At what point does 2lbs a week become unrealistic?
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Replies
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A very very general guideline that certainly has exceptions, would be .5 to 1% change in bodyweight per week.
But that's really a secondary question.
The primary question is:
What do I have to do with my training and diet in order to sustain a 2lb/week weight loss?
Followed by:
Can I adhere to that?
For most people the answer is that you have to bring calories really low and bring activity up quite a bit and it's an awful scenario that you won't adhere to.
Also, I would challenge your claim that you see lots of people losing 2/week who have less to lose than you do. That's quite rare if you are referring to steady, weekly losses. I'd also like to see how those people are doing weeks or months from now.
Here's are some great questions I think you should ask yourself right now:
1) Am I losing weight somewhat regularly over time?
2) Am I forming good habits around food and exercise that I can adhere to for a very long time or does this feel like a stressful diet that will one day be "over"?
3) Do I have enough energy to function and to perform adequately in the gym?
^ This stuff is important. It's WAAAAAY more important than whether or not you are losing .5 lbs per week or 2lbs per week.
Sorry I missed this post. Very well said, thank you.
And while I know I certainly have seen people with less than me to lose, lose 2lb a week you are quite correct that I have no idea if it's steady and how they will be doing months from now.
I can answer yes to those three questions (and a definite 'no' to does it feel stressful and something I hope one day will be over). Which I'm really glad I asked myself.
Thanks :flowerforyou:
(I really do love this forum)0 -
I never hit 2 pounds a week, despite having MFP set to that goal. Most likely due to inaccurate logging, I guess. Over a 6 month period of 30 pound weight loss I averaged 1.2 pounds per week on my best run so far.0
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Most authorities would say AIMING for 2 lbs/week is fine, and achieving anything from .5-2 lbs. (or 1% of your body weight, if more) is considered safe, conservative weight loss.0
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Here is a great guideline for setting weekly weight loss goals:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
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It depends, and is really based in math & science...
A smaller body burns less calories for BMR, daily activity and exercise. When you burn less, it becomes harder to have a 1000 calorie per day deficit. When a particular person reaches that point will depend on their stats (men burn more than women, youth burns more than aged) as well as their lifestyle. If you're on your feet for your job & moving all day, you're more active and burning more than if you're sitting at a desk for 8-10 hours a day. And then it also depends on what time you have to invest in exercise, what you do in that time, how hard you work out.
For mathematical examples...
Comparing weight of 190 to 170
BMR 1677 vs 1589 daily <---based on your stated height/weight and your profile says your age is 25, you're female
Sedentary activity 335 vs 318 daily
Running an hour a day at 6mph 675 vs 600 daily*
Total burned per day 2687 vs 2507 or about 180/day less at 170 vs 190
If you're not able to work out long enough, hard enough to burn that many calories thru exercise if would be hard to have a 2 pound a week goal now, let alone in 20 pounds. Sometimes being a girl has a downside - men burn more. My husband (who is working to lose ~60 pounds) could have a lazy day with no intentional exercise and burn almost as much as I did (I'm in maintenance, weighing ~125) on a day I ran a 1/2 marathon. No joke!
For the running, I used a calculator at Runningworld.com then took about 75% of that as the values given were VERY high. Used running as its more intense than walking, but of course I have no idea what your fitness level is. And its not actually realistic to run 7 days a week. But it was good for a numerical comparison. You can adjust as need be to suit you.SilverRose89 wrote: »
Sorry, I'm rambling now and not sure I'm particularly explaining myself well. So TL;DR - At what point does a 2lb loss a week become too much? I see people saying it's 'as you become closer to your goal'. Does 30lbs away count as close to my goal? As it doesn't feel it! But I realise often people have way more to lose than me, so maybe I am just losing sight of that.
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A very very general guideline that certainly has exceptions, would be .5 to 1% change in bodyweight per week.
But that's really a secondary question.
The primary question is:
What do I have to do with my training and diet in order to sustain a 2lb/week weight loss?
Followed by:
Can I adhere to that?
For most people the answer is that you have to bring calories really low and bring activity up quite a bit and it's an awful scenario that you won't adhere to.
Here's are some great questions I think you should ask yourself right now:
1) Am I losing weight somewhat regularly over time?
2) Am I forming good habits around food and exercise that I can adhere to for a very long time or does this feel like a stressful diet that will one day be "over"?
3) Do I have enough energy to function and to perform adequately in the gym?
^ This stuff is important. It's WAAAAAY more important than whether or not you are losing .5 lbs per week or 2lbs per week.
I love this response and it can't be overstated.
Personally, I started out 10 months ago aiming for 2lbs/week. It fit into my day well and it was sustainable. I had a lot to lose and so my body burned calories quicker than many people even at a sedentary level. As I lost weight, that 'bonus' went away. In order to continue to lose at 2 lbs, I would have had to cut calories or exercise more than I already was. That wouldn't have been realistic or sustainable to me. So I've come to a place of peace losing closer to .5-1 lb/week.
