How big of a deficit?

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honeylissabee
honeylissabee Posts: 217 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've seen "guidelines" that say if you have less than 75 pounds to lose, you should only aim for 1.5 pounds a week, etc.

I'm a little confused by this. I understand weight loss should slow down the closer you are to goal, but the numbers don't make sense to me.

Take me for example. I have close to 40% body fat, and a BMI of 31. I need to lose 6 more pounds in order to be in the "overweight" category rather than obese. Then, I have another 30 pounds to lose to get to a healthy BMI.

The problem with recommending that I set my goal to lose 1 pound per week based on being 30 pounds from goal, is that my ticker is only half the story. My actual goal weight is somewhere around 130-140 pounds, though I may decide to go down to as little as somewhere in the 120-130 range (I have a small frame). If I get down to 126, that means I'm actually 60 pounds from my goal weight- not 30.

Is there another guide to this that isn't based on "weight you have left to lose?" Perhaps guidelines based on BMI or current weight? I just feel that selecting a weekly weight loss goal based on remaining weight to lose is a flawed concept seeing as I really haven't decided on how much weight I have left to lose. 150 pounds is just my first major goal weight (ok, 180.2 is probably my FIRST one, but I'm not going to change my ticker to represent that now.

Replies

  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    It doesn't go by how much you want to lose. It goes by how much you currently weight. The less you weight the calories you are given will go down.
  • honeylissabee
    honeylissabee Posts: 217 Member
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    I understand that.

    However, that doesn't explain to me why I'm being told that at 186 pounds, I should only aim to lose 1 pound per week.
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    1lb a week is the general recommendation for everyone.
  • happyrelation
    happyrelation Posts: 28
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    Young adults are already in a category that lose weight a lot faster than say someone who is 45.
    I am 40 and found P90X and Insanity worked well..very well. Bill Phillips Body for Life worked very well years ago.
    And I wanted something that was easier on my body, didn't take as much time, and I didn't have to think about what my next meal was going to be.
    I researched and found two that my full criteria. I know there are more out there...
    First I found one that is great for men and women at http://buildthemuscle.net.
    And the one I decided to do because it has a great support system of women doing the program and finished the program, just for women, and simply laid out and guaranteed and I found it at http://inshapenow.net.
    I'm losing on average 1 1/2 pounds a week.
    I think one of the keys to success is setting yourself up for success. Find a plan that is realistic to your lifestyle so you aren't cheating or angry at yourself for missing a workout or a meal.

    To your lifestyle change!

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