What is a safe amount to lose per week if you need to lose 100+ lbs?

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  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
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    TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »
    If you're not constantly hungry, light headed, etc, then lose at whatever rate you (and your doctor) feel is appropriate. You and I both have a long road. I'm 6'6" and started at 300+lbs so I tend to do things bigger than normal people anyway. 4lbs loss on a solid week without slipping or cheating was normal for me. The more you have to lose, the faster you can get away with losing it because you're burning a lot of calories just living and moving around hauling 150lbs of extra weight.

    Here's a fun thing for people who have lost a significant amount of weight. Try filling a backpack up with how much you lost and see what it feels like to carry it even a short distance.

    That is interesting, but it wasn't so long ago for me. I remember what it was like 50 lbs ago. I was hard to just get up, less known walk any distance at all. It was a task to roll over in bed.

  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
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    Just listen to your body. Do you feel good losing at your current rate? Very little applies to the billions of people on earth. Certainly not the tipsy turvy fluid non-linear buzzword buzzword weight loss. :)
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
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    My rate of loss has varied. I adjust my calories when I feel like I need to. Since July, I've been losing very aggressively. 4-5 pounds per week is common for me. Other times, I intentionally aim for 1 pound. I think it is important to stay at a rate you are comfortable with. If you want to eat more and lose slowly, do it. If you're okay with a lower amount of calories, then go for it. There's no finish line since we ultimately have to keep this up for life.

    I don't know how true this is, so don't take this as gospel, but I believe those of us with more to lose have enough fat stores to provide energy, and we don't have to worry as much about large losses coming from muscle.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
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    afatpersonwholikesfood wrote: »
    My rate of loss has varied. I adjust my calories when I feel like I need to. Since July, I've been losing very aggressively. 4-5 pounds per week is common for me. Other times, I intentionally aim for 1 pound. I think it is important to stay at a rate you are comfortable with. If you want to eat more and lose slowly, do it. If you're okay with a lower amount of calories, then go for it. There's no finish line since we ultimately have to keep this up for life.

    I don't know how true this is, so don't take this as gospel, but I believe those of us with more to lose have enough fat stores to provide energy, and we don't have to worry as much about large losses coming from muscle.

    Thanks. What you all posted is pretty much common sense, but with me common sense is not all that common. I am still adjusting to this new lifestyle and trying to make sure that I maximize the outcome without jeopardizing my health.

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I don't know what is safe for you. You and your doctor have to figure that one out.

    I lost a LOT more than 2 pounds per week when I began. I lost forty pounds so fast that neither I or the nurse believed it. Since I'd been weighed in many places, there was no doubt about what I'd weighed, so she got on the scale herself to make sure it wasn't malfunctioning, lol. I dropped SO MUCH WEIGHT and so quickly.

    Sadly, the quick losses were not to last. I did some math, figuring out what I'd lost and what I'd lose as I dropped and when I'd be done. I expected it to be July - October, 2014. Here I am a year later, hoping to be done by Easter, 2016. :)

    If you can lose 2-3 pounds a week without lowering your calories, I'd stick with that. You may find that your weight isn't as easy to lose, later on, and you may wish you had 200 extra calories to cut!!! Hang on to them, you might want them later!!!! But, again, double-check next time you're at the doctor about what is right and safe for you.

    Good luck on the rest of your journey!!!!!!! :)
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »
    If you're not constantly hungry, light headed, etc, then lose at whatever rate you (and your doctor) feel is appropriate. You and I both have a long road. I'm 6'6" and started at 300+lbs so I tend to do things bigger than normal people anyway. 4lbs loss on a solid week without slipping or cheating was normal for me. The more you have to lose, the faster you can get away with losing it because you're burning a lot of calories just living and moving around hauling 150lbs of extra weight.

    Here's a fun thing for people who have lost a significant amount of weight. Try filling a backpack up with how much you lost and see what it feels like to carry it even a short distance.
    That's very funny. I cannot carry 93 pounds. I cannot even lift 93 pounds. If I put on a weighted body suit, I wouldn't get through a day very easily! But when it was attached to me, I carried it around all the time! :)
  • arb037
    arb037 Posts: 203 Member
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    Good article from Lyle McDonald on deficit size

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/setting-the-deficit-small-moderate-or-large.html/
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I've lost 111 so far, average 1.5 per week. About 50 to goal. Congrats on your success!
  • incisron
    incisron Posts: 550 Member
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    Amberonamission wrote: »
    My doctor said that until I was out of the morbidly obese category, that I should focus on getting the weight down as quick as possible. She said that the weight was way more dangerous to my health than rapid loss. Once I enter the regular obese category slowing the pace to 2 pounds a week is better.

