Losing Slow vs Losing Fast

That's ridiculous. What's the hurry. If you're happy, screw 'em. I think slow and steady wins.

^ This. This is REAL LIFE. Not a contest or competition. If you go at a pace that works best for you (which it sounds like you are) you're more likely to maintain the lifestyle. Keep up the good work you're doing!

If you were to lose all your excess weight in 2 years, and it seems to be what you'll achieve at this rate, I'd say that's pretty fast weight loss as well.

Comparison is the thief of happiness.

For me losing slowly mean creating habits that will build a healthy life and maintaining the weight lose for the first time in forever. In the first 6 months I lost 70 lbs. Nine months later I have 42 but while the scale is not moving as fast my body is changing more. I have become really focused on hitting my protein numbers every day which means I am losing more fat vs muscle. That means more inches coming off than when its was muscle and fat being lost. So I am happy with my progress.

I started here 14 months ago with 75 lbs to lose. I thought I was being realistic to expect to lose it within a year. Heck, I wanted it gone in 3 months, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Well, that year went by and I am not at goal. BUT, I feel fantastic after losing 50 pounds. I still have 25 more to go, and sometimes I start getting antsy and just want to get it off quickly like other people seem to be, but I know that I have made permanent life style changes, and I am not gong to put this weight back on. My body and mind are adjusting to the changes as I lose the weight, both physical and mental changes.

At 50 yrs old, I know how quickly times flies by. It will probably take me another year to reach my goal weight, but that is ok. The year will go by quickly, and I can either be 25 lbs lighter, or be at the weight I am now. My choice. Either one is a win when compared to my life a year ago.
Besides, I have bought a lot of skinnier clothes over the past few months and I want to get my money's worth out of them!

I have been doing this for about a year and three months. I have been pretty happy with my weight loss of 62 lbs. I've gone from a size 20/22 to a size 12.

My ultimate goal isn's to be skinny... it's to be fit.

But lately, I feel that I am constantly getting the "you're losing slowly, you need to speed up your loss to 2lbs a week or so" and then I see success stories of people dropping 100lbs in a year at my age and height!

Does anyone else feel the same pressure to speed it up?

Who are these people that say "you're losing slowly, you need to speed up your loss to 2lbs a week or so?" and why is what they think important to you?

Of course, there's always someone who loses faster than you (for a variety of reasons), but since your goal isn't to be "skinny" (not so sure what you mean by that), that shouldn't be a big concern, right?

The goal is to lose the weight and keep it off. From past experience, losing weight too quickly sabotages any chance of maintaining a permanent lifestyle change. You're doing great!:bigsmile:

Also, the closer you get to the right weight for your body, the slower you will lose. Someone who is morbidly obese will lose faster than someone who is within 15 lbs of their ideal weight (all other things being equal). So slowing down is normal and not a sign of failure or anything like that.

Kudos to you for getting this far, and remember, the tortoise won the race!

Slow and steady is the best way to go.. however in my case it never seems to go that way.. I always want to get t here quick.. and when I don't lose the pounds I'd like to in a certain time I get discouraged and then give up.. I've been on the yoyo diet for years and years.. I wish I could have the courage to wait it out.. maybe then I would be like a lot of you with great weight losses instead of having gained back everything I had worked hard for and having to start over again and again. Right now I'm also following another program which has supplements.. not meal replacements which is good cause I still have to make my own food and think about what I'm taking in. I think it's great to see that you lost 62lbs in a year.. it's encouraging to see that it doesn't have to be gone in a few short months...it's a lifestyle so keep it up and whatever has to come off will continue coming off in due time.. As for me I hope..

I think you need to go at your own pace I have been at this for 7 years. The first two years I lost from 186 to 155-165 I hung out there for a few years and then was like hey you need to lose more now I am 144ish. I think for some people not all losing too fast they may gain it all back if they are not committed to the lifestyle change. I am happy with my slow progress.

I have a lot of weight to lose (over100 lbs), but rather than go aggressive and set MFP to 2lbs a week, I only set it to 1lb/week. It's really hard to go from eating 3000 (or more) calories a day down to 1700 or 1500 or whatever. Let me wrap my mind around what 2000 calories feels like, what exercise feels like, before going aggressive and cutting things down so drastically. I would rather see a slow and steady and maintainable decline rather than go aggressive and burn out.

Great question. I have not lost a lot of weight. I have actually gained some back. However I am losing inches, which is better. However looking at the other MFP, I tend to feel like I am not working hard enough, ect.

The comments here make me feel better that I can go slow and still be doing hard work.

Thanks everyone

I have a lot of weight to lose (over100 lbs), but rather than go aggressive and set MFP to 2lbs a week, I only set it to 1lb/week. It's really hard to go from eating 3000 (or more) calories a day down to 1700 or 1500 or whatever. Let me wrap my mind around what 2000 calories feels like, what exercise feels like, before going aggressive and cutting things down so drastically. I would rather see a slow and steady and maintainable decline rather than go aggressive and burn out.

This is my story as well. but i actually have mine set to 1.5lb a week. Some times i look at the people who have lost 100 lbs in 10 months and i feel like I want that, but at the end of the day i guess i want this to be a permanent change and not some quick fix. this is a good thread as i have been having some issues with why i'm not losing faster. I had to remind myself that i'm losing and that's what matters. i'm more fit and able to challenge my body a lot more.

I have a lot of weight to lose (over100 lbs), but rather than go aggressive and set MFP to 2lbs a week, I only set it to 1lb/week. It's really hard to go from eating 3000 (or more) calories a day down to 1700 or 1500 or whatever. Let me wrap my mind around what 2000 calories feels like, what exercise feels like, before going aggressive and cutting things down so drastically. I would rather see a slow and steady and maintainable decline rather than go aggressive and burn out.

Fantastic and well said. It's refreshing to hear your attitude too amongst a lot of people who want to rush things.

OP your doing fantastic just keep going.

Also, the closer you get to the right weight for your body, the slower you will lose. Someone who is morbidly obese will lose faster than someone who is within 15 lbs of their ideal weight (all other things being equal). So slowing down is normal and not a sign of failure or anything like that.

Kudos to you for getting this far, and remember, the tortoise won the race!

Yep. I have 20 lbs of total fat mass. If I experienced a famine and somehow burned the same amount of fat per day as someone with 100 lbs of fat mass, I'd die very, very quickly. Thus, it's a good thing our bodies are designed in a manner that the limit of fat loss per day decreases relative to fat mass.

Every time I have lost (or tried to lose) weight quickly, or tried for too big a calorie deficit, I have gained it back again. Every time.

I lost 20 lbs in 2009 by calorie counting, aiming for an intake of about 1700 calories a day. I lost about 0.5 lbs a week. I stopped because I got bored of losing so slowly and wanted to try other things. Well, I kept off that slow 20 lbs for 4 years. But any additional weight loss? Yup, rebounded right back up again. But man, am I ever glad that I managed to keep that 20 lbs off!

So here I am, to lose the rest of my original 50+ lb goal. And I've learned my lesson. 0.5 lbs a week is it for me. I can eat in a sustainable way. I'm hardly ever hungry. I'm building up exercise slowly. I'm learning portion sizes (again).

Slow is good! If I'd kept going slowly in 2009, I'd be at goal. But I didn't, and I'm not. I'm determined to get there this time, even if I have to be an MFP member for life.