I have also started to spend more time with weights. As I've done that, I've noticed the scale has become less important. Yes, I still want to lose weight, and as long as the trend is downward, I'm happy, but I'm more than okay now sacrificing calorie-burning cardio for strength building.0 -
1% of one's body weight is realistic. So if you're under 200lbs., 2lbs a week starts to become more and more challenging.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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A very very general guideline that certainly has exceptions, would be .5 to 1% change in bodyweight per week.
But that's really a secondary question.
The primary question is:
What do I have to do with my training and diet in order to sustain a 2lb/week weight loss?
Followed by:
Can I adhere to that?
For most people the answer is that you have to bring calories really low and bring activity up quite a bit and it's an awful scenario that you won't adhere to.
Also, I would challenge your claim that you see lots of people losing 2/week who have less to lose than you do. That's quite rare if you are referring to steady, weekly losses. I'd also like to see how those people are doing weeks or months from now.
Here's are some great questions I think you should ask yourself right now:
1) Am I losing weight somewhat regularly over time?
2) Am I forming good habits around food and exercise that I can adhere to for a very long time or does this feel like a stressful diet that will one day be "over"?
3) Do I have enough energy to function and to perform adequately in the gym?
^ This stuff is important. It's WAAAAAY more important than whether or not you are losing .5 lbs per week or 2lbs per week.
I agree with this. I ignored the lbs/week thing and focused on % bodyweight per week, mainly because that 2lbs/week feels and looks and has a different impact on a body that is 6'2" and one is 5'2" (that's me!) and it sounded illogical to me. Also, it really does mean that you are focusing on what is right for YOU and not for anyone else.
For myself, I lost pounds very quickly to start with, then deliberately started slowing things down progressively, but I lost at a rate of about 1-1.3% bodyweight/week for the first 8 months and then it slowed to about 0.5% until I approached my target. Maybe it was a bit quick to start with, but it worked for me and I was OK with it.
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SilverRose89 wrote: »4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »A few thoughts:
make sure you check the 1200 calculation, MFP bottoms out there (even if that does not create the deficit to actually give you a 2lb/week loss) so if you are going to eat at that goal it might not acutally be a 2lb per week loss, just so you have accurate expectations.
My rule is do what works for you. I am happy at the 1/lb per week loss rate, some weeks i get up to 1.5, but I have a tough time being happy at 2 lbs/week. (I am about 10 lbs heavier than you right now and have a similar goal weight). I definitely want to reach my goal eventually, but you know in the mean time I am working full time, taking masters courses, and trying to improve my fitness level, so I also need to make sure I take care of myself to succeed in all that. Weight loss is a thing for me, but its not EVERYTHING to me. Just another way to look at it....
Ah thank you for that!
I just double checked what MFP says if I set it to 2lbs a week and it says 1200 per day for a loss of 1.7lbs a week. So, actually, for 2lbs it would need to be even lower. Which to me right now would be completely unrealistic.
My thoughts on whether I'm happy with this rate of loss change on a daily basis to be honest. Some days I think it's great I've lost this weight and other days I beat myself up because last year I lost 17lbs but put it back on so had to start again. Everytime I see a loss my brain says "yeah but it doesn't count because you're only losing again what you already lost before"
(I know, I know, stupid brain.).
But yeah, I am happy on these calories and eating back some exercise calories too. It's working well for me, so I don't plan on changing it.
It looks like you are losing and getting fit at a rate that is sustainable for you, and will ultimately carry over into maintenance. Don't mess with success!0 -
I feel the same way, seeing people my same size losing weight 2 or 3 times as fast as I am makes me feel like a lazy pig. But I have tried cutting calories that much (for me to lose that much I have to keep it under 1000/day) and it SUCKED for me. Maybe others don't get as hungry, maybe they are able to do 90-120 minutes of exercise per day without feeling awful, but that's just not me. So I need to do what I *can* do - following my attainable calorie goals and continually improving my fitness - and trust that the outcome will be what I want.0
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dopeysmelly wrote: »A very very general guideline that certainly has exceptions, would be .5 to 1% change in bodyweight per week.
But that's really a secondary question.
The primary question is:
What do I have to do with my training and diet in order to sustain a 2lb/week weight loss?
Followed by:
Can I adhere to that?
For most people the answer is that you have to bring calories really low and bring activity up quite a bit and it's an awful scenario that you won't adhere to.
Also, I would challenge your claim that you see lots of people losing 2/week who have less to lose than you do. That's quite rare if you are referring to steady, weekly losses. I'd also like to see how those people are doing weeks or months from now.
Here's are some great questions I think you should ask yourself right now:
1) Am I losing weight somewhat regularly over time?
2) Am I forming good habits around food and exercise that I can adhere to for a very long time or does this feel like a stressful diet that will one day be "over"?
3) Do I have enough energy to function and to perform adequately in the gym?
