Any tips on losing 2lbs per week?

Hi everyone,

I trust you are all well!

Well, today is the first day in my new diet and I am sticking to a 1200 calorie intake a day as I'm 5ft1 and I weigh 142lbs (10st 2lbs) and I'm dying to shift some weight!

Does anyone have any diet tips to lose at least 2lbs per week minimum?

Thanks,
Becky

Replies

  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Exactly what is your end goal? The less you have to lose the harder it becomes. If you are with in 20 or so lbs then either .5 or 1 would be a more realistic goal.
  • Hksalex
    Hksalex Posts: 144 Member
    High Intensity Work outs....

    that's all really..
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    in general to lose 2 pounds a week you need to somehow create an average calorie deficit of 1000 calories a day. you can do this by eating 500 calories below your total daily calorie needs and exercising enough to burn 500 calories each day.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    To lose 2lbs a week you have to start off with loads to lose.
  • Weighinginwithmy02
    Weighinginwithmy02 Posts: 369 Member
    the biggest tip I can give you is to set a more realistic goal. You're only setting yourself up for stress, failure and disappointment with trying to lose 2 pounds a week. What's the rush?
  • Pookylou
    Pookylou Posts: 988 Member
    To lose 2lbs a week you have to start off with loads to lose.

    Yep, I lost a lot when I had a lot to lose, now I am 10 or so pounds within goal 0/5 of a lb a week is all I aim for!
  • yksdoris
    yksdoris Posts: 327 Member
    Hi!

    I'm 5'2 and I started at 72 kg (that's 159 lb), I'm now at goal at 55 kg (121 lb). So I know a little bit about shifting weight when you're short. It took me about 9-10 months to lose the weight, the last few months I've been trying to stabilize. The thing is, when you're short then when you're proportionally "overweight" your body mass is smaller than a taller person's "overweight" - this is important to realize because your BMR (the amount of calories your body uses per day just to function as if you were in coma) is therefore also lower. As comparison, my BMR at the moment is about 1250.With a sedentary lifestyle, my average calorie expenditure per day would be something like 1500 to 1550. If I were to eat 1200 kcal per day, that's a deficit of some 300-350 kcal, which basically means that it'd take 10 days to lose 1 lb of fat (1lb of fat = 3500 kcal). Since you're a little bit heaveir than me right now, your BMR is therefore higher, so your weight loss at 1200 kcal per day would be faster; so this is just as a bit of comparison for you.

    If I wanted to lose 2 lb per 7 days, that would mean that I'd have to be in a calorie deficit of 1000 kcal per day! With your height and current weight, this is very dangerous. Not only would you then be allowed a ridiculous amount of calories to function on, you'd be really hungry the whole time. The WHOLE time. But you can also seriously damage your metabolism, and the moment you stopped with the program, all the weight would come right back on. So, slow and steady wins the race. You can still reasonably lose 4-5 lb per month.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You don't have the amount of fat mass that warrants a 2 lb per week weight loss goal. At 140 lbs, you should be between 0.5 to 1.0 lbs, depending on goal weight.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    the biggest tip I can give you is to set a more realistic goal. You're only setting yourself up for stress, failure and disappointment with trying to lose 2 pounds a week. What's the rush?

    this!

    to make lasting changes you should be looking at working towards a healthier lifestyle, not rushing to drop pounds as soon as possible.
  • Lose 5 lbs – in a month :

    Either you're just above your healthy weight goal, or you just want to try to start off small, whatever your challenge, here's one way to go about it:

    1. Commit to 30 minutes of activity every day. Walking is easiest to incorporate.
    2. Cut out one or two unhealthy foods you eat every day for the whole month (cream in your coffee? sugary pop? fast-food meals?). Watch food portions at meals.

    Lose 10lbs - in two months

    So you're feeling a little braver about tackling your extra weight. This is a good thing. Try this out:

    1. Commit to 45 minutes of activity every day, either walking, biking or playing tennis.
    2. Cut out three to four unhealthy foods you eat every day for two months (potato chips? candy bars?). Watch food portions at meals.
    3. Add strength training by lifting 5, 10 or 15 lb weights twice a week. Include two sets of 12 repetitions.

    Lose 15 lbs - in three months

    Now you're serious about losing those pounds that you may have been carrying for awhile. Congratulations. Here's how to make the pounds melt away:

    1. Commit to 30 minutes of physical activity twice a day, be it walking, basketball or swimming. Add more activity options to boost your weight loss.
    2. Cut out three unhealthy foods you eat every day for three months (gummy bears? cookies?). Watch food portions at meals.
    3. Add strength training by lifting 5, 10 or 15 lb weights three times a week. Include three sets of 12 repetitions.
    4. Add flexibility and stretching exercises (yoga? tai chi?) to avoid injuries.

    Helpful tips .....
    1. Weigh yourself once a week, at the same time, to keep tabs on your progress.
    2. If you fall off the wagon, get right back on. Don't waste your efforts. A bad day is just a bad day.
    3. As clothes become too big, remove them from your wardrobe and give them to charity.
    4. Drink plenty of liquids, about 6 to 8 glasses a day.


    Remember: to keep the weight off, you'll have to continue being physically active and watching your calories.........
    ”Eat Less & Move More!”
  • enigmakey
    enigmakey Posts: 63 Member
    More fiber. get psyllium whole husk. We don't get enough fiber everyday anyway so there is an added health benefit. 1 TBS. with water when you wake up and 1 TBS. with water before bed.
  • mary659497
    mary659497 Posts: 484 Member
    bump
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    HOw much do you want to lose?

    2lbs per week as a goal is usually only for those who have a lot left to lose.

    THe smaller you are the slower it will come off and the slower you should want it to come off. The more of a deficit that you have the more of your losses will be from muscle instead of fat. Losing muscle leaves you skinny fat with a high body fat %.

    Not eating enough over time will damage your metabolism.

    Don't try to "lose at least 2lbs per week" .. it isn't healthy. You didn't put all the weight on overnight... stop trying to lose it so quickly. Drop your goal down to 0.5 lbs per week and eat based on that. Less is not always better.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    More fiber. get psyllium whole husk. We don't get enough fiber everyday anyway so there is an added health benefit. 1 TBS. with water when you wake up and 1 TBS. with water before bed.

    How is more fibre going to cause fat loss?

    If you eat enough fruits and veggies you will get more than enough fibre in your daily diet.