Losing Slow vs Losing Fast

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  • CindaWhite
    CindaWhite Posts: 104 Member
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    Comparison is the thief of happiness.

    Never read a truer word!

    Slow and steady wins hands down. Losing quickly does not give your metabolism a chance to adjust and it is very hard to transition to maintenance when you have a really low number of calories as your daily goal. What you are doing seems to be working and quite well I might add Congratulations! Don't let others opinions influence what you already know to be true... You GOT this!
  • seniorbug2003
    seniorbug2003 Posts: 67 Member
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    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
  • oc1timoco
    oc1timoco Posts: 272 Member
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    Do it slowly. 1/2-1 lb a week and exercise too. You will have less of a problem with loose skin or gaining any of it back. This is not a marathon. I'm happy with my loss but constantly work on skin problems.
  • supremelady
    supremelady Posts: 211 Member
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    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.
  • WDEvy
    WDEvy Posts: 814 Member
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    Yes. It's frustrating at times. I know that ultimately it doesn't matter but I always feel like I'm doing something wrong when I see people on the boards dropping 100 lbs in less than a year where it took me 13 months to lose 56.
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
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    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.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    Heck, i just reset my goal from losing 1 lb a week to losing 0.5 a week. I eat more calories and am happy to lose slower. I hope to keep it going instead of treat it like a diet i can quit. Plus i only have about 7 lbs left so i dont expect to lose it fast. Do what works for you.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    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.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
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    ANY way you Do It is GOOD! Slow is good only if you CHANGE your eating habits! Fast is good Only if you CHANGE your eating habits! OK, get the theme. Also tone, in process or after goal range. If you have a lot of mass to lose or bad skin tone, start toning mid-way.

    People always say, "Lose slowly so it will 'stick' ", but they NEVER tell you what that means...it means Change your eating habits. Some say you can change a habit in 3 weeks, some say 4 weeks, some say 6 weeks...Sun Tzu (in the Art of War) says "It takes 4 Seasons to make or break a habit" (1 year). I agree, and whether you reach goal range in 3 mo, 5 mo, 7 mo...you still have to be working on Changing your Eating Habit. If Wt Loss is your goal, then Changing Your Eating Habit should NOT be Goal 2, it should be a CONJUNCTION of goal 1>>> ie,
    1.To weigh XXX Range AND to Change My Eating Habit for Life. How:
    a)
    b)
    c)
  • sarah456s
    sarah456s Posts: 98 Member
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    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.
  • misskarihari
    misskarihari Posts: 104 Member
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    (I know this is an old thread but still important)
    Slow and steady for me too . It can be a bit demotivating, but I prefer to eat more and be happy and full than aiming at a very low calorie goal and be hangry. :) Lost 4 kgs in 3-4 months, which is slow but still better than nothing!

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