'm just controlling mine as much as possible. In the end, my average is probably the same as someone that looses one or two pounds a week, but I find this method easier.

Aviva92

I eat 1200, some weeks I lose as much as 4 pounds, others I lose less than a pound and sometimes I don't lose for a couple weeks. Your average will depend on how much you have to take off, age, genetics, activity level, and fluids as well as calories and as you get closer to "normal" it will be slower then say when you started. Overall I averaged 1.5 pounds per week for the first few months now I'm closer to .8, do what works for you and don't get afraid because of the people who claim you'll just gain it back. People don't gain weight because they lost it too fast, they gain because they over eat and under exercise when they stop counting because they reached their goal and start behaving as they did before they found MFP or whatever diet plan they followed.

this is what i think too. when i get to my goal weight, i'll slowly up my calories from 1200 to maintanance level. i don't see why that would result in gaining it all back. with how easy it was to lose weight, i'm not even sure why i got to the weight i was in the first place.

You should be upping to maintenance the closer you get to your goal - not when you reach it. If you only have a few lbs to lose, you shouldn't pursue something stupid like a massive deficit.

I fail to see why eating a 1200 calorie diet is stupid. I'm also not convinced that it's a massive deficit for a 38 year old 5'4" woman in the first place. If I wind up a few pounds lower than goal weight, that's not a terrible thing.

LoveAlwaysAlisa

Yes it is safe. Especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. It is all individual. All the rules that we hear are just guidelines. Each individual and their physiology is different. The smaller you get ,of course, the harder it will be to lose that much weight as quickly. I eat 1600 calories a day and I have lost more than 2 lbs a week (started at 185 lbs). 1200 calories isn't enough for me personally. I feel sluggish and have no energy to work out if I eat anything less than 1400 calories.

geekyjock76

I eat 1200, some weeks I lose as much as 4 pounds, others I lose less than a pound and sometimes I don't lose for a couple weeks. Your average will depend on how much you have to take off, age, genetics, activity level, and fluids as well as calories and as you get closer to "normal" it will be slower then say when you started. Overall I averaged 1.5 pounds per week for the first few months now I'm closer to .8, do what works for you and don't get afraid because of the people who claim you'll just gain it back. People don't gain weight because they lost it too fast, they gain because they over eat and under exercise when they stop counting because they reached their goal and start behaving as they did before they found MFP or whatever diet plan they followed.

this is what i think too. when i get to my goal weight, i'll slowly up my calories from 1200 to maintanance level. i don't see why that would result in gaining it all back. with how easy it was to lose weight, i'm not even sure why i got to the weight i was in the first place.

You should be upping to maintenance the closer you get to your goal - not when you reach it. If you only have a few lbs to lose, you shouldn't pursue something stupid like a massive deficit.

I fail to see why eating a 1200 calorie diet is stupid. I'm also not convinced that it's a massive deficit for a 38 year old 5'4" woman in the first place. If I wind up a few pounds lower than goal weight, that's not a terrible thing.

Tell me. How did you come up with this 1200 estimate? Did you eat at maintenance before and knew exactly how many calories you needed to maintain prior to fat loss and what type of deficit you were creating?

Aviva92

I eat 1200, some weeks I lose as much as 4 pounds, others I lose less than a pound and sometimes I don't lose for a couple weeks. Your average will depend on how much you have to take off, age, genetics, activity level, and fluids as well as calories and as you get closer to "normal" it will be slower then say when you started. Overall I averaged 1.5 pounds per week for the first few months now I'm closer to .8, do what works for you and don't get afraid because of the people who claim you'll just gain it back. People don't gain weight because they lost it too fast, they gain because they over eat and under exercise when they stop counting because they reached their goal and start behaving as they did before they found MFP or whatever diet plan they followed.

this is what i think too. when i get to my goal weight, i'll slowly up my calories from 1200 to maintanance level. i don't see why that would result in gaining it all back. with how easy it was to lose weight, i'm not even sure why i got to the weight i was in the first place.

You should be upping to maintenance the closer you get to your goal - not when you reach it. If you only have a few lbs to lose, you shouldn't pursue something stupid like a massive deficit.

I fail to see why eating a 1200 calorie diet is stupid. I'm also not convinced that it's a massive deficit for a 38 year old 5'4" woman in the first place. If I wind up a few pounds lower than goal weight, that's not a terrible thing.

Tell me. How did you come up with this 1200 estimate? Did you eat at maintenance before and knew exactly how many calories you needed to maintain prior to fat loss and what type of deficit you were creating?

I plugged my stats into myfitnesspal and they gave me 1200 to lose at this point 0.6 pounds a week. No clue how many calories I was eating before. I didn't keep track when I was gaining weight.

geekyjock76

And what weight loss goal per week plan did you select? 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0? If you choose 1.5 or 2.0 and are losing at an acceptable and realistic loss of 0.6 per week, that would tell you something.

Aviva92

And what weight loss goal per week plan did you select? 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0? If you choose 1.5 or 2.0 and are losing at an acceptable and realistic loss of 0.6 per week, that would tell you something.

I think I chose 1 pound per week, but the website said that was impossible and set me to 0.8 pounds a week on a 1200 calorie diet or maybe it was 0.6 pounds a week. Regardless, it's at 0.6 pounds a week on a 1200 calorie diet right now at my current weight if I look it up. Are you telling me that mfp is completely wrong and I should listen to you, not the application?

Aviva92

oh and on average i've been losing exactly what the application said i would lose, so i see no reason to trust you instead of it.

xmizlynnax

You should do what feels right and healthy for your body and lose weight in a sustainable way but just remember some people are on 1200 cal b/c their body type might be different or have less caloric needs to begin with

I myself was put on 1200 cal but honestly, I work out alot, and b/w cardio and weights, I do end up eating a little over the 1200 fairly frequently and the weight is still dropping off pretty steadily. It's on average 1-2 pounds a week but some weeks I've lost more.

Just be careful whatever decision you make! Best of luck!

heybales

So 1000 calorie deficit from what you WERE eating that maintained your weight is considered safe and reasonable if you have over 50 lbs to lose.

Were you really eating at 2450 at the same level of exercise you are now doing?

Or do you have any idea at all?

Why don't you stick with the program as MFP was setup and see what you really get before you think it's not enough.

That means the daily goal is something to hit - not stay under.

It means you log your exercise calories and eat them ALL back. You'll hope the 1450 which is probably more than a 1000 calorie deficit can be made up for by the exercise calories on workout days. Where even if you eat them back, the same deficit is there.

That will maintain your 1000 calorie deficit doing those two things.

yuckidah

OK so I know everyone's all 1-2lbs a week max for safety reasons, sustainable weight loss etc BUT I'm from New ZEaland and here we use KG's to weigh ourselves.. Thing is we are told by all our doctor's that safe sustainable weightloss is around 1-2KG a week.. 2kg is 4.4lbs.. that is what's in any info we are given / told etc..

SO anyway my point is some people say 2lbs a week max some say 2kg a week max.. My advice is simply to do what works for you..

Remembering of course that if you feel tired weak, lacking concentration or anything your over doing it and to slow down

I've never seen/heard anyone in NZ saying 1-2kgs is 'safe' or 'sustainable' - it's normally recommended that you lose 1/2 (as in half, not 1 to 2) kg per week.

kdeaux1959

losing more than 2 lbs per week is not that bad for those with extreme amounts to lose (morbidly obese for example). As you approach your goal weight, you will want to lose more gradually.