Safe to go down to 2lbs loss a week?

Juanwi
Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I am 5'1" and 140 lbs. I just started using MFP on a regular basis, and I feel very discouraged at losing only 1lb a week. However, at that it already has me down to only 1280 calories a day! I'm eating a ton of veggies to stretch that out.

Currently, I am working out 6 days a week, taking Sunday off. I do a 30 min run/walk combo on Mon, Wed, Fri (2 min running and 1 min walking). On Tues, Thurs, Sat, I am biking 4-6 miles (aprox 6 min a mile). I just started adding a short zumba workout from the Zumba Fitness Rush game on the Xbox (aprox 22 min) 2 days a week. I have also just this week decided to visit the driving range on Sunday's for about 30 min.

I've also started doing some strength training a couple days a week (crunches, jumping lunges, leg lifts).

I began the running in mid May, and I have been doing it consistently, adding the biking about a month in. I actually gained 3lbs! I began at 138, jumped to 141, and now I'm at 140. I have lost an inch off of my waist, but my measurements in other places haven't budged.

I realized that I was prob eating too much, so I started using MFP, but at only a 1lb loss a week, I feel like it is way slow. Can I go to 2lbs a week, or would that be too few calories?

Thanks!

Replies

  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    Nope. You are far too close to a healthy weight to be aiming for 2lbs per week. That's only sensible for people who still have 75lbs or more to lose.

    Honestly, at this point - you would be lucky to lose 1 lb per week.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    Only 1 lb a week? ONLY?

    What I'm saying here is you need to re-evaluate your goals. At your height and weight, .5 lb - 1 lb a week is excellent progress.
  • Joannesmith2818
    Joannesmith2818 Posts: 438 Member
    Your a similar weight to me! Its hard to be patient but the time flys by and those Ibs add up quickly.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    1 lb a week is great. Your calories are already too low, don't lower them anymore, you'll be setting yourself up for failure.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    It's best not to exceed 1% body weight lost per week, so for you 1.4 pounds per week max would be my recommendation. Any more than that and you're losing too much muscle, but it's up to you.
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    Adjust your expectations. Based on the people who have long-term success in maintaining their loss, a pattern emerges:

    - 1 lb a week is excellent progress that you should be grateful for, because it will slow down since you don't have a lot to lose.
    - Despite that, slow consistent weight loss is better.
    - They understand short-term weight fluctuations, and don't worry about gaining or losing a pound or even five.
    - They know that an inch is far more important than your weight -- which also includes, fat, water, food, bone, boogers, and other stuff.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    1200 is the minimum amount of calories that MFP will give you. For a 2 pound per week loss, it is going to try to deduct 1,000 calories per day from your estimated calorie needs, but not below 1200.

    Also, keep in mind that MFP calculates your calorie needs not including exercise, so you need to eat extra fuel for your workouts.
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    Thanks everyone! I will just try to freak out too much. It just feel so discouraging to be working out so much, and for 3 1/2 months and not see much progress!

    I'm more concerned about dropping pants sizes than weight, so I will just try to be more patient!
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    Oh, and I have been eating my calories back. Though I've read on other sites not to do that, but if I don't I feel like I am starving!
  • janarita
    janarita Posts: 5
    Same thing for me. I'm around 5' and my current weight is 130 lbs and my goal weight is 110 lbs.

    I watch what I eat, exercise 6 days a week and it is so hard to loose weight, before I joined mfp I almost quit. I lost 4 pounds in 5 weeks and then I gained two. I was so unhappy and wanted to quit until someone told me that I lost weight.

    I lost volume, too bad I didn't keep track of my measurements in the begining. Finally I lost the 2 pounds that I gained.

    mfp gives me the healthy weight loss of 2 pounds every 5 weeks, I wish there would be some healthy way to loose some more a bit faster.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    If anything, I would recommend doing more strength training and less cardio. While weight loss will be the same, you will probably see more composition changes. I know I get a lot more definition from weight training regimes then cardio. Keep in mind that fat loss > weight loss.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Oh, and I have been eating my calories back. Though I've read on other sites not to do that, but if I don't I feel like I am starving!

