Is One Pound Really Enough???

PrissyPisces · July 2014

Hello, it's me for the 100th time! :laugh:

Just wanted to hear from the individuals who choose to lose their weight slowly, and are only at a 500 calorie deficit per day. Now, for the ones that may not know, being at a 500 calorie deficit on a daily basis, means you are aiming to lose 1 pound per week.

To the ones that are taking this route, is the weight coming off slower than expected? Faster than expected? Do you feel this is a wise decision for someone like myself, who has about 90-110 pounds to lose? Or should I continue to aim for 2 pounds a week?

My issue is that my weight fluctuates waaaay too much. I'm having trouble keeping two pounds of my weight loss OFF , and I'm HUNGRY! My calorie range is getting a little difficult to stick to. I'm having cravings, I'm super TIRED, and did I mention that I'm HUNGRY??!! :grumble: :explode:

What's your opinion on this?

P.S. I added in the part about my fluctuating weight, because I wonder if I went too low on my calories, and my body is in shock or something. My doctor gave me some kind of metabolism test, which revealed that I should be eating 1600 calories daily. However, that was like 20 pounds ago. MFP suggests 1500 a day to lose 2 pounds.

jwdieter · July 2014

Better off losing 1 lb/week than giving up completely. I'd stick with 2 lb/week and try to drink more water and sleep more.

Ready2Rock206 · July 2014

If trying to lose 2 lbs a week isn't sustainable for you, then yes 1 pound is enough. The best thing to do is what is sustainable and what you'll be successful at. I would love to be able to lose 1 pound a week.

psuLemon · July 2014

Well if your body follows the math, than if you have an actually deficit of 500 cal per day, you would lose a lb of fat a week. Weight would fluctuate though. Honestly, with 100 lbs to lose, you may get impatient with 1 lb a week, although 2 lbs per week might not give you enough food. Essentially, you need to find a happy medium that allows you to fill full and still keep you motivated. Maybe I would suggest 1.5 lbs per week as a goal and set exercise goals or inches/picture goals too. Honestly, i find most women at losing at 1700-2100 calories daily.

If you want to open your food diary, we can make some suggestions. It's possible you aren't eating the right types of food to get enough nutrients and causing you to be tired and hungry. For example, is your diet high in carbs and low in fat/protein?

126siany · July 2014

I've never been set to lose more than a pound a week and always lose more than that.

PaytraB · July 2014

Being hungry and tired usually means you need more nutrients. It might be better to try for a goal of losing 1 lb. per week and succeeding, rather than giving up.

I am currently maintaining but while losing weight, my goal was to lose 1 lb/wk. I found that the average was that. Some weeks I lost less and others I lost more but the average was 1 lb/week.

Give it a try. Wouldn't you feel better continually losing and being able to sustain that loss, than giving up? You can make this happen. It's just a matter of finding the route and pace that works for you.

AllOutof_Bubblegum · July 2014

Is one pound enough for what? :huh:

It's one pound closer to goal, one pound further from disease and poor health. So I guess it depends if you're looking at the whole picture or not, but for me, I'd say a pound lost is better than a pound gained, and progress is progress, however slow. :flowerforyou:

If you feel your hunger is out of control with a larger deficit, then eat a little more and aim for one pound lost/week. Your goal isn't going to go anywhere without you, there's no fire, it's not a race. Choose a deficit that you are comfortable with, and most importantly, one that you can see yourself maintaining for the duration of your weight loss, until you achieve goal.

cheesevixen_staci · July 2014

I tried 2 pounds a week, and it just left me hungry and I would end up binging on food. Now that I am at 1 pound a week I feel like it IS something I have to be patient with, but I am losing (4-6 lbs. a month) and I am not as hungry. I am actually pretty satisfied. I am -200 cals. for the week, and that's with having a heavy food day Sunday (+400 cals.) for my birthday.

ksaranya · July 2014

Hi there
Been on the same boat a week ago until I read this book -

HEre is what has helped int he last week. Let me know if it works for you.

1) Drink more water.
2) When you have these cravings, think about whether your body is really hungry (watch for symptoms like cramps, low sugar, growling stomach etc) or is it your brain that is desiring the food just for the pleasure of it in the tongue, but your body does not want it.
3) Eat 1/3 of what you are eating, SLOWLY, and once again ask yourself, "Am I really hungry, Is my body asking for food?" 90% of the time when I ask this question I say no, and hence stick to smaller portions of the same yummy food.

