Losing 2lbs a week at 185?

2 pounds is fine. There is a list around here somewhere with suggested weight loss per week depending on your current weight. Once you get down to 10-15 pounds above where you want to maintain, you'll want to drop to .5 or so a week. At 185, do the 2 pounds for awhile. You'll lose and if you listen to your body you'll be able to tell when to reassess.

It depends on how much weight you have to lose. Just saying 185 Lbs is pretty arbitrary...185 Lbs on a 5'9" female isn't that heavy...185 Lbs on a 5' nothing female is a different story...

Basically, the less overall weight you have to lose, the slower you should go. With less weight to lose you don't have the fat stores to sustain a 1000 calorie per day deficit from maintenance to lose 2 Lbs per week...so you end up burning muscle and other lean mass at a greater rate than necessary to compensate for the lack of energy (calories).

I would also add that a great many people have better dietary adherence with smaller deficits...they lose weight at a slower rate, but it tends to be steadier and more sustainable with a smaller deficit...because you can actually still eat food and enjoy yourself with a smaller deficit...and still lose weight.

2 Lbs per week is generally reserved for those individuals who are obese, not those needing to lose a handful of vanity pounds.

As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:

More than 75 lbs. 2 lbs./week
40-75 lbs. 1.5 lbs./week
10-40 lbs. 1 lb./week
Less than 10 lbs. 0.5 lb./week

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

jennahaines108 wrote: »

I'm 185 at 5'4". I am fairly muscular, so I'm not HUGE, but I definitely am starting to look round. And thanks for the advice. And for those of you who have lost 2lbs per week, were you 100% strict on dieting and exercise?

Whether you're trying to lose 1/2 Lb or 2 Lbs or maintain, it's about consistency...consistently hitting your targets. It's not about having some super restrictive diet or doing a gazillion hours of cardio every day...it's all about consistently hitting your calorie targets.

Personal experience here...I'm 5'3, 180 lbs, and to lose 2 lbs a week right now at a light activity level, i could only net 1,100 calories. I'd be miserable. I did start out losing 2 lbs a week, but i dropped it down once i hit 190 or so. I had quite a bit of weight to lose, though. I still do and my goal is to make it to my first major goal weight without being miserable and hungry all the time.

But that's just me personally. I'd hate to be eating 1,100 calories net per day. It is definitely possible to lose 2 lbs per week at that weight and height. But will the resulting loss in lean muscle mass as well be worth it?

2lbs is safe but not something I would personally aim for at 5'6" / 179lbs let alone someone of your stats. Set something that is more realistic and attainable. You will most likely be miserable and bummed out when you are cutting cals so low to try to achieve 2 lbs a week and it doesn't end up happening.