Losing 3 lbs a week? help?

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  • nyrina4life
    nyrina4life Posts: 196 Member
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    Hey everyone! I need some motivation/ tips/ advice! I need to lose approximately 3 pounds a week until I am closer to my goal. Is this pretty doable? I am currently 218 (started at 246) and 5'4", 21 years old. Currently MFP has me eating 1200 calories a day. Even with this, and adding 20 minutes of exercise, I'm only at a 1000 calorie deficit a day. Plus1200 seems impossible when I'm exercising every day. Help?

    Of course it is doable. We have seen, and heard of this before. I would honestly suggest being comfortable with a 2lb a week weight loss, and if you see more, then that's awesome. Don't set the bar so high that when you go to weigh in and miss the mark, you feel defeated.

    Honestly, if you were starting at a higher weight, yes, you could lose thirty pounds by Halloween. But considering your current weight, it is unlikely. Set a goal, and no matter what, be PROUD of any number you see by the time Halloween comes.
  • Quinn_Baker
    Quinn_Baker Posts: 292 Member
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    Okay, maybe I should restate some thing. I've been losing weight for only a couple months, I started in April. I am 218 lbs currently, and a size 20. (If that helps) I eat 1200-1300 cals a day, as recommended by my dietian and MFP. I am under doctor supervision.
    I don't expect to consistently be losing 3 lbs a week. I know some times will be less. Sorry
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    3lbs a week is unhealthy and most likely not doable. You should be netting at least your BMR every day, which I'm fairly positive for you is more than 1200. Even if you net 1200, that's better than what you're doing now. Eat your exercise calories back.

    Who cares if you don't lose all 30 pounds by Halloween? I wasn't at my goal weight last Halloween and I still rocked a sexy costume. Any weight loss should be celebrated. Even if you lose 1 pound a week and only make it halfway to your Halloween goal, that's still a great accomplishment and you'll look awesome. Not to mention you'll be wayyy healthier and have better long-term results. The slower you lose weight, the more maintainable it is.

    I really like this thread on calorie deficits for further information. Check it out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1017045-a-very-interesting-and-informational-read-on-deficits

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  • Quinn_Baker
    Quinn_Baker Posts: 292 Member
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    30 lbs won't get me to my goal weight, its just a mini goal for now. I am fine with 2 lbs a week if that makes everyone feel better, lol. But I want to be able to enjoy my fall clothes shopping and be proud around Christmas. That's all
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
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    My concern would be to get disappointed when it's not often 3 lbs a week and having that cause me to give up.

    I've been losing about 1 lb a week for the past 5 months, though I haven't lost a thing for the past 2 weeks! And that's okay. Because I'm not in any rush and I'm pleased with the weight I have lost. I still do plug along and trust that any day I'll see the scale start dropping again ;). I think if I had set an (unrealistic IMO) goal of 3 lbs a week I'd have given up by now. I'd like to lose another 15 lbs and if that takes me to the New Year, fine by me. Better than gaining 15 lbs by 2014 LOL
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    30 lbs won't get me to my goal weight, its just a mini goal for now. I am fine with 2 lbs a week if that makes everyone feel better, lol. But I want to be able to enjoy my fall clothes shopping and be proud around Christmas. That's all

    You posted about this goal about 10 days ago, posting it again today and you have received some feedback. If you started in March and have lost 25 pounds in 4 months, does it seem possible to lose that much plus 5 more in 3 months? In the end, it is your choice.

    Best of luck.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    30 lbs won't get me to my goal weight, its just a mini goal for now. I am fine with 2 lbs a week if that makes everyone feel better, lol. But I want to be able to enjoy my fall clothes shopping and be proud around Christmas. That's all

    You can do that while also maintaining a healthy numbers of calories. Think about it: Halloween is 15-ish weeks away. Even if you only lost 1lb a week (totally doable), that's 15 lbs that won't be on you anymore! That's awesome. But if you overdo it and eat far below your BMR, you will be losing a significant amount of muscle and you will damage your metabolism. You don't want to do that. It's better to take it easy and go at a reasonable pace because that is sustainable.
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
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    No, the most actual fat a human body can lose is between 1-2lbs a week. 3lbs a week would be for someone who is really obese and under doctor supervision.

    You know, there is plenty of good science supporting why it's a bad idea to lose weight too rapidly, but if you're going to discourage someone from doing something unhealthy, don't go with the bull-"crap" route made entirely up of broscience crap.

    Give them real facts backed up with real science.
  • teagirlmedium
    teagirlmedium Posts: 679 Member
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    Okay, maybe I should restate some thing. I've been losing weight for only a couple months, I started in April. I am 218 lbs currently, and a size 20. (If that helps) I eat 1200-1300 cals a day, as recommended by my dietian and MFP. I am under doctor supervision.
    I don't expect to consistently be losing 3 lbs a week. I know some times will be less. Sorry

    Did the dietitian tell you to eat 1200 to 1300 calories a day and tell you not to eat the calories you exercise off? From what I have seen on this website the amount of calories you should eat that day changes depending on which exercise or exercises you did. This website wants you to focus on the net calories. The website does not want you to have a deficit.
  • Quinn_Baker
    Quinn_Baker Posts: 292 Member
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    30 lbs won't get me to my goal weight, its just a mini goal for now. I am fine with 2 lbs a week if that makes everyone feel better, lol. But I want to be able to enjoy my fall clothes shopping and be proud around Christmas. That's all

    You posted about this goal about 10 days ago, posting it again today and you have received some feedback. If you started in March and have lost 25 pounds in 4 months, does it seem possible to lose that much plus 5 more in 3 months? In the end, it is your choice.

