what's realistic in weight loss per month?
ChelBell712
Posts: 26 Member
Is it realistically possible to lose 10 Pounds a month? Is it safe to do so? Do you change your diet often so your body doesn't adjust to it? How do you get yourself off of a weight plateau? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just curious! Going on a cruise may 15th of next year for "honeymoon" and would love to look good for my husband even though he loves me the way I am! (At least HE SAYS)! I'm looking for answers or someone that is going for the same goals I am and succeeding! There are tons of people who jump to conclusions and like to play doctor on here and that's not what I'm looking for! Thanks:)
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Replies
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Depends on a couple things:
1. (Primarily) how much you have to lose overall
and
2. By "10 lbs" do you just mean 10lbs off the scale number, or 10 lbs of actual fat?
Meaning...if you're severely obese, then it's very possible to lose 10 lbs in a month. If you're just looking at shedding a few vanity pounds, then it's probably not.
Also, yes you could theoretically cause the scale number to go down by that much by dehydrating yourself, using laxatives to clean out your system, etc, but none of that would actually be visible fat loss (note, I am in NO WAY recommending doing any of the above).0 -
too many variables.
anywhere from 1/2 pound a week up to 2 pounds per week (depending on your current weight and how much you have to lose) are good numbers. some weeks more, some weeks less.0 -
As far as your other questions:
"Changing your diet" is not necessary...as you lose weight, you may need to adjust your calorie goals downward slightly, but as long as you maintain a calorie deficit, changing what you eat isn't going to "shock" your body or anything.
To get off a plateau - first make sure you're really in a plateau. A couple weeks isn't a plateau, that's just normal fluctuations. If it's been a couple months - then you probably either need to tighten up your measuring/logging of calories (it's easy to get lazy about it after a while) and/or adjust your caloric intake slightly downward as noted above.0 -
Here's the math:
3500 kcal to burn one lb of fat. So if you eat a caloric deficit of 500 kcals/day that's a healthy loss of 1lb/week.
Considering most people are not well hydrated and lead a sedentary life, many will see a dramatic initial drop (largely water & glycogen), but will taper off after that.
As ceoverurf stated there are too many variables to make a call without understanding your specific characteristics.
While good to have a goal of next year (congratulations!) think in the long term. Make small changes which will have dramatic impact over time and you'll be more successful that making drastic, unsustainable changes.0 -
ceoverturf wrote: »Depends on a couple things:
1. (Primarily) how much you have to lose overall
and
2. By "10 lbs" do you just mean 10lbs off the scale number, or 10 lbs of actual fat?
Meaning...if you're severely obese, then it's very possible to lose 10 lbs in a month. If you're just looking at shedding a few vanity pounds, then it's probably not.
Also, yes you could theoretically cause the scale number to go down by that much by dehydrating yourself, using laxatives to clean out your system, etc, but none of that would actually be visible fat loss (note, I am in NO WAY recommending doing any of the above).
I have 78 pounds to lose to be "average" for my height wich is almost 5'8. Right now I am weighing at 228. In April I started at 249 but I have been stuck at this weight for a few weeks now.
And I am meaning 78 pnds scale weight! My Dr.told me that I was obese and for my health it would be great for me to lose 100 lbs which I have lost almost a 1/4th of. I mainly want to do it for my general health but would like to look good to! And there is no way on earth I will ever use laxatives unless I absolutely have to and I drink a lot of water throughout the day and I drink a lot of Gatorade through the week to help because since I have gotten bigger I do tend to get dehydrated much faster.0 -
ceoverturf wrote: »As far as your other questions:
"Changing your diet" is not necessary...as you lose weight, you may need to adjust your calorie goals downward slightly, but as long as you maintain a calorie deficit, changing what you eat isn't going to "shock" your body or anything.
To get off a plateau - first make sure you're really in a plateau. A couple weeks isn't a plateau, that's just normal fluctuations. If it's been a couple months - then you probably either need to tighten up your measuring/logging of calories (it's easy to get lazy about it after a while) and/or adjust your caloric intake slightly downward as noted above.