Simple dont eat when your body doesnt ask for it.
The author of the book says when your body has had enough, the food is not so appetizing anymore and doesnt taste as good. Stop to think if the food tastes good in your taste palettes or your brain. Eating slowly definitely helps.

Hope this helps...

dawnmcneil10 · July 2014

If you've added exercise to your day but aren't eating back the exercise calories you may need to start eating back half of the calories burned. You shouldn't be hungry so if you aren't exercising you may be too agressive with 2lbs per week as your goal.

I have lost a total of 90 pounds of 14 years so I'm one of those that took the slow route. I changed my eating habits I did not "DIET" and I introduced myself to exercise that is fun. This is the combo that worked for me, I never felt deprived and my only super hungry or craving times have been hormone related.

I would advice you to stop focusing solely on the scale, start picking out positive non scale victories (NSV's) for yourself. Maybe you can't currently walk a mile, reach for that, maybe you're winded when you walk up a flight of stairs, shoot to get to the point you can do that and still have your breath at the top of the stairs. Focusing on that scale and watching it bounce up and down daily will drive you absolutely crazy.

ksaranya · July 2014

http://www.amazon.com/Thins-Woman-Brain-Rewiring-Permanent/dp/0974409278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406564728&sr=1-1&keywords=thin+woman's+brain

Oops here is the book.

sorrias123 · July 2014

Well I am on the slow and steady route myself...goal of 1 pound per week. Trying to lose 2 pounds a week for me was just setting myself up for failure b/c I'd have to take in 1200 cal per day and work out 5-6 times per week.

I may get there at some point, but I want to succeed so I set the bar a bit lower...I started out at 198 on 6/24, taking in 1440 cal per day and only just started walking 30 minutes...striving to do that three times a week. Of course if I'm working on the 1 pound a week loss, then the days that I walk, I will be allowed more calories.

As of today, I'm at 190, EIGHT POUNDS LOST! So I've really averaged more than a pound per week but I didn't put myself under that pressure to lose the two pounds. If I put myself under too much pressure, I run the risk of giving up. I've done that too many times before, not gonna do it again

So, slow and steady I go.

PrissyPisces · July 2014

Well if your body follows the math, than if you have an actually deficit of 500 cal per day, you would lose a lb of fat a week. Weight would fluctuate though. Honestly, with 100 lbs to lose, you may get impatient with 1 lb a week, although 2 lbs per week might not give you enough food. Essentially, you need to find a happy medium that allows you to fill full and still keep you motivated. Maybe I would suggest 1.5 lbs per week as a goal and set exercise goals or inches/picture goals too. Honestly, i find most women at losing at 1700-2100 calories daily.

If you want to open your food diary, we can make some suggestions. It's possible you aren't eating the right types of food to get enough nutrients and causing you to be tired and hungry. For example, is your diet high in carbs and low in fat/protein?

I believe that MAY be the issue. I now follow a vegetarian diet, and am a serious carb lover.

cwolfman13 · July 2014

When I was losing, I was set for 1 Lb per week...I had weeks with bigger losses and weeks with smaller losses and even weeks with small gains due to water and waste retention. Weight loss isn't linear regardless of your goals...but as an overall trend over the course of about 40 weeks I lost about 40 Lbs.

The problem most people have is that they look at this in terms of days and weeks when they really need to see that it's all about months and even years in some cases. Actually, when you throw eventual maintenance into the mix, it's years for everyone.

SnuggleSmacks · July 2014

I subscribe to the sanity-saving diet program: I set my deficit at 500 per week, but I also maintain a positive relationship with food, so I don't stress out if I go over that. I average 350 calories deficit, and lose about a pound every 10 days, with zero stress or anxiety, no binging, few cravings and those are because of being exposed to an especially delicious favorite, not for emotional issues.

That being said, I also have fewer pounds to lose, and a boyfriend who loves my body as is, so I'm not in a hurry...plus, I'm lifting, and want to keep my deficit small so that I can continue to add muscle.

