whats "healthy" when youre obese?

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JoMoMOMx3
JoMoMOMx3 Posts: 77
in Health and Weight Loss
I know the recommended weight loss per week is 1-2lbs. But if youre 100+# over weight what would be a good goal to aim for PER MONTH?

I do better with goals so I wanted to make up a calendar type thing for the first 2-3 months of what I "should" lose.
Ive heard of people who does that diet bet thing and i think they normally do 4% of their body weight. Ive never done the DB so IDK if that 4% is something i should aim for but 4% of my body weight right now would be roughly 11 pounds (just over) in a month. so almost 3# a week.
too much?
«1

Replies

  • JoMoMOMx3
    JoMoMOMx3 Posts: 77
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    any one?
  • norcalskater
    norcalskater Posts: 194 Member
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    Maybe 10 lbs per month. When you first start if you are eating your deficit correctly it's going to come off fast. You might lose 8 lbs in two weeks.
  • DivineChoices
    DivineChoices Posts: 193 Member
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    I think a weekly goal of 1-2 pounds would be realistic and safe. Which makes your monthly goal ~4-8 pounds.

    Best of luck on your journey.
  • swaggityswagbag
    swaggityswagbag Posts: 78 Member
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    This thread is taking the cautious route, which is fine, but wrong. If you really have 150 pounds to lose or something, you would very likely be able to lose 20 or even 30 pounds in a month and experience no negative side effects. Plenty of people experience that without health issues. This is usually because, if you're maintaining a severely obese weight, you're eating 3000 or 4000 calories a day OR MORE. Dropping down to even 2000 usually means rapid weight loss. You only need to be concerned with having too big a deficit if you're doing some sort of heavy exercise.
  • HerbertNenenger
    HerbertNenenger Posts: 453 Member
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    Honestly, you can make a calendar and think about what might happen all you want, but the body does what the body does and you never know what's going to happen ! Your goal should just be to watch that scale move down and try to go with the flow !
  • JoMoMOMx3
    JoMoMOMx3 Posts: 77
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    This thread is taking the cautious route, which is fine, but wrong. If you really have 150 pounds to lose or something, you would very likely be able to lose 20 or even 30 pounds in a month and experience no negative side effects. Plenty of people experience that without health issues. This is usually because, if you're maintaining a severely obese weight, you're eating 3000 or 4000 calories a day OR MORE. Dropping down to even 2000 usually means rapid weight loss. You only need to be concerned with having too big a deficit if you're doing some sort of heavy exercise.
    i have 115# to lose to get to a high end of "healthy" for my height. I love to lose 135-145 but will see how i feel and look after 115. I was at a high end of healthy before i had kids and i felt great. i was "skinny fat" though and wasnt working out so IDK how that will affect my goals either. obviously my main goal is to be healthy. but i want to be at a good weight as well.
  • JoMoMOMx3
    JoMoMOMx3 Posts: 77
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    Honestly, you can make a calendar and think about what might happen all you want, but the body does what the body does and you never know what's going to happen ! Your goal should just be to watch that scale move down and try to go with the flow !
    obviously my main focus is just to see imporvement. but having goals keeps me motivated. ive tried the "Oh i lost a pound this month. im doing good because ive made progress" before. and it just doesnt work. i end up telling myself "Of youve lost weight. youre doing SOMETHING" and i use it to justify having treats or rewards.

    having a real goal and something to work towards will work better for me, i think.
  • swaggityswagbag
    swaggityswagbag Posts: 78 Member
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    If your goal is to be fit and not skinny-fat, I would aim at being around 10 or 15 pounds higher than when you were happiest, and when you get within ~30 pounds of your goal weight, start strength training. It would be fine if you wanted to start now too! But usually when you have 100 pounds to lose, exercising in public can be intimidating and exercising in general can be exhausting and a demotivater. Strength is very important! IMO, more important than cardio. To me, cardio just makes me hungry. Strength makes me look good.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    1% loss of body weight per WEEK is usually a good goal. This applies to people at any weight
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I think a weekly goal of 1-2 pounds would be realistic and safe. Which makes your monthly goal ~4-8 pounds.

    Best of luck on your journey.

    +1

    I think this is a very reasonable and realistic rate. In addition to losing weight, you need to give yourself proper time to develop good lifelong habits in order to keep the weight off. Rushing it will not give you the time you need.
  • LassoOfTruth
    LassoOfTruth Posts: 735 Member
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    I started off 325 pounds. My goal is to lose 130 pounds. I am hoping for 2-4 pounds a week right now, and I am sure once I get closer to the 200's I'll be slowed to 2 pounds a week.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    Even with a lot to lose, over 100 lb to lose, I wouldn't recommend trying to lose more than 2 lb per week honestly.

    So maybe 8-10 lb per month?

    Just don't get discouraged if your loss speeds up and slows down along the way. It's natural.