Considering I been stuck at this weight for a little over 2 weeks than I really shouldn't be to worried?
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ChelBell712 wrote: »ceoverturf wrote: »Depends on a couple things:
1. (Primarily) how much you have to lose overall
and
2. By "10 lbs" do you just mean 10lbs off the scale number, or 10 lbs of actual fat?
Meaning...if you're severely obese, then it's very possible to lose 10 lbs in a month. If you're just looking at shedding a few vanity pounds, then it's probably not.
Also, yes you could theoretically cause the scale number to go down by that much by dehydrating yourself, using laxatives to clean out your system, etc, but none of that would actually be visible fat loss (note, I am in NO WAY recommending doing any of the above).
I have 78 pounds to lose to be "average" for my height wich is almost 5'8. Right now I am weighing at 228. In April I started at 249 but I have been stuck at this weight for a few weeks now.
And I am meaning 78 pnds scale weight! My Dr.told me that I was obese and for my health it would be great for me to lose 100 lbs which I have lost almost a 1/4th of. I mainly want to do it for my general health but would like to look good to! And there is no way on earth I will ever use laxatives unless I absolutely have to and I drink a lot of water throughout the day and I drink a lot of Gatorade through the week to help because since I have gotten bigger I do tend to get dehydrated much faster.
Congrats on your wedding and losing some of the weight already! I would just plug in your stats in MFP and see how many calories it gives you to eat for a 2 lb weekly loss (so about 8-10 lbs a month). See if it gives you a daily amount of calories you think you can comfortably live with. If the amount seems way too low, lower MFP setting to 1.5 lb or less.
Pick an amount and stay consistent, and you will be much lighter by May. Will you have lost all of it? Maybe not, but does it matter? Even if you only lose 40 or 50 lbs, you will look and feel so much better. Good luck!0 -
I've been losing about five a month. But I'm sure I could lose 10 or more if I stuck to my goals like at all.0
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Here's the math:
3500 kcal to burn one lb of fat. So if you eat a caloric deficit of 500 kcals/day that's a healthy loss of 1lb/week.
Considering most people are not well hydrated and lead a sedentary life, many will see a dramatic initial drop (largely water & glycogen), but will taper off after that.
As ceoverurf stated there are too many variables to make a call without understanding your specific characteristics.
While good to have a goal of next year (congratulations!) think in the long term. Make small changes which will have dramatic impact over time and you'll be more successful that making drastic, unsustainable changes.
Well even if I could reach 5 lbs a week I feel like that would be great! It would just take a little longer.. which is fine since people usually say that it stays off longer of it takes longer to lose it. If that's true! And thanks. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I am miserable! Tired constantly, get out of breath very easily and just have no urge to do much at all! I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again! Seriously need all the help I can get!0 -
If you kept losing at the rate you've been losing at, you might be down another 65 pounds by May 15th. That's about 1.5 pounds a week, which is not an unmanageable rate of loss but requires a lot of effort to stick with consistently for what will have been more than a year.
Most people slow down (not so much because of metabolic change, but because bodies are sneaky things and will sit more or portion out a slightly larger spoonful or forget to count a taste here and there or tell you you deserve a break, and the longer you restrict the greater the odds that it will outwit you now and then) towards the end.0 -
ChelBell712 wrote: »I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again!
Good for you for taking control again. The last 3/4 of the weight won't come off as fast or easy as the first, but it WILL come off if you keep learning what works for you. GOOD JOB!
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5 lbs per week? Completely unrealistic to do in a healthy way.ChelBell712 wrote: »Here's the math:
3500 kcal to burn one lb of fat. So if you eat a caloric deficit of 500 kcals/day that's a healthy loss of 1lb/week.
Considering most people are not well hydrated and lead a sedentary life, many will see a dramatic initial drop (largely water & glycogen), but will taper off after that.
