12 weeks left in the year! Can we lose 2 lb per week?
Replies
-
theawill519 wrote: »I'm consistently losing 2 pounds a week by sticking to a 1,200 calorie diet and exercising everyday (mostly cardio). I started at 299 and am now at 241. I eat a lot of low calorie foods so I can stay full. I also try and eat "healthier." I cut out all soda and fried foods and greatly cut back on fast food, sweets, and red meat. Just sharing what works for me! Good luck to you!
It is excellent news that you are doing this while still obese because your body can actually tolerate these deficits (and associated loss rate) without significantly impacting your lean mass. You may or may not trigger issues with your gallbladder (a common problem for women and associated with rapid weight loss).
You may or may not be comfortable with such a large deficit long term (for the amount of time it will take you to reach normal weight) and, based on what you said, for fear of over-indulging you are definitely avoiding goods you will eventually want to eat again.
I actually never intend on eating fried foods or soda ever again. I don't miss soda and while I do miss fried foods, they're terrible for your heart's health.
In other words you are not yet learning how to move and eat at maintenance.
I will learn how to eat maintainace when I get to the point where I need to maintain.
Hey: I can't blame you: I did the exact same thing when moving from 280 to 230 before joining MFP!
I joined MFP when looking for a longer term solution, after coming to the realization that the rates of weight loss I was subjecting myself to by eating subway and salad every day and moving around for multiple hours at a time were not going to be sustainable forever.
My first discovery was that the olive oil I was using in my salad was more calories than the can of Salmon... and that the subway subs were not as filling as a lot of other food that was just as few/many calories.
But I also slowly discovered that I don't have to starve myself to lose weight.
Yikes! I'm not starving myself at all. I've been there done that- never again!
And that I SHOULD NOT starve myself to lose weight if I don't want to throw away lean mass I don't have to!
And as to these consistent 2lbs a week... what's the plan on the week the two lbs don't roll around as expected?
Oh, it has happened several times. I actually plateau for 3-5 days ever month while I ovulate. Sometimes I even gain in that time. Doesn't bother me- I just keep on keepin on. /quote]0 -
To do it would make a 100%+ regain likely by May 2016.0
-
theawill519 wrote: »theawill519 wrote: »_flawedperfectly_ wrote: »theawill519 wrote: »I'm consistently losing 2 pounds a week by sticking to a 1,200 calorie diet and exercising everyday (mostly cardio). I started at 299 and am now at 241. I eat a lot of low calorie foods so I can stay full. I also try and eat "healthier." I cut out all soda and fried foods and greatly cut back on fast food, sweets, and red meat. Just sharing what works for me! Good luck to you!
Do you eat back your exercise calories? I'm 218 and I don't think I'd survive on 1200 Cal lol. Great job on your weight loss!
Not often, because 1,200 usually fills me up. Like I mentioned, I try to stick with low cal stuff like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I find that if I endulge in higher calorie foods, it's definitely hard to stay full because you can't eat as much.
If I'm feeling particularly hungry and have earned exercise cals, I'll eat some, but never more than half of them.
Thanks!
The closer to goal you get the more important it becomes to eat enough to support existing lean muscle mass. You body won't "trigger hunger signals" because it's catobolizing existing lean muscle. So not eating because of hunger signals....isn't terribly relevant.
Not everyone will be a volume eater. Plenty of people need calorie dense foods to stay full longer. Low fat diets are satiating for me (they are for some).
1200 gross calories AND 5'10".........is less than MFP guidelines, not a good idea IMO.
I'm still 241 pounds. I think I'm okay for now.
I didn't suggest that anyone do exactly what I'm doing or that it would work for everyone else. The OP asked us to share what works for us- that's what I did.
MFP calculated 1,200 cals a day for me, so how could it be below the MFP guidelines? I put in all of my stats, including my height and that I work at a desk 9 hours a day, and that's what it gave me.
MFP calculated 1200 BEFORE exercise. It's a default. That means a 5' tall woman is assigned 1200 and a 6' tall woman is assigned 1200.
That also means you log your workouts & eat back some of the calories. That "ideally" gets you back to your original deficit. Not all your exercise calories, because calorie burns are estimates (and often generous).
If you've got a ways to go, 1200 + (50-75%) of exercise calories is fine. 2 pounds a week is appropriate for 75+ pounds to go.
0 -
krazykarenn wrote: »Wow, so much unexpected negativity here. I'm of the "reach for the moon and you will land among the stars" mentality, but if everyone picks the goal they are comfortable with and shares what helps them reach it we will all win. I have added more weight training to my routine and I'm curious as to how it will help me.
I don't see negativity. I think a lot of people just choose unrealistic goals and then they get frustrated and quit when they can't come close to achieving them. Then they drown their sorrows in a gallon of ice cream and it all gets to be a miserable mess.
If you can be of the mentality that you're happy with the results no matter what then that's fabulous for you! You're probably going to be much more successful than those who aren't satisfied with less than perfection.
0 -
Well I concur with most in saying that the two pounds per week is most likely not good for most. However, for me I have been on a four pound per week loss. But realize I started with A LOT TO LOSE. I started at around 540 (yeah I thought it was 490, but my doctor recorded it correctly but the nurse said 490). I've lost 58 pounds in 13 weeks and expect it to continue at this rate through the end of the year.
I would rather see people talking about accuracy of their food tracking or added exercise increase. Hey even I upped my daily movement about 15% (a big challenge for someone by size and physical issues with knees and hips).
So whatever you choose to close out the year make it meaningful, obtainable, and sustainable.0 -
Well I concur with most in saying that the two pounds per week is most likely not good for most. However, for me I have been on a four pound per week loss. But realize I started with A LOT TO LOSE. I started at around 540 (yeah I thought it was 490, but my doctor recorded it correctly but the nurse said 490). I've lost 58 pounds in 13 weeks and expect it to continue at this rate through the end of the year.
