Out of Curiosity

trinityleigh
trinityleigh Posts: 41
edited September 18 in Health and Weight Loss
First off, I know I'm jumping the gun with this. . . I've been watching my weight for a mere 4 days. (including today) I have been figuring my calorie intake and burn, and reevaluating my goals. I don't like the time frame that it is going to take to shed this unwanted weight. If I go by the reccomended time and 1 lb weekly loss then I am looking at reaching my goal - 62 lbs on March 6, 2009. That seems so far away.

If I aim to lose 1.5 lb weekly then I will reach my goal by the middle of Oct. 2008. And that too seems like a long time.

These figures are only if all goes to plan. . .and we all know how that goes. . .:wink:

So my question is. . . How much is too much weight to aim to lose in a week? What pound loss becomes unhealthy in a weeks time?

Replies

  • trinityleigh
    trinityleigh Posts: 41
    First off, I know I'm jumping the gun with this. . . I've been watching my weight for a mere 4 days. (including today) I have been figuring my calorie intake and burn, and reevaluating my goals. I don't like the time frame that it is going to take to shed this unwanted weight. If I go by the reccomended time and 1 lb weekly loss then I am looking at reaching my goal - 62 lbs on March 6, 2009. That seems so far away.

    If I aim to lose 1.5 lb weekly then I will reach my goal by the middle of Oct. 2008. And that too seems like a long time.

    These figures are only if all goes to plan. . .and we all know how that goes. . .:wink:

    So my question is. . . How much is too much weight to aim to lose in a week? What pound loss becomes unhealthy in a weeks time?
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    That sort of depends on the individual. Someone who is very obese would be able to lose weight at a faster pace safely, but they're usually losing under a doctor's supervision. 1-2 lbs per week is safe. If you have a couple wks of a 3 lbs loss thrown in there, that's okay, but anything more than that is risky. I know it feels like it'll take a long time, but you shouldn't rush it. Do this slowly so that you can retain as much of your muscle mass as possible and prevent a lot of excess skin from being left over.
  • Loretta_Jo
    Loretta_Jo Posts: 609 Member
    The weight you lose slowly you are more likely to keep off then weight you lose too quickly.
    Time is going to pass….it always does. So just take it day at a time and before you know it you will reach your goal weight and be a whole new slimmer you.
    Don’t try to figure it all out right now. Just do it and don’t think about the time it is going to take. Believe me the time will pass so much quicker.
    I have been there and done that.
    Hang in there hun you can do it.
    Loretta :flowerforyou:
  • Loretta_Jo
    Loretta_Jo Posts: 609 Member
    Listen to songbyrdsweet. She is a smart young lady who knows what she is talking about.
    Thank you songbyrdsweet :flowerforyou:
  • ariannedavis
    ariannedavis Posts: 520 Member
    trinityleigh,
    up to 2lbs per week is considered "healthy" weight loss. You may find some weeks you can lose much more; especially early on. As your body adjusts to the changes you are making in your life, it will become more difficult to lose as rapidly. As observed by many who watch the Biggest Loser show, unless you have been put on a very strict diet & spend the majority of your day exercising, don't expect to loose more than 2-5lbs in a week.

    You need to start slowly if you are a newbie to exercise. Even as a collegiate cross country runner, I started back with a mile run; not my average 6+ mile runs I did daily in college. Begin with low impact (elliptical, bike, swimming, etc) and get started on a resistance program. If you don't have access to a gym, purchase an exercise band to start. They're inexpensive and can be very effective. Plus, you control the amount of resistance! Muscle burns fat, so you need to get that developed to see faster results.

    Remember that you didn't gain this weight in a matter of months, so it will take some time to burn it off. But by doing it slowly and properly, the odds are in your favor to KEEP it off!
    Best of luck! Arianne :happy:
  • trinityleigh
    trinityleigh Posts: 41
    You know the funny thing is. . .I didn't start out joining this group for me. I started to support my friends and now I am really wanting to stay focused. I never realized what it meant to me. Thanks for the encouragement! :flowerforyou:
  • Loretta_Jo
    Loretta_Jo Posts: 609 Member
    You know the funny thing is. . .I didn't start out joining this group for me. I started to support my friends and now I am really wanting to stay focused. I never realized what it meant to me. Thanks for the encouragement! :flowerforyou:

    Good for you !
    Keep up the good work !!!
    :flowerforyou:
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    As I understand it, 1 - 2 pounds for a male, 1 - 3 pounds for a female per week. I agree with what everyone says about the weight that is lost slowly being easier to keep off. I've been hearing that for years from many different sources, so I believe it.

    For me, I found it very de-motivating to start calculating what I would weigh when, how long to get to a certain weight, etc. Like you, I found it always seemed so far away. I stopped doing that right away and just focused on my day to day efforts. I'm really happy everytime I lose a pound, and though I still look in the mirror and think "I've got a way to go yet", I can also easily say "Hey, I've come a long way!".

    I decided that, as part of an overall lifestyle change, it did not really matter how long it took, because when I reached the Goal, I could not/can not let my lifestyle slide back to what it was, or I'd just gain everything back again. Thus, there is no End Game. And, thus, no reason to focus so much on When that happens.

    So long as you are honest and and trying reasonably hard, you will lose weight and every day will be a healthier day than yesterday.
  • elise
    elise Posts: 1 Member
    To TrinityLeight of January 2008. Hi there. Sounds like 1 lb to 1.5 is reasonably healthy. Generally speaking, think about how quickly time actually passes by and try to focus on positive hobbies and activities that you enjoy week after week...you'll be surprised how soon the time frame will come to an end. Focus on some enjoyable things instead of counting the lbs daily...before you know it you will have lost 10, 20 lbs. Afterall, the lbs. were not gained in a matter of a few weeks or months.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    trinity......patience my dear. 1-2 lbs is what is recommended because there are actually health risks from loosing weight too quickly. Don't let the Biggest Losers or other shows like that fool you, those people are put on strict diets, they are constantly monitored by doctors and they workout for a minimum of five hours a day.

    Also, loosing weight a little slower helps the elasticity in your skin keep up, in other words if you loose it too quickly you will have more sagging skin to deal with than if you loose it slower. I'm sure you didn't put that 62 lbs on in three months so you need to take a deep breath and be prepared for plateaus and weeks of great loss and weeks of no loss and just keep doing what you have to do and you will be happy with the losses as they come. If you take it at the recommended weight loss it's like they say slow and steady wins the race. Trying to do it at lightning speed will only increase the chance of putting the weight back on just as quickly, and maybe adding a few pounds.

    You will see that at each milestone your body changes and you feel better so go with it. Set mini goals along the way too. Good luck. :happy:
  • jbuehrer
    jbuehrer Posts: 285
    :flowerforyou:
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