Realistic loss

3 pounds in 4 weeks isn't a bad loss! Congrats on that! Keep logging carefully (food scale recommended) and be patient.

3lbs isn't bad for 4 weeks, 1lb/week is the usual recommended rate of loss to go for.

If you're not hitting your goal it's most likely because your logging isn't accurate enough. Do you use a food scale? Can you open your diary?

Edit: Using a scale would help a lot, you're probably eating more than you think. And you're right, 500 a day isn't healthy, our bodies do need fuel!

Tilly1285 wrote: »

I haven't been weighing portions. I need to do that. Everything else I use the bar code information within the app.
I got a friend who is dropping weight like crazy on the HCG plan, but who wouldn't on 500 calls a day? I don't think that's healthy. Our bodies need fuel to operate correctly. Right - Wrong?

Right.

And here's why you need a food scale:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjKPIcI51lU&list=FLxRg_80KHM-BdcHvV7nkgfg&index=2

It really depends what weight you started from, and what your calorie target is relative to your TDEE.

So, we would need to know your weight, your height, age, gender, and what your setting was for how many pounds per week to lose.

So far, given what you've said, one pound per week isn't necessarily bad. Doing it right isn't fast, but it is effective.

So there are a few things to look at:

1. Water consumption isn't that important, as long as you're getting enough that you're not thirsty.
2. Do you weigh all of your solid foods? If you use measuring cups, you may be eating more than you think and have a smaller deficit than intended.
3. Do you weigh at a consistent time during the day? Weight can fluctuate by several pounds during the course of the day. Many people do it first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and before breakfast.
4. Weight loss is not linear, there are fast and slow periods, even temporary reversals due to water retention.

Realistic weight loss is anywhere from .5-2 pounds per week and it depends on so many factors including how much you have to lose and how old you are. The more you have to lose, the quicker it will come off. The older you are, the slower you tend to lose. (these are, of course, generalizations but tend to be true more of the time than less)

Also, never, ever ever compare yourself and your weight loss to others OR put "only" in front of any loss at all! You have no idea what someone else is doing to lose weight - even when they tell you, it may or may not be true and you also don't know any of the other factors contributing to their weight loss (age, amount to lose, medical history, etc.).

Concentrate on developing good, healthy sustainable habits and quit worrying about the scale so much. Weigh (using a food scale), measure and log *all* of your food. Always use a food scale over measuring cups/spoons for accuracy. You don't have to exercise to lose weight - you just have to eat fewer calories than you burn. You exercise for other healthy reasons instead (better mood, stronger heart and lungs, better muscle tone, stress relief, etc.).

I say celebrate the 3 pounds lost. That 3 pounds less then you had 4 weeks ago. Just remember that the weight didn't come on over night, so it will not go off that fast either. buy yourself a food scale and weigh everything. it will help. Usually what we think is a normal portion is way off. Exercise isn't needed to lose weight. Follow the calories in vs. calories out and the weight will come off. slow and steady wins the race. It also depends on how much weight you have to lose. A person that is 300 pounds will lose faster then someone who is 150.

mark6281991 wrote: »

Another thing is that being too far under your caloric needs is worse than being over. Your metabolism with slow greatly if you do that consistently.

NO. The "Starvation Mode" as referenced here is a myth and completely false. There are many threads on this with links to scientific studies showing why. I am too lazy to search for them right now, but if you are interested in reading the science behind why this is untrue, please do a search on the boards.

Tilly1285 wrote: »

bpetrosky wrote: »

It really depends what weight you started from, and what your calorie target is relative to your TDEE.

So, we would need to know your weight, your height, age, gender, and what your setting was for how many pounds per week to lose.

So far, given what you've said, one pound per week isn't necessarily bad. Doing it right isn't fast, but it is effective.

So there are a few things to look at:

1. Water consumption isn't that important, as long as you're getting enough that you're not thirsty.
2. Do you weigh all of your solid foods? If you use measuring cups, you may be eating more than you think and have a smaller deficit than intended.
3. Do you weigh at a consistent time during the day? Weight can fluctuate by several pounds during the course of the day. Many people do it first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and before breakfast.
4. Weight loss is not linear, there are fast and slow periods, even temporary reversals due to water retention.

Thanks for all the responses. I appreciate it!

I weigh one time a week, Mondays after bathroom, before breakfast and shower. Today 257.
I'm a guy, 5'11", 61 yrs old and would like to lose the max of 2 lbs per week.

I'll invest in a digital scale today.

Good deal. Look for a digital scale that measures in grams, and has a tare/zero button. Taylor has some good ones. If you go to Walmart, however, stay away from their Mainstays brand (it defaults to ounces and the button to change it is on the bottom, very annoying).

Using the IIFYM TDEE calculator, your TDEE with no exercise is about 2394/day. A daily deficit to lose two pounds per week is 1000 calories per day: (3500 * 2)/7. Given this, your daily calories would have to be about 1394, which lower than recommended for a male.

The recommended minimum for a male would be about 1500 cal/day. That still gives you a very generous deficit, but not exactly enough for 2/wk, but it should beat the 1lb/wk you're doing now. Weighing your food will help you zero in on it better.

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/