    I started MFP originally just hoping to lose 42 lb and that 42 lb came off 1.5 lb per week almost EXACTLY, I didn't lose a lot right at first but just started losing 1.5 lb per week. The next 20 lb was actually a little faster than 1.5 per week. The most recent 15 lb has been way slower, like 0.6 lb per week as I get closer to my goal.

    Good luck!
  • louisedavies311
    louisedavies311 Posts: 110 Member
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    Honestly, you can make a calendar and think about what might happen all you want, but the body does what the body does and you never know what's going to happen ! Your goal should just be to watch that scale move down and try to go with the flow !

    so true I had to learn this the hard way!
  • PhotoGen
    PhotoGen Posts: 6 Member
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    Online help is okay but in this situation your Dr would be the best source. You can loose more than 5lbs/wk and still be healthy but your Dr would be able to best tell you how. If you are an over-eater AND a under-exerciser then eating less and exercising more would give high returns fast and still be healthy. You will not loose at the same rate because you body gets used to things fast in an attempt to keep you healthy but it needs your help.

    The older you get the harder it is to loose weight for various reason but move more and eat less unhealthy foods is a good start. I was just recently forced to get healthcare and my plan now is to go get blood work done (although I've done this years ago, it only cost $125) and this will tell you some of your deficiencies and vitamins and supplements can help.

    Aside from being more active and cutting back on the unhealthy foods, I would really suggest consulting with a physician before doing anything else even intense exercising because your body might not be able to take it in it's current state. There is nothing that works fast and great for everyone.
  • KariOrtiz2014
    KariOrtiz2014 Posts: 343 Member
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    1% loss of body weight per WEEK is usually a good goal. This applies to people at any weight

    Thanks!
  • ashym123
    ashym123 Posts: 8
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    I JUST STARTED MY DIET ON THE 15TH OF THIS MONTH (IM ABOUT 100LBS OVER WEIGHT) AND IV ALREADY DROPPED 10 LBS AND IM ONLY SUPPOSED TO WEIGH IN EVERY MONTH BUT I HAD A DR. APT SO THEY WEIGHED ME AND I LOST 10 LBS THAT QUICK...BUT IV HEARD THE BIGGER YOU ARE THE MORE WEIGHT YOU WILL LOOSE FASTER
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    I have over 200lbs to lose, and my doctor has advised, even with medical weightloss medication, to still shoot for a modest weightloss of 2lbs per week. While a lot of people like to say it's okay to shoot for big goals when you are very overweight, medical professionals do not. You cannot expect to maintain a good loss if you cut your calorie intake more than half of your starting intake, because it's a body shock. It happens repeatedly to people who are super heavy... They cut too much, and the body slows to compensate. It has happened to me several times since I started.

    I always advise people to set goals with their physician rather than asking around here. We can't know your personal situation or what would be healthy for you.

    I can tell you though that the forums have consistently tried to tell me that I can "easily" lose 30lbs a month. That's ridiculous. Every time that I have achieved this type of loss, it's required substantially unhealthy practices or illness. Losing 30lbs quickly has caused me very serious health complications as well.

    Very likely that you will lose a double-digit number in water weight, but don't beat yourself up if you can't achieve the numbers that are being listed out by some of these respondents. Just make the point of eating healthy and getting yourself moving. Eat at least 2000 calories. Get good sleep. Be monitored by a good doctor and check in regularly for bloodwork.
  • thatstheticket
    thatstheticket Posts: 16 Member
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    Online help is okay but in this situation your Dr would be the best source. You can loose more than 5lbs/wk and still be healthy but your Dr would be able to best tell you how.

    I was just recently forced to get healthcare and my plan now is to go get blood work done (although I've done this years ago, it only cost $125) and this will tell you some of your deficiencies and vitamins and supplements can help.

    I would really suggest consulting with a physician before doing anything else even intense exercising because your body might not be able to take it in it's current state.
    I am SO glad to see this, this is wonderful advice for anyone. You never know what underlying dietary issue you may have, and how it may be exacerbated by sudden diet and exercise. Consulting with a doc first is the ideal first step. Bravo!
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
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    I always made weight loss charts and counted down each column 1 lbs loss, 1.5 lbs loss, 2 lbs loss, and never reached those till I got rid of the chart and started doing the work. I don't worry how I lose weight now, half lb I will take it, 3 lbs in one week great, no loss for 5 weeks I am okay with it because I know I am daily doing the right thing and eventually it will come off.

    I am not the odd ball out that this eating less moving more thing wont work for, it will, it just takes time. How long did it take the 100 lbs to get there a year or more, its going to take that long or more to come off and slower might be better in terms of how much if any loose skin some people have.

    So why the rush,you are living your life. Just begin to eat healthy and move and keep doing it every day till you get to your goal and continue for the rest of your life. Simple. Best of luck to you.
  • Rainboots80
    Rainboots80 Posts: 218 Member
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    My husband has a lot to lose and he has been losing 30+ pounds a month. I would aim for at least that much the first month and see how you do.

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