^ This stuff is important. It's WAAAAAY more important than whether or not you are losing .5 lbs per week or 2lbs per week.
I agree with this. I ignored the lbs/week thing and focused on % bodyweight per week, mainly because that 2lbs/week feels and looks and has a different impact on a body that is 6'2" and one is 5'2" (that's me!) and it sounded illogical to me. Also, it really does mean that you are focusing on what is right for YOU and not for anyone else.
For myself, I lost pounds very quickly to start with, then deliberately started slowing things down progressively, but I lost at a rate of about 1-1.3% bodyweight/week for the first 8 months and then it slowed to about 0.5% until I approached my target. Maybe it was a bit quick to start with, but it worked for me and I was OK with it.
Yes, I agree with this too, and it's pretty consistent with my experience, at 5'3.
I actually stopped worrying about rate per week (vs. simply making sure I was losing consistently) when I switched to TDEE, which I did at around 150 or so (my goal is 120). I did maintain a loss of about 1.5 lbs/week for a while after that, instead of the 1 lb/week I'd expected (because I was running a lot) and then as I got closer to goal and started running less due to winter it leveled off to 1 lb/week and now (since I hit 130) it's been more like .5 lb/week but not so consistent, sometimes nothing, sometimes 1 lb. I was trying to keep a 500 lb deficit based on TDEE and now more like a 250-300 lb deficit, but my workouts have been harder to judge since I am varying my cardio more and doing more weight-oriented workouts.0 -
Here's are some great questions I think you should ask yourself right now:
1) Am I losing weight somewhat regularly over time?
2) Am I forming good habits around food and exercise that I can adhere to for a very long time or does this feel like a stressful diet that will one day be "over"?
3) Do I have enough energy to function and to perform adequately in the gym?
^ This stuff is important. It's WAAAAAY more important than whether or not you are losing .5 lbs per week or 2lbs per week.
This was very helpful to me also. Thank you for posting it.0 -
My goals are quite similar-I'm also 5"6"" and started at 205. Low 190s now. While 130 is a reasonable goal-I'm making my first goal 150. (it's been a long time since I was there).
I have not lost 2lbs a week but I do see slow and steady progress.
I know that high intensity workouts will speed my weight loss but at 56 I'm more content to take it slow and gradual.
Good luck on your journey.0 -
SilverRose89 wrote: »A very very general guideline that certainly has exceptions, would be .5 to 1% change in bodyweight per week.
But that's really a secondary question.
The primary question is:
What do I have to do with my training and diet in order to sustain a 2lb/week weight loss?
Followed by:
Can I adhere to that?
For most people the answer is that you have to bring calories really low and bring activity up quite a bit and it's an awful scenario that you won't adhere to.
Also, I would challenge your claim that you see lots of people losing 2/week who have less to lose than you do. That's quite rare if you are referring to steady, weekly losses. I'd also like to see how those people are doing weeks or months from now.
Here's are some great questions I think you should ask yourself right now:
1) Am I losing weight somewhat regularly over time?
2) Am I forming good habits around food and exercise that I can adhere to for a very long time or does this feel like a stressful diet that will one day be "over"?
3) Do I have enough energy to function and to perform adequately in the gym?
^ This stuff is important. It's WAAAAAY more important than whether or not you are losing .5 lbs per week or 2lbs per week.
Sorry I missed this post. Very well said, thank you.
And while I know I certainly have seen people with less than me to lose, lose 2lb a week you are quite correct that I have no idea if it's steady and how they will be doing months from now.
I can answer yes to those three questions (and a definite 'no' to does it feel stressful and something I hope one day will be over). Which I'm really glad I asked myself.
Thanks :flowerforyou:
(I really do love this forum)
Something else to consider... when you say you have seen other people lose 2 lbs per week, do you mean the posts on your Friends feed? Because MFP auto posts for you when you lose, but NOT when you gain. I went for several weeks where I kept gaining and losing the same stupid lb over & over again. But it looked to my friends like I was losing a pound every 2 weeks because "Gained 1 lb" was never posted
. I actually posted out of guilt that I kept gaining and losing that pound!
It sounds like you are doing awesome to me!0 -
It depends on how determined you are. Someone fairly lean can do a PSMF and continue losing rapidly - but it takes pretty strong mental fortitude.0
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at the point you're so hungry you might eat the arm of the person sitting next to you
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I have lost an average of 4.1lbs per week (1.9kg) but I am extremely overweight. I was 115kg and today 98.8kg. Sorry not sure in pounds but roughly 253ish to 217-218.
My loss looks "extreme" but my BMI was 51 and I would probably have suffered serious health issues or even death in my 30's if I had carried on like that.
I know full well that it won't keep going down like this and I won't drop below 1200 calories. I am satisfied around 1200 and don't get that knawing hunger like I used to when I waa overeating.
My grandma (68 yeara of age) is also eating about the same as me but losing 200-500 grams per week.
You're doing so well! Keep it up!0
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