I would rather see people talking about accuracy of their food tracking or added exercise increase. Hey even I upped my daily movement about 15% (a big challenge for someone by size and physical issues with knees and hips).
So whatever you choose to close out the year make it meaningful, obtainable, and sustainable.
That's great progress! Congratulations!
0 -
Well I concur with most in saying that the two pounds per week is most likely not good for most. However, for me I have been on a four pound per week loss. But realize I started with A LOT TO LOSE. I started at around 540 (yeah I thought it was 490, but my doctor recorded it correctly but the nurse said 490). I've lost 58 pounds in 13 weeks and expect it to continue at this rate through the end of the year.
I would rather see people talking about accuracy of their food tracking or added exercise increase. Hey even I upped my daily movement about 15% (a big challenge for someone by size and physical issues with knees and hips).
So whatever you choose to close out the year make it meaningful, obtainable, and sustainable.
That's great progress! Congratulations!
Agree. Way to go!!0 -
theawill519 wrote: »theawill519 wrote: »_flawedperfectly_ wrote: »theawill519 wrote: »I'm consistently losing 2 pounds a week by sticking to a 1,200 calorie diet and exercising everyday (mostly cardio). I started at 299 and am now at 241. I eat a lot of low calorie foods so I can stay full. I also try and eat "healthier." I cut out all soda and fried foods and greatly cut back on fast food, sweets, and red meat. Just sharing what works for me! Good luck to you!
Do you eat back your exercise calories? I'm 218 and I don't think I'd survive on 1200 Cal lol. Great job on your weight loss!
Not often, because 1,200 usually fills me up. Like I mentioned, I try to stick with low cal stuff like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats. I find that if I endulge in higher calorie foods, it's definitely hard to stay full because you can't eat as much.
If I'm feeling particularly hungry and have earned exercise cals, I'll eat some, but never more than half of them.
Thanks!
The closer to goal you get the more important it becomes to eat enough to support existing lean muscle mass. You body won't "trigger hunger signals" because it's catobolizing existing lean muscle. So not eating because of hunger signals....isn't terribly relevant.
Not everyone will be a volume eater. Plenty of people need calorie dense foods to stay full longer. Low fat diets are satiating for me (they are for some).
1200 gross calories AND 5'10".........is less than MFP guidelines, not a good idea IMO.
I'm still 241 pounds. I think I'm okay for now.
I didn't suggest that anyone do exactly what I'm doing or that it would work for everyone else. The OP asked us to share what works for us- that's what I did.
MFP calculated 1,200 cals a day for me, so how could it be below the MFP guidelines? I put in all of my stats, including my height and that I work at a desk 9 hours a day, and that's what it gave me.
MFP calculated 1200 BEFORE exercise. It's a default. That means a 5' tall woman is assigned 1200 and a 6' tall woman is assigned 1200.
That also means you log your workouts & eat back some of the calories. That "ideally" gets you back to your original deficit. Not all your exercise calories, because calorie burns are estimates (and often generous).
If you've got a ways to go, 1200 + (50-75%) of exercise calories is fine. 2 pounds a week is appropriate for 75+ pounds to go.
Ohh, I gotcha. I'll keep that in mind the closer I get to my goal 0 -
Well I concur with most in saying that the two pounds per week is most likely not good for most. However, for me I have been on a four pound per week loss. But realize I started with A LOT TO LOSE. I started at around 540 (yeah I thought it was 490, but my doctor recorded it correctly but the nurse said 490). I've lost 58 pounds in 13 weeks and expect it to continue at this rate through the end of the year.
I would rather see people talking about accuracy of their food tracking or added exercise increase. Hey even I upped my daily movement about 15% (a big challenge for someone by size and physical issues with knees and hips).
So whatever you choose to close out the year make it meaningful, obtainable, and sustainable.
That's great! Go you! How did you calculate your daily movement increase - fitbit or something? It's nice to be able to quantify progress like that.
I know my knee pain situation is not the same as yours, but once I got under a certain weight while strengthening them with various exercises, I very rarely have knee pain anymore.
I did have some crazy hip pain yesterday after transplanting strawberries for over two hours the day before. Oy, it hurt every time I moved.
0 -
krazykarenn wrote: »Wow, so much unexpected negativity here. I'm of the "reach for the moon and you will land among the stars" mentality, but if everyone picks the goal they are comfortable with and shares what helps them reach it we will all win. I have added more weight training to my routine and I'm curious as to how it will help me.
Please realize that it is not negativity to advise people not to net ~800 calories or so. a 2 lb loss per week requires a deficit of 1000 calories per day, every single day. Take myself for example. My maintenance calories are around 1650 per day. I know this to be true. To lose 2 lbs per week, I would have to net 650 calories per day. MFP and most experts advise a minimum of 1200 calories per day NET for safe weight loss, excluding the obese who are under medical supervision. In the face of that kind of deficit, the body will turn to consuming muscle as well as fat, as your muscles are a great source of calories.
Make smart choices, and don't get into a panic. There is nothing wrong with a slower rate of loss, in fact, you'll probably end up happier, as you will hopefully lose less muscle in the process.0 -
Unless someone has a significant amount of weight to lose, 2 lbs a week is more like a plan for frustration than reality. Too many newbies set the goal so high that it's simply not attainable. They lose faith, motivation, and quit. Not a good way to head towards the holidays. Set your sights to a more realistic goal. Work towards something attainable. Forgive yourself if you don't make it. Don't quit.
I concur.
No fast weight loss plans for me....ever.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.7K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 176K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions