Losing weight at a slower rate....beneficial??

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Peanut1026
Peanut1026 Posts: 85
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi I was just wondering if losing weight at a slower pace is more beneficial than losing a big amount at one time? I lost 4lbs my first week, now averaging 1lb a week. I have heard it is easier to keep off with losing at a slower rate!

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  • princesslmc2
    princesslmc2 Posts: 264 Member
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    I've heard the same thing - and truly hopes that's the case. I've been at it for almost 12 full months, and I'm down 36.6 pounds. My thinking is that I'm retraining my brain in a healthy lifestyle, not just a crash diet. Therefore, it'll be easier to maintain the weight loss once I reach my goal...
  • morganadk2_deleted
    morganadk2_deleted Posts: 1,696 Member
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    Are you eating to enough?

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

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


    This is just a part of it! please read the link above


    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)


    Also this might be helpful http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/00trayn/view/how-to-bust-a-3-month-plateau-87677



    Good luck on your journey
  • VialOfDreams
    VialOfDreams Posts: 217
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    Hi I was just wondering if losing weight at a slower pace is more beneficial than losing a big amount at one time? I lost 4lbs my first week, now averaging 1lb a week. I have heard it is easier to keep off with losing at a slower rate!

    Absolutely. And you can avoid complications from rapid weight loss. (I lost 90 lbs in 9 months, and my gallbladder decided to have a personal vendetta against me for it, so I had to have it removed.) Slowly but surely is the best thing to do, and no more than 2 lbs, unless the doc says it's okay. You are doing great! Keep up the hard work; it will pay off.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    You lose it slow you keep it off for good! Otherwise, you gain it back real quick if you lose it quick.
  • Keefypoos
    Keefypoos Posts: 231 Member
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    I don't think the speed at which you lose weight is the issue here, more like returning to old eating habits, I would reason that a slower weight loss allows you more time to adjust to a better eating pattern.

    if you return to overeating 500 kcals a day then you will put on 1lb each week regardless of how you lost it.


    but that just my thoughts on it.
  • daydreamer_28
    daydreamer_28 Posts: 16 Member
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    I'm not sure how everyone else feels, but losing it slower has worked for me. Since Jan '10 I have lost a total of 35 pounds and have been able to keep it off. There was a few months I couldn't exercise, I broke/dislocated my toe and had a hairline fracture in a bone down from it. During this time I watched my diet.

    When I first started I lost 5-8 pounds the first two weeks, and that was okay. One should loose more at first because this is the water weight coming off.

    My hubby lost a lot very quickly and he has gained most of it back, he was unable to keep up the strict regiment he was doing.
  • Peanut1026
    Peanut1026 Posts: 85
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    thank you all for the advice, makes me feel good about my weight loss, and I want it gone FOR GOOD, so it is helpful to know that slower is better. thx!
  • Peanut1026
    Peanut1026 Posts: 85
    Options
    Hi I was just wondering if losing weight at a slower pace is more beneficial than losing a big amount at one time? I lost 4lbs my first week, now averaging 1lb a week. I have heard it is easier to keep off with losing at a slower rate!

    Absolutely. And you can avoid complications from rapid weight loss. (I lost 90 lbs in 9 months, and my gallbladder decided to have a personal vendetta against me for it, so I had to have it removed.) Slowly but surely is the best thing to do, and no more than 2 lbs, unless the doc says it's okay. You are doing great! Keep up the hard work; it will pay off.

    thank you. Gull bladders are no fun, I myself had to have mine removed after a nasty attack, this was right after my son was born. Then I had another attack, even though the gull bladder was out. this was about a year later. they claimed i had a stone lodged in a bile duct.....still trying to figure that one out....having no gull bladder, where did that stone come from?? LOL!!
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
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    I think it is all about the listening, learning and living process. Listening to what our Body is telling us, Learning from it and then Living it. Some people "Learn" fast but have problems doing "living" what they know (like I used to be.) So it took years of trial and error before I could put into practice (LIVE) what I listened to and learned about My Body. During this time, I lost weight slowly because I wouldn't/couldn't stick to My Plan. NOW I LIVE My Wellness Plan and if I lose weight Fast or Slowly is about the Body doing it's own thing...I just stay Steady in following My Plan.

    At one point when I was on a "Diet" I lost weight really quick, regained it and did the yo-yo thing for several years. Again, it's about whether someone can do constantly what they have learned. In the Art of War it is said that to form a habit takes 1 year-4 Seasons (and not one year of on and off, but one year of constantly doing the thing.) In our culture some people actually think it takes 30 days to develop a habit (how ignorant.) But when something is not only habit but behavioral and genetic (like an addiction to food), it takes a Lifetime of Constant Vigilance to control.
  • jojoworks
    jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
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    I've heard the same thing - and truly hopes that's the case. I've been at it for almost 12 full months, and I'm down 36.6 pounds. My thinking is that I'm retraining my brain in a healthy lifestyle, not just a crash diet. Therefore, it'll be easier to maintain the weight loss once I reach my goal...

    I totally agree! I lost 40 lbs last year and hope to lose the other 40 this year, but its looking like it may be more like 30. I lost approx .77 lbs / week last year without exercising. I'm not against exercise and I believe you may be able to lose more quickly if you do exercise, I've just had physical problems that make walking for 20 minutes about the extent of my physical efforts.

    Since most of my efforts are based on what I eat, I've fully encompassed learning to live and eat in a healthy manner.

    Don't worry that its slow and adjust your expectations so you don't get frustrated or anxious about it. You didn't gain it all in 2,3, 6 or 12 months and it won't come off that quickly either. But you'll be healthier on the way down than you were on the way up.

    Good luck and happy eating!!
    JoJo

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