last pounds - 1/2 pound aim, why?

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ashleeliza
ashleeliza Posts: 93
in Health and Weight Loss
Im trying to lose the last few pounds and wondering how to go about it,
I've read some posts saying to stop aiming for a 1lb a week and go for 1/2 instead, I was wondering why this is? Thanks!

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  • rmgatch
    rmgatch Posts: 38
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    I am thinking if you cut back your goal to .5 a week that will be a closer to your maintenance diet weight?
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    Because in order to lose weight, you need to be at a calorie deficit (consume fewer calories than you burn). Losing a pound a week means having a 500 cal/day deficit. There's a strong likelihood that consuming 500 cal fewer than you burn when you are close to goal weight will leave you consuming far too few calories (meaning too few as in below your BMR/1200/whatever a reasonable number is to actually consume all the vitamins/minerals your body needs). A 250 calorie deficit (for 1/2 lb a week) is more likely to leave you consuming enough calories to provide adequate nutrition.

    For example, let's say you are sedentary and your TDEE is 1600. If you maintain a 500 calorie deficit, you'll be eating 1100 calories a day. I think even the "cleanest" eaters in the universe would have trouble getting all the vitamins & minerals they need from 1100 calories (not to mention that's just not much food and I would be starving). It's more doable at a 250 cal deficit which puts you at 1350 per day.

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