    Other sites don't calculate your calorie needs without the exercise so that is why they don't eat more calories. MFP gives you a big enough deficit so that you would lose weight without doing any exercise. Then when you do, you need more fuel.
  • donnagaunt31
    donnagaunt31 Posts: 32 Member
    hun id go more off measurements and clothes size , muscle weighs more than fat you might find its due to you toning up :)
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    Oh, and I have been eating my calories back. Though I've read on other sites not to do that, but if I don't I feel like I am starving!

    Other sites don't calculate your calorie needs without the exercise so that is why they don't eat more calories. MFP gives you a big enough deficit so that you would lose weight without doing any exercise. Then when you do, you need more fuel.

    That is good to know! I was really worried my lack of results was from eating those back.
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    If anything, I would recommend doing more strength training and less cardio. While weight loss will be the same, you will probably see more composition changes. I know I get a lot more definition from weight training regimes then cardio. Keep in mind that fat loss > weight loss.

    Any suggestions for things that are easy to do at home?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    If anything, I would recommend doing more strength training and less cardio. While weight loss will be the same, you will probably see more composition changes. I know I get a lot more definition from weight training regimes then cardio. Keep in mind that fat loss > weight loss.

    Any suggestions for things that are easy to do at home?

    How much equipment do you have? There are plenty of programs you can do at home. There are videos like Chalean Extreme or P90X, or you can find programs on www.nerdfitness.com or bodybuilding.com or even youtube. There are body weight exercises that can help but your results will be better with weights or resistance bands (from my personal experience).
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    I have nothing at home but two 5 lb hand weights and an exercise ball. I can buy some resistance bands. I do have Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 for the Xbox which has some strength training options. Maybe I will check that out.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    "Body By You" is progressive body weight workouts. If you have no equipment, it's a great place to start. I'm seeing good results from it.
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    Thanks all for the help! I will start adding more strength training and look at some of these sites.
  • seruki
    seruki Posts: 10
    I think half a pound a week would be best for someone who is close to a healthy weight.
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    Well, I just completed 30 minutes of strength training (all arms and abs) on the Your Shape Fitness Evolved, and my arms are like rubber now, lol. My abs were really feeling it during as well. Hopefully this will work out. It incorporated my hand weights, and I have a feeling I am going to be crazy sore tomorrow!
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    It's best not to exceed 1% body weight lost per week, so for you 1.4 pounds per week max would be my recommendation. Any more than that and you're losing too much muscle, but it's up to you.
    Actually it depends on fat mass. You can metabolize 31.4 calories per day for each pound of fat. So you need 32 pounds of fat to support a 1000 calorie daily deficit (which is what you need to lose 2 pounds a week). Keep in mind that you need to lose slower as soon as you fall below that, so you would not want to aim for 2 pounds a week unless you had more like 35+ pounds of fat and then you would need to re-evaluate each week.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Well, I just completed 30 minutes of strength training (all arms and abs) on the Your Shape Fitness Evolved, and my arms are like rubber now, lol. My abs were really feeling it during as well. Hopefully this will work out. It incorporated my hand weights, and I have a feeling I am going to be crazy sore tomorrow!

    I love when I first started with strength training and would get sore. It feels like progress. :glasses:
  • angiebmore
    angiebmore Posts: 34 Member
    I'm at 1200 calories.... But when I work out on some days I burn close to 600 calories.... Do you eat those calories back?
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    I'm at 1200 calories.... But when I work out on some days I burn close to 600 calories.... Do you eat those calories back?


    Yes. If you use MFP's estimated calorie burn, I would suggest eating back half. MFP tends to over estimate calorie burn.
  • Juanwi
    Juanwi Posts: 68 Member
    I've been using a heart rate monitor to determine calories, and it is always way under what MFP says I burned!
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    Arms and abs?


    Try to stick to moves that use lots of muscle groups at once. Jumping squats, push ups, hanging on a bar and letting yourself down slow (negatives), lunges with a foot on a chair, etc...

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