How quickly do you lose weight?

poptastic · February 2011

I'm getting disheartened... I didn't start from a hugely heavy weight to begin with (154lbs), and I only embarked properly on a weight-loss mission after Christmas - before that I was exercising regularly but often eating badly/drinking too much.

Anyway, so far I seem to only lose max 1lb per week, and that is only if I have a good week where I have stuck to my goals every single day. I exercise a fair amount (around 1 hour of cycling a day, as that is how I get around, plus gym 2 times a week for weights & HIIT) and I think my diet is massively better than it was. Can anyone give me any ideas of where I might be going wrong, or is this a normal rate to lose?

I keep seeing people logging in saying that they have lost several lbs in a week and it makes me feel like my progress is insanely slow!

morganadk2_deleted · February 2011

These may be worth a read..

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficit

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle tone, and reducing fat. This means is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode)

Good luck on your journey & remember you are not alone we are all here for YOU!

bullmastifflover · February 2011

are you drinking enough water & getting enough sleep. if i don't get enough sleep, my losses slow down a lot

fresh_lobster · February 2011

You are exercising (Cardio) which will make you loose weight but your going to the gym is converting your fat to muscles(toning) - which means you will not see any subtle difference. What is happening though is that you are toning up. I stuck to the following plan.
1. Do Cardios only to begin with till you reach your target weight.
2. If you want to loose lots of weight you need to find a proper balance between going "off carb" and Cardios.
3. Once you do this and stop pumping weights for a while, you will see you loose your muscles i.e. you loose muscles and fat and it will be a big difference.
4. Then ones you are in your target weight range, gradually start toning up....dont over do it.
5. You'll see that the weight loss has slowed down a bit.
6. Push yourself with the Cardio maintaining your toning up.
See the results

Panda86 · February 2011

1 lb per week is the recommended rate of weight loss. 2 per week is the max, and that's generally ok for heavier people. Sometimes our bodies do lose it quicker, but a lot of times people are doing unhealthy things to drop that much weight. It's best to do it the healthy way, because that's what makes it stick. It seems like the faster you lose, especially if its through unhealthy means, the easier it comes back on. So I would stick with 1 lb, because you will be better off in the long run.

cessnaholly · February 2011

Hi. From everything on every weightloss site I've ever seen, 1-2 lbs per week is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. My goal is between .5 and 1 lbs per week. When you lose more than that it could be because you aren't feeling week or binging or something else. But from a health point of view, you probably don't want to lose a lot of weight at all once. It is easier to take off and keep off if you do it slowly. You didn't gain 10 lbs in a week. Why would you lose 10lbs in a week?

Don't be discouraged. You are doing great. Keep up the good work!

mayburcm · February 2011

Hi,
I started off at 155lbs. I have tried to lose weight in the past but never seemed to be able to get down 5lbs, but it finally seems to be working for me this time. Losing 1lb a week is perfectly fine, healthy weight loss is usually suggested at 1-2 pounds per week. This varies depending on how much weight you have to lose as well. Just think over a long enough period of time (and people who lose weight really quickly usually gain it back anyways) 1 pound a week really adds up. If you think you would like to lose a bit more than that like two pounds then there might be some changes you could make. The most I have really lost in one week was like 2 or 3 pounds right at the beginning and I was doing cardio for 40 minutes everyday.

karljp · February 2011

Well, don't really have enough info on you to know your goals or starting weight, age, dairy etc. But, if you lose 1 lb a week the rest of this year that is over 40 lbs. You may be ok. Just depends on how fast you want to lose. This is a lifestyle change so you should be fine if you stick with it. Just change your perspective on this week by week thing you are doing.

Panda86 · February 2011

You are exercising (Cardio) which will make you loose weight but your going to the gym is converting your fat to muscles(toning) - which means you will not see any subtle difference. What is happening though is that you are toning up. I stuck to the following plan.
1. Do Cardios only to begin with till you reach your target weight.
2. If you want to loose lots of weight you need to find a proper balance between going "off carb" and Cardios.
3. Once you do this and stop pumping weights for a while, you will see you loose your muscles i.e. you loose muscles and fat and it will be a big difference.
4. Then ones you are in your target weight range, gradually start toning up....dont over do it.
5. You'll see that the weight loss has slowed down a bit.
6. Push yourself with the Cardio maintaining your toning up.
See the results

I am not sure where you got this info. You shouldn't stop strength training, as strength training burns more calories than fat does, even while resting, which will bring your BMR up, and help you burn more in the long run. If you are doing strength training, I would keep it. You don't want to lose your muscle, because that will lower your metabolism, which is why a lot of cardio-only people hit plateaus so often.

vikeschick42 · February 2011

I took a look at your food diary and for the calories you are consuming you are doing good at 1 pound a week. I seem to have to be around 1200 a day to lose 2 pounds a week, and 1400-1500 a day to lose 1 pound a week. So you can either keep things the same and lose slow and comfortably, or lower your calories to lose a bit faster. Whichever works best for you.
Good luck to you!

anolan807 · February 2011

Don't get discouraged.. Losing 1 pound a week is actually very healthy. I am exactly where you are. i would like to have the weight coming off faster, but am usually at a pound a week. Another thing you might do is measurements. I have noticed my measurements are shrinking faster then my pounds.. Good Luck

anubis609 · February 2011

The heavier you are, the more weight you're able to lose. Considering that you're starting off at a relatively low weight with only a 15 pound goal, 1 pound a week is right. Shocking your body into losing more at a faster pace, will also result in it trying to stabilize itself quickly by gaining and retaining calories. Plus starting off with a lower weight, your body doesn't need as many calories to sustain itself, so your intake shouldn't be any less than 1200...it needs that many to maintain body and brain functions.

