Changing goal to 0.5 loss per week?

fionamc74
fionamc74 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I'm down to only having my last 10 pound to lose and have read a few posts on here where people have suggested changing their goal to 0.5 pound per week. Has anyone had any success with this? @ Guess im a bit scared to do it im on the pound off pound on cycle at the moment! Im quite tall at 5ft 8 and really active too so hopefully I can still lose on half a pound a week loss. Any tips or success stories appreciated! ! :-)

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I lost my last 10 pounds very slowly and in a few steps of maintaining for a while and then nibbling away a few pounds over the course of several weeks/months.
    I manage my deficit /maintenance by custom setting calories rather than by changing the loss per week goal but it achieves the same thing.

    There are a couple of benefits in that the transition to maintenance is very easy and you shouldn't get the glycogen/water weight rebound that many people seem to get when they suddenly start eating more after a large deficit.
  • kitlynnJ
    kitlynnJ Posts: 78 Member
    I started with 11 pounds to lose, so I have always had my goal set at .5 lbs a week. I am only 2 pounds from goal right now, and it is going well. The small deficit is pretty easy to handle without getting hungry, but it also means you have to be diligent in logging. You don't have much wiggle room.

    I don't know if this is part of losing on a smaller deficit, or just how my body works but ... I do not actually lose .5 a week. I will lose nothing for 2-3 weeks then drop 1-2 pounds seemingly overnight. As I said that might have more to do with my body, then the deficit, but something to think about if you don't get a nice linear weight loss as you get closer to your goal.

    Good luck, and congratulations on being so close to goal!
  • Swiftdogs
    Swiftdogs Posts: 328 Member
    I changed to .5 a week at 15 to go, then went to an even smaller cut as I got closer. I liked having more room to concentrate on hitting my macros.
  • amcsouth
    amcsouth Posts: 283 Member
    Changed to a 0.5lb loss awhile back and I've had some good success, losing between 0.3 and 0.5lb a week. I far prefer this as I get to eat a lot more and it will be far easier for me to transition into maintenance. Good luck! :smile:
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    I did this at about the same point (and fwiw I'm 5'9 and active) and it was a great decision for me. I found that I really benefited, physically and mentally, from the extra calories, and it didn't hurt my loss one bit.

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