As ceoverurf stated there are too many variables to make a call without understanding your specific characteristics.
While good to have a goal of next year (congratulations!) think in the long term. Make small changes which will have dramatic impact over time and you'll be more successful that making drastic, unsustainable changes.
Well even if I could reach 5 lbs a week I feel like that would be great! It would just take a little longer.. which is fine since people usually say that it stays off longer of it takes longer to lose it. If that's true! And thanks. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I am miserable! Tired constantly, get out of breath very easily and just have no urge to do much at all! I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again! Seriously need all the help I can get!
5 lbs per week? Completely unrealistic to do in a healthy way.
Realistically you might lose two pounds per week early on with 70+ pounds to lose.If you plan on doing this in a healthy manner, that rate will drop as you get closer to goal weight.0 -
brianpperkins wrote: »5 lbs per week? Completely unrealistic to do in a healthy way.ChelBell712 wrote: »Here's the math:
3500 kcal to burn one lb of fat. So if you eat a caloric deficit of 500 kcals/day that's a healthy loss of 1lb/week.
Considering most people are not well hydrated and lead a sedentary life, many will see a dramatic initial drop (largely water & glycogen), but will taper off after that.
As ceoverurf stated there are too many variables to make a call without understanding your specific characteristics.
While good to have a goal of next year (congratulations!) think in the long term. Make small changes which will have dramatic impact over time and you'll be more successful that making drastic, unsustainable changes.
Well even if I could reach 5 lbs a week I feel like that would be great! It would just take a little longer.. which is fine since people usually say that it stays off longer of it takes longer to lose it. If that's true! And thanks. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I am miserable! Tired constantly, get out of breath very easily and just have no urge to do much at all! I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again! Seriously need all the help I can get!
5 lbs per week? Completely unrealistic to do in a healthy way.
Realistically you might lose two pounds per week early on with 70+ pounds to lose.If you plan on doing this in a healthy manner, that rate will drop as you get closer to goal weight.
Based on the rest of the post I'm thinking (hoping) that was a typo and she meant 5 lbs/ month0 -
I had a 70lb target at the beginning of January this year. I gave myself a year in which to do it. I've stuck to a 1200 cal a day diet (SW 212lb, ht 5' 5") I'm now 151lb (down 61lb!) can't believe it!. So I have almost 6 months left to lose 9lb and reach this target. I've consistently lost 2lb per week, eating all the foods I want to, just my carefully managing my calories. You can do this, because if I can, the biggest lover of food ever, then anyone can!0
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ceoverturf wrote: »brianpperkins wrote: »5 lbs per week? Completely unrealistic to do in a healthy way.ChelBell712 wrote: »Here's the math:
3500 kcal to burn one lb of fat. So if you eat a caloric deficit of 500 kcals/day that's a healthy loss of 1lb/week.
Considering most people are not well hydrated and lead a sedentary life, many will see a dramatic initial drop (largely water & glycogen), but will taper off after that.
As ceoverurf stated there are too many variables to make a call without understanding your specific characteristics.
While good to have a goal of next year (congratulations!) think in the long term. Make small changes which will have dramatic impact over time and you'll be more successful that making drastic, unsustainable changes.
Well even if I could reach 5 lbs a week I feel like that would be great! It would just take a little longer.. which is fine since people usually say that it stays off longer of it takes longer to lose it. If that's true! And thanks. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I am miserable! Tired constantly, get out of breath very easily and just have no urge to do much at all! I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again! Seriously need all the help I can get!
5 lbs per week? Completely unrealistic to do in a healthy way.
Realistically you might lose two pounds per week early on with 70+ pounds to lose.If you plan on doing this in a healthy manner, that rate will drop as you get closer to goal weight.
