Can you really loose 2lbs a week by just eating right?

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Not that there's anything wrong with it, but I've been exercising my butt off (literally) and I loose only 3ish pounds the last couple of weeks. I know from others there are loosing a lot more weight but not so much exercise. I do have in my "goals" that I will workout 60 minutes, 7 times a week, so maybe I'm going over on calories? Should I put in zero?

Mere

Replies

  • weaklink109
    weaklink109 Posts: 2,831 Member
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    Three pounds in 2 weeks is 1.5 lbs. per week, which isn't bad. Usually, your weight loss starts off faster and slows, but there are so many things that can influence it. Here are a few:

    Are you eating too much sodium? Track this in your diary, if you aren't already--can be very eye opening.
    Are you eating your exercise calories? If you have a large deficit each day, your body may hold on to the weight.
    Prior to starting on MFP, have you been eating minimal calories "trying" to lose, and/or yo yo ing up and down?
    If that is the case, your metabolism may be very sluggish and it will take a few weeks of increased cardio activity to speed it up and get your loss moving.

    These are just some possibilities. I am sure you will get other ideas from other posters. Good luck.
  • stringcheeze
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    Are you eating too much sodium? Track this in your diary, if you aren't already--can be very eye opening.
    Are you eating your exercise calories? If you have a large deficit each day, your body may hold on to the weight.
    Prior to starting on MFP, have you been eating minimal calories "trying" to lose, and/or yo yo ing up and down?
    If that is the case, your metabolism may be very sluggish and it will take a few weeks of increased cardio activity to speed it up and get your loss moving.

    This this, all of this, especially the second point!! And make sure you're drinking plenty of water.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    I think you've been far too ambitious with your cardio. You need to adjust to something that you will stick with long term. And I have read loads of health blogs that insist on at least 1 day off per week for your body to recover.

    Up to you, but I'd be more realistic with 30 mins, 5 days per week. But I do HIIT, so dont need more than that. Bit of a difference between high intensity and walking.

    I guess it depends on what type of cardio your'e doing??
  • MJBall
    MJBall Posts: 1
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    Hopefully you are eating right as well. And depending on what type of workouts you are doing, you are probably burning fat and also gaining muscle (which is a good thing!) but that might be why you don't see as much of difference on the scale. Keep at it though and it will pay off.
  • sziemba1
    sziemba1 Posts: 34
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    I have been using this web site for 16 weeks to lose 56 pounds. I am now about 6 pounds away from achieving that goal. I am not starving myself but I am cutting out rice, flour, sugar, and potatoes and keeping my calorie intake to no more than 1800 per day and my carbs to 115 gm/day. The results are that I have been losing on average about 3 pounds per week. It works. But it takes discipline to say "no" to the carbs I once inhaled without concern -- lots of discipline. I lost 6 inches around my hips and waist and now am 3 dress sizes smaller.
  • sajar_06
    sajar_06 Posts: 173 Member
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    You can lose 2 pounds a week and be safe with it. You need cardio to burn fat. Resistence training builds muscle and that can weigh on the scales. Now, as far as eating do not go under 1200 calories a day and do not eat the exercise calories unless there is a major amount then eat some of them. 3500 calories is a pound whether gained or lost. If you want to lose 2 pounds a week then you need to have 1000 calories left each day for 7 days to equal 2 pounds that would be 7000 calories at the end of the week left. God Bless, brenda
  • Troutman
    Troutman Posts: 28
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    Yes!
  • MericoX
    MericoX Posts: 199 Member
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    Sorry, I meant I had lost 3ish pounds each of the last two weeks (I'm at 7.7lbs pounds starting from 3 weeks ago). I do exercise 7 days a week, though somedays its just a video for 15 minutes and wii for 30 minutes (I use the wii at least 30 minutes every night). I play tennis for 1.5 - 2 hours 1-3 times a week (we're beginners and suck), and then do C25k 3 times a week.

    My question was more about, if I just ate the amount of calories it says I should eat to loose 2 lbs a day, if that alone (with no exercise) would I still loose the weight.
  • canstey
    canstey Posts: 118
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    Yes. As long as the calorie deficit is 1000 calories a day whether you exercise or you don't, the weight loss will be the same. Exercise has many other wonderful benefits but if you stick with a fixed calorie deficit (i.e. eat back your exercise calories) then it doesn't increase weight loss. There are some subtle nuances here because not all exercise calories are counted correctly at the time of exercise depending on the type and the under-count leads people to think exercise increases metabolism but it is really the body restoring the anaerobic energy reserves over the next 24-48 hours used during the 60 minute exercise .

    I exercise for the fitness benefits and also I find that I need around 1400 calories a day to feel satisfied and not starving, whether I exercise or not. So I exercise to get my Total Daily Energy Expenditure up to 2400 calories so I can maintain my deficit. When I was 40 lbs more than I am now I didn't need exercise to be at 2400 calories per day but I did anyway because I was also trying to improve my fitness.

    There is a risk, more so for women, that exercise will make you hungrier than the calories you burned so exercise can have a negative impact on weight loss for some people. Also maximizing fitness needs excess calories and weight loss needs a calorie deficit so they are competing goals and a balance needs to be struck. Daily diet controls weight loss and exercise controls fitness.
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
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    I do have in my "goals" that I will workout 60 minutes, 7 times a week, so maybe I'm going over on calories? Should I put in zero?

    Mere

    It's a bit confusing, but although you enter your exercise goals when you are setting your goals, MFP does not actually use that particular number to calculate anything. It waits until you have done your exercise and ENTERED your exercise before adding your "exercise cals" back.

    Edit: Therefore it doesn't matter what number you put there, whether it's zero or 3 hours a day of exercise. What does change your cal allowance is whether you select "sedentary", "active" or whatever for your activity level. Your activity level excludes exercise sessions.