how overweight do you have to be to lose 2lbs a week?

Yodifer
Yodifer Posts: 87
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 5'2 149lbs. Is 2lbs a week a reasonable goal for me?

Replies

  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    No. I'm 5'1'', and when I was 149 lbs. I was pushing it going for 1 lb. a week. Try a 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. a week instead.
  • LishieFruit89
    LishieFruit89 Posts: 1,956 Member
    No. I'm 5'1'', and when I was 149 lbs. I was pushing it going for 1 lb. a week. Try a 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. a week instead.

    I concur on the weight loss rate above (not size since I'm taller lol)
  • Wiltord1982
    Wiltord1982 Posts: 312 Member
    Indeed. One pound per week is a healthy goal :)
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    1/2 to 1 pound a week. :bigsmile:

    Slow and steady. :happy:
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I'd say probably when you have 75-100# to lose. I lost 1.5-2 per week going from 313 down to 200.
  • Bsp120167
    Bsp120167 Posts: 68 Member
    Be tough to do it strictly through diet but if you are exercising as well it may be very doable.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
    No. I'm 5'1'', and when I was 149 lbs. I was pushing it going for 1 lb. a week. Try a 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. a week instead.

    I concur on the weight loss rate above (not size since I'm taller lol)
    Lol, I'm sure if you crouch low enough we can accept you into the shortie club. ;D
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    I'm doing 2lb per week but doing loads of exercise. I eat my calories back mainly with decent food (no sugar at least and usually limited fat) and making sure I get enough protein. Working fine so far without injury or slowing down. I need to lose 25-30 lb now.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    Not very. I was 30 lbs over what I wanted to be, and lost 2 lbs a week for about two or three months.

    Keep in mind that weight loss will never be linear in the long term. It comes in leaps and bounds. One week you might lose three, and then lose nothing for three weeks.
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    2 lbs a week is still a healthy amount of weight loss. I would aim for 2 lbs a week and lower it as you get closer to your goal. A lot of the weight loss the first few weeks will be water
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Not very. I was 30 lbs over what I wanted to be, and lost 2 lbs a week for about two or three months.

    Keep in mind that weight loss will never be linear in the long term. It comes in leaps and bounds. One week you might lose three, and then lose nothing for three weeks.

    So true! I was set to lose 2 lbs a,week for my first 15 or so, then set my calories to lose 1 lb per week, and then set my goals to .5 per week when I had 10 pounds left.

    Sometimes it's like my body has a mind of its own.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    how overweight do you have to be to lose 2lbs a week?

    At least a few hundred over. Give or take a few hundred.
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I was losing 2 lbs/week pretty good when I started out...I had 120 to lose. Now, I have about 50 or a little less to go, and I'm trying for 1 lb/week. I was aiming for 1.5, and I found it too difficult...I was binging a lot and constantly hungry. I just upped my calories a couple days ago, but already feel a lot better and feel mentally able to stick to a deficit.
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    I'm gonna guess at least 2lbs?
  • rheelizabeth
    rheelizabeth Posts: 160 Member
    4'11" here and struggle to lose 1/2 a week. Generally lose about 1-2lbs a month. Starting weight was 175-180lbs, currently at 145-147
  • MellowBeast
    MellowBeast Posts: 5
    I'd say 2 lbs a week if you were pretty overweight, but at 149, I definitely agree with something around 1 lb per week. I guess it really depends on your goal weight though. I know when I was 165 lbs, I started at 2, and then as I got closer, brought it down to 1.5, then 1, etc.

    I'm 5'7" and 132 lbs, and I'm doing 1 lb per week as well. Besides being much easier to stick with, you don't need the weight loss to be THAT fast, as you don't have loads to lose. Slow and steady is good! :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Possible, sure. Reasonable, not so much. And as someone else said, don't expect your weight loss to be linear. The body is a funny thing. Even if you ate the same number of calories every day, things like sodium intake, workouts and hormone fluctuations can cause water retention which can mess up scale readings. I'd suggest also taking progress pics and body measurements as these can be a better indication of success, especially for those with less to lose.
    Here is a great guideline for setting weekly weight loss goals:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • Brunette122
    Brunette122 Posts: 107 Member
    I adjusted my MFP to 1 lb instead of 2 lb and it did nothing to my macros. 2lbs can be a "goal" but as far as MFP sees it, I guess it could be impossible for me. I'm 139 lbs.
  • jennk5309
    jennk5309 Posts: 206 Member
    In my experience, It's really hard once you get close to your goal. I've slowed down to about 1/2 a pound per week, and that is on Weight Watchers, which feels more restrictive than just counting calories. I just switched back to MFP so it may slow down even more. I don't care though, I couldn't take living on 26 weight watchers points a day anymore!!!!
  • czechwolf52
    czechwolf52 Posts: 194 Member
    Nope, that's not reasonable. I'm your height and I started out 10 pounds heavier than you. I started out at a pound a week and then when my calories got close to 1300 I bumped it up to .5 pounds per week. I'm currently around 133-134 and i'm aiming for 120-125, so right now I'm in the slow and steady phase.

    It's taken me about 9 months to lose this and I have had some plateaus, even early on (thank you insomnia) but stick to it and you can do it!

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