Based on the rest of the post I'm thinking (hoping) that was a typo and she meant 5 lbs/ month
Uh yes that was definitely a typo for sure! 5 lbs a MONTH!! Sorry!0 -
vickypalfreyman471 wrote: »I had a 70lb target at the beginning of January this year. I gave myself a year in which to do it. I've stuck to a 1200 cal a day diet (SW 212lb, ht 5' 5") I'm now 151lb (down 61lb!) can't believe it!. So I have almost 6 months left to lose 9lb and reach this target. I've consistently lost 2lb per week, eating all the foods I want to, just my carefully managing my calories. You can do this, because if I can, the biggest lover of food ever, then anyone can!
That is so awesome! Maybe I will get that lucky to! So you just watched your calories and nothing else? My MFP SET MY CALORIES TO 1310 A DAY WHEN I PUT IN MY WEIGHT GOAL. BUT BEFORE I STARTED USING THIS I'VE LOST 20LBS AND IT HAS BEEN HARD TO REACH MY CALORIE GOAL IF I DON'T EAT WHAT I NORMALLY WOULD HAVE BEFORE. IT'S SO WEIRD BUT MAKES ME THINK I'M EATING MORE SINCE I'VE STARTED THIS AND HAVE NO CLUE HOW THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE. (Sorry, I have no idea why all of that was capitalized)0 -
ChelBell712 wrote: »I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again!
Good for you for taking control again. The last 3/4 of the weight won't come off as fast or easy as the first, but it WILL come off if you keep learning what works for you. GOOD JOB!
Thank you! I've never wanted it so bad.i woke up one day so tired of it and started that day! My hardest thing so far is staying patient. I guess I need to learn that. And thanks again!! Kind words and encouragement really helps a lot!0 -
Your goal weight is solidly in the middle of your normal weight range and you are 75lbs away.
In terms of minimizing lean mass loss, you can probably tolerate 1.5 to 2lbs a week for the next 25lbs, tapering to up to 1.5lbs a week for the next 25lbs and then slowing down to no more than 1lb a week. If you decide to continue to lose within the bottom half of your normal weight zone, you may want to taper down to no more than 0.5lbs a week. This assumes that you are not a bodybuilding monster with not a single ounce of fat on you. If you are such, then you would have to slow down way earlier ;-)
In terms of deficits this would be 1000 Cal, 750 Cal, and 500 Cal deficits respectively. Please make sure you're netting at least 1200 Cal. This is a minimum, not a recommendation. In my personal opinion the closer you eat to your eventual maintenance level the more likely it is you will keep on doing what you have to do when the time comes for you to maintain. You can calculate your eventual maintenance level by playing with MFP settings, or by using something like "scooby's accurate calorie calculator".
Furthermore, while far from impossible to achieve, these are also not trivial deficits.
You are much better off consistently achieving a 500 Cal deficit and spending a few more months getting to goal than struggling with 1000 Cal deficits that make your life so miserable you give up.
In other news, and assuming you don't have any kidney problems, you may want to aim to eat 0.8g of protein per lb of bodyweight. You should not eat any less than 0.35g to 0.45g of fat per lb of bodyweight. For your personal comfort you may want to ensure you eat at least 25g of fiber a day. The balance can be whatever mix of carbs and fats appeals to you.
As you've no doubt discovered, it is easier to control what goes into your food when you cook at home. This doesn't mean that you will go off track and crash and burn if you have the occasional snickers bar, or night out!
Oh: to avoid hand wringing and wondering if your weight is going up or down or whether you've hit a plateau, use a web site such as www.weightgrapher.com (or www.trendweight.com in conjunction with a free fitbit account if you don't have one of the supported scales), or an app such as happy scale for the iphone.
By seeing your "trending" weight, you will avoid getting caught up in water weight fluctuations caused by sodium, exercise, and TOM.
Take care and have fun while losing weight and being able to do more again!0 -
Your goal weight is solidly in the middle of your normal weight range and you are 75lbs away.
