What is a sensible amount of weight to lose per week?

misssmarita

I know everyone says 1 - 2 lbs, and definitely not more. Do you think that 1% a week is ok? For example, if you weight 200 lbs, having a goal of 2 lbs a week? I know 2 lbs is as high as MFP will let you set your goal, but if you were fairly consistent and made some pretty good food and exercise choices, you could lose more than 2 lbs a week if you started out at like 500 lbs. What do you guys think?And what is a normal week for you, weight loss wise?

toque88

1 a week is recommended, unless for some medical reason you need to lose the weight faster. :glasses:

nitrogen_widget

First week you will probably lose more than 2lbs due to water weight if you are starting at 200.
After that 1 to 2 lbs a week never hurt me.

psuLemon

This should help. Keep in mind, this is to get to a normal weight, not a goal weight. Goal weights can be over aggressive.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

michelle_mareshfuehrer

I currently weigh 166 and have been experiencing about 1-1.5 lb./week losses since I started on MFP. 1-2 lbs/week is healthy for everyone, but individuals who weigh more can experience bigger losses because of water weight, etc. I have seen some people lose 4-5 lbs/week in a healthy way at the beginning of their weight loss.

trogalicious

This should help. Keep in mind, this is to get to a normal weight, not a goal weight. Goal weights can be over aggressive.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

This, and remember that the scale slides. Once you've lost some weight, you're not going to be as aggressive with the per week loss.

syrklc

1-2 pounds a week is pretty accurate. Doing it the healthy way is the best way. ..

Gracerrr

This should help. Keep in mind, this is to get to a normal weight, not a goal weight. Goal weights can be over aggressive.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Agreed! This is very helpful

dpozycki

:happy: I'm happy if I lose 1 a week!

dfquigley

While it's definitely doable ( and to be honest, in the last 3 weeks I've lost 9 pounds, and I'm at 167 currently ) you gotta be a lot more careful when losing larger amounts of weight.

When losing larger amounts, there is far more risk of eating too little, having your metabolism get too slow, then blimping back up as soon as you relax the diet a bit as well as malnutrition from simply not getting the proper intake to repair your body from the exercise required to lose that much weight.

If you are careful it can be done, but it's much more risky, and the changes are much more difficult to maintain once you do lose the weight. If you want to lose more, try to do it under the supervision of someone who knows what they are doing!!

The sheer amounts of exercise required could also put you at a much larger risk for injury!

Best thing to do is to be consistent, and make LIFESTYLE changes that you can maintain. That being said, if you end up doing a bit more cardio and can lose a bit more per week without damaging your joints, it might not be a bad thing, but going biggest loser style, without the trained medical personnel watching you can set you up to do some significant damage.

Katbody10

This should help. Keep in mind, this is to get to a normal weight, not a goal weight. Goal weights can be over aggressive.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

PERFECT! :flowerforyou:

I'm technically only losing about .4 lbs a week .. *sigh* I have less than 10 lbs I want to shake off .. (vanity lbs to be honest) LOL

DopeItUp

This should help. Keep in mind, this is to get to a normal weight, not a goal weight. Goal weights can be over aggressive.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

This is a good guideline. Given what you have to lose, you'll be doing 2lbs/week pretty easily I'd say. It will get harder and you will want to start dialing it back as you get closer.

Rachlmale

I'd be happy if I lost 0.5 a week

As long as you're being healthy, eating plenty and it's coming off it's sensible.

lizzybethclaire

I have always tended to lose weight in chunks. I will lose 4 pounds one week, lose nothing the next, than the week after that lose 5 pounds. It just depends. I like to see a loss every week, but now I make myself go by how my clothing fits and how my face is slimming down. gotta count every NSV!

Routerninja

I think since I have 200 to lose, I can expect to see maybe 2-3 a week eating at BMR +10% And that seems healthy and sensible.

rahlpn

I set my goals to 2lbs per week. MFP has me at 1270 calories a day before exercise and I eat SOME exercise calories, I'm a little less strict on weekends and eat around 1500-1600cal/day. I've been losing more than 2 lbs per week though. I've been on here a little over 4 weeks and have lost 16 lbs. I started at 240.

lbesaw

I am set for 1 pound a week but to be honest I have been dropping 2 a week for the last 3 weeks by just keeping my calories and activity in line. Even when you have a week that you don't lose--if you stay the course it will just drop off eventually. Patience and perserverence is "key". If you know you're doing the right thing just keep at it.

binknbaby

What others have said--depends on how much you have to lose.