    Best of luck.
    I was also eating more calories and not exercising very much.. that's why I'm wondering how to speed it up a bit. I'm sorry everyone feels the need to be so rude. Still a new thing to me!
  • dconnolly818
    dconnolly818 Posts: 43 Member
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    30lbs by October would be very hard, but it is do-able. Though its worth mentioning that the healthier you are able to lose the weight, the more likely you are to be able to keep it off. Also, the more gradually you lose the weight, the better it will be for your skin.

    Good luck!
  • Quinn_Baker
    Quinn_Baker Posts: 292 Member
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    Look guys, I guess I'm just frustrated because I can't look in the mirror and see a difference. I don't even feel different. I want to NOTICE the difference.
  • Quinn_Baker
    Quinn_Baker Posts: 292 Member
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    30 lbs won't get me to my goal weight, its just a mini goal for now. I am fine with 2 lbs a week if that makes everyone feel better, lol. But I want to be able to enjoy my fall clothes shopping and be proud around Christmas. That's all
    Oh, and I started in April
    You posted about this goal about 10 days ago, posting it again today and you have received some feedback. If you started in March and have lost 25 pounds in 4 months, does it seem possible to lose that much plus 5 more in 3 months? In the end, it is your choice.

    Best of luck.
    I was also eating more calories and not exercising very much.. that's why I'm wondering how to speed it up a bit. I'm sorry everyone feels the need to be so rude. Still a new thing to me!
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    Look guys, I guess I'm just frustrated because I can't look in the mirror and see a difference. I don't even feel different. I want to NOTICE the difference.

    You will! But one thing that you have to understand is that when you net below BMR (especially significantly so), your "weight loss" will include a lot of muscle. You want to lose fat, not muscle, even if that means a smaller "loss" on the scale. Make sure you measure yourself to get an accurate sense of how you are shrinking. It will make you feel better on days when the scale shows little or no loss. Eating at a high deficit doesn't help you; in the end, it only hurts your body and makes it very difficult to get past plateaus. You don't want that to happen!
  • JanetP124
    JanetP124 Posts: 50 Member
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    If you want to notice a huge difference, I'd start concentrating on weight lifting and muscle strength. I think I've looked at hundreds of success story and progress pics and the ones who have the most dramatic changes into great looking bodies seem to be those who quit obsessing about the scale number and start working on strength.
  • ashleyisgreat
    ashleyisgreat Posts: 586 Member
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    I think one of the reasons why people are responding kind of harshly is because you said that you are NETTING 1000 calories. It doesn't matter how much you eat every day if you're not eating back exercise calories. That's dangerous behavior, and people want to make sure that you know that. Don't be offended--take heart and know that no one wants to see you hurt yourself (which you will if you continue netting 1000 or even 1200).
  • Quinn_Baker
    Quinn_Baker Posts: 292 Member
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    We track my muscle and fat %, and they always show improvement every time.
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
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    I was also eating more calories and not exercising very much.. that's why I'm wondering how to speed it up a bit. I'm sorry everyone feels the need to be so rude. Still a new thing to me!

    You mentioned having a dietician/medical supervision, I'd suggest talking to them about the safety of adding additional exercise to your current diet and how much would be safe to add. By my math you can make it or get damn close... there's quite a few weeks till Halloween and if the weathers nice you can get a lot of opportunity to exercise outside. Just make sure to stay hydrated and listen to your body and dietician.

    http://bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov/ says your TDEE is approximately 2287 (bmr x 1.2), eating 1146 calories a day, which is a deficit of 1140 calories will put you at 188lbs in 109 days.

    That said, I am not your dietician, listen to them, but I think your goal is doable... and far easier than 3lbs a week.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    Obviously losing 3 lbs a week is too aggressive, probably not sustainable, and will likely result in metabolic damage. But you don't want to hear that, right? You asked the question to get affirmation for eating 1000 calories a day, and unfortunately you'll probably get some of that.

    I think that, as others have said, you would be a lot better off eating at a lower deficit and aiming for 1-2 lbs a week. That way, you would be fueling your body, you would be less likely to plateau for an extended period of time (because you didn't cause metabolic damage), and you would be more likely to continue eating this way for life. When you go on crash diets (and that's kind of what 1000 cals a day for X amount of months is), you are more likely to rebound. Hard. That's my two cents, anyway. Good luck.
    This...
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    I was also eating more calories and not exercising very much.. that's why I'm wondering how to speed it up a bit. I'm sorry everyone feels the need to be so rude. Still a new thing to me!

    You mentioned having a dietician/medical supervision, I'd suggest talking to them about the safety of adding additional exercise to your current diet and how much would be safe to add. By my math you can make it or get damn close... there's quite a few weeks till Halloween and if the weathers nice you can get a lot of opportunity to exercise outside. Just make sure to stay hydrated and listen to your body and dietician.

    http://bwsimulator.niddk.nih.gov/ says your TDEE is approximately 2287 (bmr x 1.2), eating 1146 calories a day, which is a deficit of 1140 calories will put you at 188lbs in 109 days.

    That said, I am not your dietician, listen to them, but I think your goal is doable... and far easier than 3lbs a week.

    My question is, if you are under the care of a dietitian, why are you coming here to ask people with no medical experience for advice? Seriously?!?! Recipe for disaster.

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