Listen to your body. If you're tired, having cravings, and having a really difficult time, try adding 100 calories per week until you hit a sweet spot that is easy to maintain without pulling out your hair, and still allows you to lose.

Branstin · July 2014

Keep in mind those numbers are just estimates. For example, you could set your weight loss goal to 1 lb. per week, get more calories to eat, and still lose 1.5 lbs. per week. Don’t allow the fluctuations to get to you. They are natural and can’t be helped. There isn’t anything wrong with losing 1 lb. per week if you want more food to eat. If you continue to be hungry by eating too few calories then you will not stick with your plan. There isn’t any need to be miserable while losing weight.

Personally, I am not in any hurry to lose weight. Special occasions don’t mean anything to me in terms of busting my *kitten* just to fit a certain size by a certain date. I invest my time into incorporating lifestyle changes into my life. I don’t care if the sun is shining at 80 degrees or if there are 6 inches of snow on the ground. If you want to lose 2 lbs. then set a mini goal to lose 2 lbs. and do not stress over whether it’s done in one week or three weeks. When you achieve this mini goal then set another one, etc. Don't allow the date on a calendar to stress you out.

PrissyPisces · July 2014

http://www.amazon.com/Thins-Woman-Brain-Rewiring-Permanent/dp/0974409278/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406564728&sr=1-1&keywords=thin+woman's+brain

Oops here is the book.

Thank you so much for this! I'm going to check this out! :flowerforyou:

PrissyPisces · July 2014

Keep in mind those numbers are just estimates. For example, you could set your weight loss goal to 1 lb. per week, get more calories to eat, and still lose 1.5 lbs. per week. Don’t allow the fluctuations to get to you. They are natural and can’t be helped. There isn’t anything wrong with losing 1 lb. per week if you want more food to eat. If you continue to be hungry by eating too few calories then you will not stick with your plan. There isn’t any need to be miserable while losing weight.

Personally, I am not in any hurry to lose weight. Special occasions don’t mean anything to me in terms of busting my *kitten* just to fit a certain size by a certain date. I invest my time into incorporating lifestyle changes into my life. I don’t care if the sun is shining at 80 degrees or if there are 6 inches of snow on the ground. If you want to lose 2 lbs. then set a mini goal to lose 2 lbs. and do not stress over whether it’s done in one week or three weeks. When you achieve this min goal then set another one, etc. Don't allow the date on a calendar to stress you out.

Yep, that's me. Trying to lose all of this weight by next summer, so I can be "happy". Smh

psuLemon · July 2014

Well if your body follows the math, than if you have an actually deficit of 500 cal per day, you would lose a lb of fat a week. Weight would fluctuate though. Honestly, with 100 lbs to lose, you may get impatient with 1 lb a week, although 2 lbs per week might not give you enough food. Essentially, you need to find a happy medium that allows you to fill full and still keep you motivated. Maybe I would suggest 1.5 lbs per week as a goal and set exercise goals or inches/picture goals too. Honestly, i find most women at losing at 1700-2100 calories daily.

If you want to open your food diary, we can make some suggestions. It's possible you aren't eating the right types of food to get enough nutrients and causing you to be tired and hungry. For example, is your diet high in carbs and low in fat/protein?

I believe that MAY be the issue. I now follow a vegetarian diet, and am a serious carb lover.

do you follow a vegetarian lifestyle because of ethical reasons of the believe it's healthier? Either way, upping fats and protein will solve the issue of hunger and so does fiber. I prefer all three at once.

PrissyPisces · July 2014

Right now I do VERY little exercise. I do anywhere from 25-40 minutes, 3 times per week.

valeriepaluszynski · July 2014

Your post says doesn't say anything about exercise - obviously, if you add in some walking or whatever you like to do, you will burn calories so you don't have to be so restrictive about what you eat. If your weight fluctuates a lot, you may have fluid shifts - retain and lose water. Try cutting down on salt and sodium to see if this evens out. If you are starving yourself because you have an extra pound or two of water, you are suffering for no reason. If you are keeping track of your calories by using pre-packaged foods like frozen dinners, you may not be getting much food for the portions and you are definitely getting a lot of sodium. I am suggesting tweaks, because if you are losing about 2 lbs per week, you are doing great!

Is One Pound Really Enough???

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