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decrease my calories?

amymeenieminymo
amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I am currently on the "lose 1 pound a week" plan and it is working well. I have lost a pound every week since I started (though I am scared to weigh in tomorrow). The calories are working out well for me, it is usually just enough, but sometimes I do go over or find myself wishing I had more calories left.

While I am trying not to discount my current loss and I do ackknowledge that any weight loss is a good thing, it is a little annoying at how slow one pound a week is. That means by the time the wedding that I am in comes up, I will only have lost roughly 27 pounds (if I lose each week). Ok I know I know, looking at my profile that is only 3 pounds shy of my goal, but I am really not sure what my healthy weight is, since I never agreed with what height/weight charts say, so I just set that goal as something realistic that I can envision, and go from there.

So anyway, I currently walk at least a mile to 2.5 miles four days a week, but I plan on buying a bike soon and doing a lot of biking this summer and hopefully play some tennis too, so that will add to the calories I will be able to eat. So do you reccomend that I switch to trying to lose 2 pounds a week now, when I start excercising more, or not at all, since I know health professionals DO reccomend only one pound a week.

Replies

  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
    I am currently on the "lose 1 pound a week" plan and it is working well. I have lost a pound every week since I started (though I am scared to weigh in tomorrow). The calories are working out well for me, it is usually just enough, but sometimes I do go over or find myself wishing I had more calories left.

    While I am trying not to discount my current loss and I do ackknowledge that any weight loss is a good thing, it is a little annoying at how slow one pound a week is. That means by the time the wedding that I am in comes up, I will only have lost roughly 27 pounds (if I lose each week). Ok I know I know, looking at my profile that is only 3 pounds shy of my goal, but I am really not sure what my healthy weight is, since I never agreed with what height/weight charts say, so I just set that goal as something realistic that I can envision, and go from there.

    So anyway, I currently walk at least a mile to 2.5 miles four days a week, but I plan on buying a bike soon and doing a lot of biking this summer and hopefully play some tennis too, so that will add to the calories I will be able to eat. So do you reccomend that I switch to trying to lose 2 pounds a week now, when I start excercising more, or not at all, since I know health professionals DO reccomend only one pound a week.
  • shorerider
    shorerider Posts: 3,817 Member
    I aim for 2 pounds a week but I have a LOT to lose, so a lower deficit is something that I can handle right now. It really depends upon how much you have to lose and overall health right now. Maybe check with your personal doctor?
  • jill5677
    jill5677 Posts: 56 Member
    Good things come to those who wait! :)

    Part of the benefit of losing weight slowly is that it changes your eating patterns and habits. When you lose weight quickly, you don't change your habits/patterns, or if you do change them for a short time, you quickly revert back to old/bad habits once you lose the weight.

    1 lb a week is unfortunately the healthy way to do it, and the best way that I know to do it and keep it off for an extended amount of time.

    At lesat you're losing. A lot of people have trouble even doing that! :)
  • supersaver
    supersaver Posts: 39 Member
    I believe the professionals say 1-2 pounds per week.
  • Whenever I get hungry and I don't have many calories left, I exercise a bit more.

    I am scheduled to eat 1200 calories a day and I end up exercising every day because I can earn 500-600 more calories to eat, so whenever I want something else I'll just go walking for 20-30 minutes to "earn" enough.

    I know it sounds like earning money at a job, but somehow it makes me feel better about the whole thing and less hungry.
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