    You look pretty gr8.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    TheopolisAmbroiseIII wrote: »
    If you're not constantly hungry, light headed, etc, then lose at whatever rate you (and your doctor) feel is appropriate. You and I both have a long road. I'm 6'6" and started at 300+lbs so I tend to do things bigger than normal people anyway. 4lbs loss on a solid week without slipping or cheating was normal for me. The more you have to lose, the faster you can get away with losing it because you're burning a lot of calories just living and moving around hauling 150lbs of extra weight.

    Here's a fun thing for people who have lost a significant amount of weight. Try filling a backpack up with how much you lost and see what it feels like to carry it even a short distance.
    That's very funny. I cannot carry 93 pounds. I cannot even lift 93 pounds. If I put on a weighted body suit, I wouldn't get through a day very easily! But when it was attached to me, I carried it around all the time! :)

    For me it wasn't that long ago either and I remember sitting on a friends really soft couch and having to rock myself to get out of it. Or getting up off the floor was a chore. Or going scuba diving having to carry around an additional 65 pounds with me made it actually difficult to even stand back up if I got knocked over in the surf. So yeah I don't know about you guys but I feel like I got a new springs in my step.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    edited October 2015
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    InvisibleVeganUnicorn wrote: »
    Im eating 200 - 400 calories a day and trying to work off at least 600 calories a day. equals out to 3-4lbs a week, though Im losing more than that. finally broke my 9 month plateu omg. 53 more till my final goal.

    That is really unhealthy, particularly as you have only 53 lb to go - you'll catabolize a lot of muscle, and 200-400 calories doesn't even give you the minimum amount of protein your body needs to survive, so your body has to break down even more muscle for amino acids (and if you ran out of muscle protein to scavenge, you would die from protein deficiency). Even if you still have weight to lose, you'll end up extremely malnourished on that kind of a diet. Particularly true if you are vegan or vegetarian, since protein needs to be more carefully managed when not consuming meat, the easiest source of complete protein.

    Malnourishment isn't a joke, either. You can reach a "point of no return" where your body can't even build or maintain the molecular machinery necessary for protein synthesis. At that point, death is inevitable; your body's protein creation is irreparably compromised and nothing will ever fix that.

  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
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    I am just going to continue to listen to my body. So far, this week I have been consuming my 1800 calories. I had a considerable loss last week but I know it is not a realistic number for continuous weeks. I am continuing with my walking at home. Some say that drinking water does not aid weight loss but I doubled my water intake at work also just last week. I am just trying to find the safest, most realistic maximum weight loss for myself
  • jamesnorman_az
    jamesnorman_az Posts: 4 Member
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    OhMsDiva wrote: »
    I am just curious and I love to read all the comment that are on here. Realistically I want to lose about 150 lbs. I have lost 50 + since March. Right now, I am averaging about 3 lbs per week. I eat 1800-1900 calories per day. Usually closer to 1800 and I walk 2 miles a day at least five times per week.
    Recently I feel that 1800 calories is not really necessary, so I may cut out 100-200 calories per day. Only if I feel that I am full at the end of the day.
    I appreciate any positive feedback.

    In about the same boat as you. I'm averaging over 2 pounds a week. When I started, I was averaging less but my body fat percentage went down. Since I started boosting that average, my body fat percentage went up. This tells me I'm losing it too fast, so I am adding 100 calories a day to my diet, to start.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
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    So far so good. I am losing weight steadily. I dont expect big numbers every, but I still have a ways to go. I do have a question if anybody is reading this. I dont exercise on Sunday. I really do not do much of anything on Sunday. Yesterday was the first day that I noticed that mfp took calories away from my total. I ignored it, but if my calories are based on a sedentary lifestyle why would they take calories away if I am not exercising on any particular day?
  • LoveIshie
    LoveIshie Posts: 94 Member
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    Generally 1-2lbs per week, but here are occasions you may lose a few extra depending on your diet that and the intensity of your work on a given week.

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