I mean, you look at Biggest Loser (for example) where they are losing 10+lbs in a week, and maybe think, "Oh, that's what I should do!" But they are under the care of professional trainers and an MD... and they're not living "real life", but able to work out all day long. So it's a different story for them. But for us who aren't working out for 8 hours a day with a professional trainer, and not under the direct care of a physician every step of the way, we have to be more realistic.

lbesaw

You're sure to drop more---Men have a larger muscle mass which helps them really shed quickly....much to the dismay of your female counterparts. Good Luck!

lbesaw

You're sure to drop more---Men have a larger muscle mass which helps them really shed quickly....much to the dismay of your female counterparts. Good Luck!

olDave

One to two pounds a week for me. I'm in no hurry.

Good luck!

MaraDiaz

I have always tended to lose weight in chunks. I will lose 4 pounds one week, lose nothing the next, than the week after that lose 5 pounds. It just depends. I like to see a loss every week, but now I make myself go by how my clothing fits and how my face is slimming down. gotta count every NSV!

Me too. But either way it has definitely gotten harder the closer I get to goal. To the point where I am rushing to lose 10 more and then the other 8-10 or whatever can just come off slow as it wants.

I just want to hit 129 before the weather heats up because once it does I'll be lucky to get half the exercise I'm getting now. And since I no longer lose even an ounce without exercise, I worry!

olDave

One more thing......

Weight loss is seldom consistant. Don't be impatient if you go a while without seeing weight loss. Remember to AVERAGE IT OUT over time...say at least two to three months.

Good luck!

Riemersma4

Remember, it is a JOURNEY and a LIFESTYLE that you are pursuing.

That being said, you can, for the first few weeks, drop 3 - 5 pounds per week. However, for a sustained effort, .5% of your body weight is all you should lose. Much more than that and your body will begin to revolt and fight you, not help you.

Build good eating (fuel) and exercise habits. U tools like MFP and a HRM. Set short, intemediate adn long term goals. Write them down, share them with friends, cut out pictures and post them in your office for you to see and be motivated by. You will achieve your goals long term.

Weight is just a 'number'. Fitness is a 'feeling'. Focus on the fitness and the weight will follow. Honestly, if you look great and feel great and are living a healthy lifestyle, who cares what you weigh??? I don't use a scale anymore. I use the mirror, my wife and my blue jeans!

Good luck.

purplecharm

What I would like to know is how are the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" able to lose pounds in the double digits in a week?

Why would the show allow them to lose an insane amount of weight every week? Seems like they should have a slew of medical professionals advising them against such rapid weight loss.

Liliansamata

How long did it take you to gain your excess pounds? So in theory it should take the same amount of time to loose the excess weight. God luck on your weight loss journey.

MaraDiaz

How long did it take you to gain your excess pounds? So in theory it should take the same amount of time to loose the excess weight. God luck on your weight loss journey.

Ha! I wish. I gain much faster than I lose. Most of the weight I gained I put on in less than six months.

DopeItUp

What I would like to know is how are the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" able to lose pounds in the double digits in a week?

Why would the show allow them to lose an insane amount of weight every week? Seems like they should have a slew of medical professionals advising them against such rapid weight loss.

Wouldn't be a very good or dramatic show then would it? It's a reality show, everything is fake. They dehydrate themselves for the weigh-ins, they are doing hours of exercise a day and the "week" between weigh-ins are not real, in reality it's 2+ weeks.

Read this: http://www.bodylovewellness.com/2010/06/09/kai-hibbard-biggest-loser-finalist-part-1-of-3/


Pro-tip: don't follow anything on the biggest loser.

misssmarita

Thanks for the feedback. Of course I'd want this weight off me NOW, or at least as quickly as possible, but my main focus is really making healthy choices. If I'm doing that, I feel like the lbs lost per week becomes less important.

TOMEKA18

No more than 2 pounds.

marias2gaa

I know everyone says 1 - 2 lbs, and definitely not more. Do you think that 1% a week is ok? For example, if you weight 200 lbs, having a goal of 2 lbs a week? I know 2 lbs is as high as MFP will let you set your goal, but if you were fairly consistent and made some pretty good food and exercise choices, you could lose more than 2 lbs a week if you started out at like 500 lbs. What do you guys think?And what is a normal week for you, weight loss wise?

I have been losing 2 lbs per week but have been busting my butt to do it