For comparison, when I was 300+ pounds, I was losing an average of 12 - 15 pounds a month. As I started losing weight, it averaged to about 10 pounds a month. Now that I'm closer to my goal weight, not including the plateau I'm hitting at the moment, on average I'm losing about 6 - 8 a month. Just stick to your routine. You'll reach your goal. Just be patient.

StPattysGrl · February 2011

I started at 153 in mid-November and am down only 12 lbs now. By mid January, I was down 10 lbs. Once I hit that 10 lbs, the weight lost has REALLY slowed down for me. I don't know if I've lost my will power or what. I wonder if I'm not being as dedicated now because all of my clothes are feeling really great with this 10-12 lbs lost. I'm not obese or overwieght, so I'm afraid I'm becoming lazy with my goals as part of me feels it's not absolutely necessary.

Anyways, I got off track there on my own current issues

But I was successful with loosing 10 lbs in two months by watching my calories... and I started off at the weight you are at now. Good luck!

carolyne2 · February 2011

are you drinking enough water & getting enough sleep. if i don't get enough sleep, my losses slow down a lot

I'm the same and its really noticeable how much it slows down.

In your case, don't be disheartened, you haven't got much to loose unlike me, so where as I may find shedding 2lb a week at the moment quite easy, by the time I get much nearer my target, its going to slow down to maybe 1lb a month, but you just have to have patience and keep going. Good luck

cat3nv · February 2011

It still depends on what you are eating. You may be eating the right amount of calories, but if you are not eating whole grains and veggies and are eating sugary things or soda you will not see a difference.

i have not had any sugar, or any white bread in over 3 weeks. I lost 11 pounds in the first 2 weeks.

Good luck!!!

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

jamie1888 · February 2011

You are exercising (Cardio) which will make you loose weight but your going to the gym is converting your fat to muscles(toning) - which means you will not see any subtle difference. What is happening though is that you are toning up. I stuck to the following plan.
1. Do Cardios only to begin with till you reach your target weight.
2. If you want to loose lots of weight you need to find a proper balance between going "off carb" and Cardios.
3. Once you do this and stop pumping weights for a while, you will see you loose your muscles i.e. you loose muscles and fat and it will be a big difference.
4. Then ones you are in your target weight range, gradually start toning up....dont over do it.
5. You'll see that the weight loss has slowed down a bit.
6. Push yourself with the Cardio maintaining your toning up.
See the results

I'm sorry, I don't want to bash or be disrespectful to anyone. However, there is some inaccurate information here.
1) fat does NOT convert to muscle. you burn fat and build muscle
2) doing cardio until you reach your target weight is BAD advice. the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. strength training is also a type of cardio exercise if you are working hard enough.
3) you do NOT need to give up carbs. it's just helpful if you give up BAD carbs (white flour, etc) and choose whole grains & high fiber sources

Make sure you drink enough water. Stay within your calories goals. I would suggest bumping your protein goal a little higher and reducing your carb goal a bit.

scagneti · February 2011

I started at a similar weight (not sure about your height), but 1lb a week is perfect for sustainable weight loss. At 5'5", I'm in the vanity weight now (healthy BMI) so any faster and you start burning muscle because there's less fat and the body finds it easier to burn muscle than fat at this stage. I'm down 11 lbs since the beginning of January (I was completely inactive so working out made a huge difference!) but lost most right at the beginning, which was primarily water weight (from not drinking enough water and from having way too much sodium)

I'd recommend measuring inches and body fat% instead of pounds. I can vary 2-3 lbs depending on the time of day, TOM or how much sodium I ate. I don't care too much about the scale anymore, but when I see my inches shrink or my body fat % go down then I get really excited!

dshalbert · February 2011

I average between 1 lb per week for me. Sometimes 3 lbs sometime none. But over the long term (several months) it averages about 1lb. Not super impressive but after time it adds up.

poptastic · February 2011

Thanks for all the feedback!

I am 5ft 7 so I am currently at a healthy BMI (23.8), I just want to lose some of my excess fat so that I can look and feel better.

I guess perhaps I am just being impatient as I feel so much better already, but can't see much visible progress.

I do drink a LOT of water (around 5-6 pints per day) already, but the sleep thing may be a factor - I work full time and study part time so I am always tired!

I think I just have to be more realistic with my goals...

noltes2 · February 2011

The way I see it - as long as the scale is going down consistently that's all that matters! 1 pound a week is a huge accomplishment!!! Great job!

For me I've been stuck at the same weight (160) for 2 weeks now and it is very discouraging. I definitely appreciate some of the advice on here too! All I can do is just stick with it and keep going and give it a few more week to see if it is muscle gain or really a plateau (I recently added in weights), and then if nothing changes I really need to change some things... Good luck!

cwhite6109 · February 2011

I totally understand. I had 46 to lose total. Well in 10 weeks I've lost 8 lbs. I work out 5 days/week in a gym and spend an hour on cardio equipment in the fat burn ranges. What gives!?!?

I'm trying to tell myself its the journey not a race. I guess too that we didn't put it on over night but damn it seems like it...

fitnesspirateninja · February 2011

Thanks for all the feedback!

I am 5ft 7 so I am currently at a healthy BMI (23.8), I just want to lose some of my excess fat so that I can look and feel better.

I guess perhaps I am just being impatient as I feel so much better already, but can't see much visible progress.

I do drink a LOT of water (around 5-6 pints per day) already, but the sleep thing may be a factor - I work full time and study part time so I am always tired!

I think I just have to be more realistic with my goals...

I would measure inches lost then. If you feel that much better, you're doing something right!

cwhite6109 · February 2011

Thanks for posting this 'rebutal'. The previous information didn't make sense to me either.

How quickly do you lose weight?

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