Can you tell me why?

rosehips60
rosehips60 Posts: 1,030 Member
edited May 2015 in Food and Nutrition
I've never seen this addressed and I'm just curious, can anyone tell me why MFP suggests to set your weight loss goal to 1/2 pound a week when you are within 10 pounds of your goal? Inquiring minds want to know ( at least this one does! ;) )

Replies

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Last 10 hardest to loose..and it helps you to be able to move into maintenance, so essentially you will be moving into maintenance from a smaller deficit.. it guess you could say it is healthier and will help with long term success when keeping the weight off....

    I am still trying to loose the last 8 pounds, been at it for a while and my body does not work well with ounces as week to loose..



  • rosehips60
    rosehips60 Posts: 1,030 Member
    thanks Gia, it doesn't really matter I just like to know the "why" of things, good luck on your last 8, I'm within 11 pounds of my goal now
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    As you get closer to goal, your TDEE is lower. It becomes harder to create a calorie deficit without cutting calories super low. So instead of cutting low, you create a smaller deficit. Plus, you have less fat to burn and many people want to minimize muscle loss.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,928 Member
    When I was 165kbs I needed 1731kcal to maintain my weight.
    Now at 128lbs I need 1527kcal to maintain my weight.
    That's 200kcal less per day that I can eat to stay at the same weight.

    If I wanted to lose 1lbs per week = 3500kcal per week or 500kal per day, then I'd need to eat at 1231kcal per day when I was still 165lbs.
    If I still wanted to lose 1lbs per week now I could only eat 1027kcal daily. Btw, my base metabolic rate is at 1272kcal. Thus I would be eating less than what my body really needs to just function properly.
    If I chose to lose 1/2lbs per week then I'd still have an allowance of 1277kcal. Low, but probably much more sustainable.


    ---
    Disclaimer: I don't want to lose more weight, and despite what scoobies where the numbers above come from tells me, my maintenance calories seem to be around 1900 instead of 1500!
  • Carol_
    Carol_ Posts: 469 Member
    rosehips60 wrote: »
    I've never seen this addressed and I'm just curious, can anyone tell me why MFP suggests to set your weight loss goal to 1/2 pound a week when you are within 10 pounds of your goal? Inquiring minds want to know ( at least this one does! ;) )

    That's interesting. Thanks. I never did know this.
  • healthier101
    healthier101 Posts: 8 Member
    10 pounds... you need 20 weeks to lose 10 pounds.
  • NotASoul
    NotASoul Posts: 25 Member
    Aw hell no - I've lost 10 pounds in way less than 20 weeks before! Where'd your numbers come from?
  • theportkey
    theportkey Posts: 52 Member
    Just because it's harder to lose when you have only that few pounds to go... I suspect :)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,928 Member
    theportkey wrote: »
    Just because it's harder to lose when you have only that few pounds to go... I suspect :)

    That's what I'm trying to say: your deficite automatically gets smaller unless you do something seriously unhealthy.

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