In terms of minimizing lean mass loss, you can probably tolerate 1.5 to 2lbs a week for the next 25lbs, tapering to up to 1.5lbs a week for the next 25lbs and then slowing down to no more than 1lb a week. If you decide to continue to lose within the bottom half of your normal weight zone, you may want to taper down to no more than 0.5lbs a week. This assumes that you are not a bodybuilding monster with not a single ounce of fat on you. If you are such, then you would have to slow down way earlier ;-)
In terms of deficits this would be 1000 Cal, 750 Cal, and 500 Cal deficits respectively. Please make sure you're netting at least 1200 Cal. This is a minimum, not a recommendation. In my personal opinion the closer you eat to your eventual maintenance level the more likely it is you will keep on doing what you have to do when the time comes for you to maintain. You can calculate your eventual maintenance level by playing with MFP settings, or by using something like "scooby's accurate calorie calculator".
Furthermore, while far from impossible to achieve, these are also not trivial deficits.
You are much better off consistently achieving a 500 Cal deficit and spending a few more months getting to goal than struggling with 1000 Cal deficits that make your life so miserable you give up.
In other news, and assuming you don't have any kidney problems, you may want to aim to eat 0.8g of protein per lb of bodyweight. You should not eat any less than 0.35g to 0.45g of fat per lb of bodyweight. For your personal comfort you may want to ensure you eat at least 25g of fiber a day. The balance can be whatever mix of carbs and fats appeals to you.
As you've no doubt discovered, it is easier to control what goes into your food when you cook at home. This doesn't mean that you will go off track and crash and burn if you have the occasional snickers bar, or night out!
Oh: to avoid hand wringing and wondering if your weight is going up or down or whether you've hit a plateau, use a web site such as www.weightgrapher.com (or www.trendweight.com in conjunction with a free fitbit account if you don't have one of the supported scales), or an app such as happy scale for the iphone.
By seeing your "trending" weight, you will avoid getting caught up in water weight fluctuations caused by sodium, exercise, and TOM.
Take care and have fun while losing weight and being able to do more again!
Wow thank you! That was a lot of help and thanks for explaining it because it's a lot to take in at the beginning and somewhat stresses me out when I think about it to much.
And I do try to get to 1200 a day at least but sometimes it's kind of hard to without over doing it. But I'm getting better at calculating the calories.
I will have to look into the websites. I love the websites that will do my tracking/calculating for me!!! And I'm getting a fitbit next month and I'm really excited about that. Some people have told me they really love theirs.
I'm just now trying to find foods that are low sodium now because I have noticed a lot of stuff I have bought contains a lot of sodium and I figured that had a lot to do with my weight fluctuating.
Thanks for all your tips!! I really appreciate it!0 -
ChelBell712 wrote: »Here's the math:
3500 kcal to burn one lb of fat. So if you eat a caloric deficit of 500 kcals/day that's a healthy loss of 1lb/week.
Considering most people are not well hydrated and lead a sedentary life, many will see a dramatic initial drop (largely water & glycogen), but will taper off after that.
As ceoverurf stated there are too many variables to make a call without understanding your specific characteristics.
While good to have a goal of next year (congratulations!) think in the long term. Make small changes which will have dramatic impact over time and you'll be more successful that making drastic, unsustainable changes.
Well even if I could reach 5 lbs a month I feel like that would be great! It would just take a little longer.. which is fine since people usually say that it stays off longer of it takes longer to lose it. If that's true! And thanks. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I am miserable! Tired constantly, get out of breath very easily and just have no urge to do much at all! I used to be very healthy and insanely in shape and through bad/tragic things that have happened in the last few years I gave up and forgot how to get there again! Seriously need all the help I can get!
Easily achieved. I lost over 50lbs since I started, but I slack over the holidays and I'm doing more of a recomp (building muscle while losing fat) process. Just stick with the MFP outline and keep asking good questions. We've all been there and still just sticking to it. Keep focused on the positive gains and don't think so much about the scale - that's a factor that will come on it's own. Your water weight fluctuates by a few lbs/day. I know mine fluctuates ~5lbs/day.
Consider some form of resistance training/weight lifting in this process - not only is it extremely healthy for you, but gives some variety to your exercise regimen.0
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