lose 2lbs per week vs lose 1lb per week ?

LinkousSara

ok, so i have been at a weight-loss stand still since october... so today i changed by "goals" from lose 2lbs per week, to lose 1lb per week. any thoughts on that? it added about 500 calories to my goal.

I am usually good about staying under the 1780 calories that was the goal at 2lbs per week....

suggestions?

FullOfWin

So you have stalled while eating a reasonable amount of calories, and you are adding calories? Why?

greginnd

Personally I find it helps every now and then to up my calories for a couple of weeks. Some recommend actually going to a maintenance level of calories for a week or two. I think this helps reset our bodies. Then go back down to a 2 pound per week deficit. That may kick start your weight loss again.

This may not be your issue but I find I tend to start slipping in my tracking and find myself actually consuming more calories than I think I am. If you are not tracking religiously you should.

blink1281

You look great! Good job so far. How long have you been on MFP for? it is normal to hit a plateau. Have you been exercising? Sometimes what you need to do is change things up. If you do the same exercise over and over your body starts to get use to it. Same thing if you eat the same food over and over. I would suggest adding/trying a new exercise routine. Also i have read from ppl that if you stay too far under your allotted calories for the day it can halt your weight loss. Your body starts to store fat instead of burn it. This could also be something to look into. Either way you have made great progress!

SavageFeast

Sounds great to me 500 additional calories of healthy food should do your body good. Best wishes:drinker:

Riemersma4

Inputs: food...
Outputs: activity and exercise...

Not sure why you would add calories if your weightloss has stalled. I would add exercise.

At least 3 days per week of weight training to get your muscles to help burn fat for you and increase your basal metabolic rate.

2 - 3 days of HIIT cardio.

In general, trying to lose 2 pounds per week for a maintained period of time is stressful on your body. Once you get reset and are losing weight again, I would rebuild your weight loss goals to be 1 lb per week but make sure that you are getting enough exercise! If you have a week here and there where you lose 2 lbs, great!

Good luck in the New Year!

LinkousSara

So you have stalled while eating a reasonable amount of calories, and you are adding calories? Why?

i have not lost anything in 3 months. that is why i think that something needs to change. I have added some weight lifting to my work outs; 3-4 days a week.

FullOfWin

So you have stalled while eating a reasonable amount of calories, and you are adding calories? Why?

i have not lost anything in 3 months. that is why i think that something needs to change. I have added some weight lifting to my work outs; 3-4 days a week.

Yes, something needs to change, but I'm not sure it is adding calories given that you have not been eating too low (I'm assuming over 1700 isn't too low). You could try it though and see how it goes. If you gain or don't lose, drop back down.

Katalyst77

So you have stalled while eating a reasonable amount of calories, and you are adding calories? Why?

i have not lost anything in 3 months. that is why i think that something needs to change. I have added some weight lifting to my work outs; 3-4 days a week.

Yes, something needs to change, but I'm not sure it is adding calories given that you have not been eating too low (I'm assuming over 1700 isn't too low). You could try it though and see how it goes. If you gain or don't lose, drop back down.

Well, it might not be too low for some people. But we are not all the same size. If you are bigger, (like me) your body needs more calories to function properly. I like to think in analogies. If our metabolism is a fire, then we need two things to make that fire roar. Plenty of good, clean fuel (healthy calories) and plenty of oxygen (exercise). If you don't have enough of either one, it will put your metabolism at a slow burn. What you want to do to lose fat is increase your metabolism. You don't increase your metabolism by starving your body. If you are eating below your BMR, that is exactly what you are doing. For a customized number, because it isn't a one size fits all situation, you can google TDEE and BMR and that will give you a more accurate picture of what your body needs. And like many have said. Subtract 20% and work your way up to that number for slow and sustainable weight loss. I understand your skepticism FullOfWin, this was a mind-blowing revelation to me also. To learn that everything I thought I knew about weightloss was wrong...but then, that may be why I never was able to sustain weightloss before.

1stday13

BUMP!!

edge_dragoncaller

It's not a bad idea to change it up like you are doing. That said, since you are adding calories AND strength training (not cardio) it may be a good idea to take some measurements instead of just focusing on the scale. With a new influx of calories and adding strength training you may in fact gain a couple of pounds in the next couple of weeks, but it may be lean muscle as opposed to fat.

If you take some body measurements and you see that they've shrunk...even the smallest amount...but still gained weight, then that is not a bad thing.

ashumeow

It's not a bad idea to change it up like you are doing. That said, since you are adding calories AND strength training (not cardio) it may be a good idea to take some measurements instead of just focusing on the scale. With a new influx of calories and adding strength training you may in fact gain a couple of pounds in the next couple of weeks, but it may be lean muscle as opposed to fat.

If you take some body measurements and you see that they've shrunk...even the smallest amount...but still gained weight, then that is not a bad thing.

^ This