half pound a week or 1 pound a week?

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VeganGal84
VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Some people on the boards say that if you are aiming to lose less than 15 pounds, that you should have your weight loss goal set to 1/2 pound per week, otherwise you will be losing muscle mass...

I'm planning to lose a pound a week and have 12 pounds left to lose...

Is there truth to this theory?

I eat quite a bit (anywhere from 1600 - 2000 calories a day, mostly healthy foods, friend me if you want to see my diary) and exercise about an hour a day, usually leaving anywhere from 50-200 exercise calories left based on my hunger and to allow room for error (I don't use an HRM). What do you think?

I will probably leave my settings as they are (1 lb/week 1310 net calories goal for me), but I just am really curious about this, because I continue to read it.

If you are one who agrees that I should change my weight loss setting on MFP to lose 1/2 pound a week, please let me know exactly why, and provide links to articles on the subject if possible. I just really want to educate myself. Thanks!!!

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    typically the last 10-15 should be at a rate of 0.5 or less per week, that being said, if you have a high BF % you may be able to lose 1 lb/week. In other words if your BF is in the healthy range already, and you only have 12 lbs to go your goal should be 0.5/week at most. If you BF% is above "normal" and you only want to lose 12 lbs then you could get away with 1 lb/week.
  • LaurnWhit
    LaurnWhit Posts: 261 Member
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    bump... I am at .5 pounds a week just because I LOVE eating so interested in seeing other peoples responses
  • BeCali
    BeCali Posts: 69 Member
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    I have about 10lb to go depending on what goal I stick with and am going with 1lb a week loss which puts my calorie goal at 1200. I do try to make sure that I always eat those calories and a lot of the exercise ones. I also have days now and then where I am over my calorie goal (including exercise). Surprisingly, the scale is always lower after those days, and even lower two days after. Yesterday I had a relatively bad day for me and today I saw my lowest weight in a while. I am happy at the rate the weight is coming off at the moment - not too fast and not too slow. If it changes, then I will adjust my calories.

    Good luck with the last lbs. You have come a long way!
  • Loveebbs
    Loveebbs Posts: 300 Member
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    Since I am close to my goal, I changed it to 0.5 lbs a week (1560 calorie limit). My old setting was at 1380 and when I hit my last 10 lbs and adjusted my goals (when I was still set at 1 lb a week), it dropped to 1320. For me, that was too low and it was hard for me to net 1200 with exercise. With my new goal, I am comfortable working out and making sure that I am at least netting 1200 or close to 1560.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    First of all... CONGRATS on your success!

    Now that you are in the HEALTHY category on the BMI scale and you are just working on a few vanity pounds. I think it is time to switch to 1/2 lb/wk goal. (Personally, I'm always most successful when I give myself a target range. i.e. NET 1200 cal minimum, goal as my target and maintain goal weight as top of my range, maintain current weight as my safety valve maximum)

    The closer you get to your goal the slower it goes, which for me was really frustrating. I just wanted to be done already. (Oh wait... yada, yada, lifestyle change, yada, yada healthy new habits, yada, yada... )

    But it's important to learn how to eat appropriately to maintain your goal weight. I found adding calories back to be really stressful.

    You are going to want to play around with your range, because after all MFP can only offer guidelines. Everyones metabolism is different and the closer you are to your goal the narrower your range gets and you'll need a little time for trial and error to tweak your diet so it works for you in a way you can maintain long-term.

    That's my 2 cents for what it is worth.

    Good Luck
  • MoonIite
    MoonIite Posts: 341 Member
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    I'm consistently losing 0.8 lb a week. My calorie intake is between 1400-1493 on workout days. When I take my rest days, which is two days, I limit myself to 1200-1300 calories because I don't do anything physically active. If I change my weight loss goal to 0.5 lb a week, my intake would be much higher than it is now. I predict somewhere between 1500-1600 calories. I never noticed any adverse effects on my health.
  • VeganGal84
    VeganGal84 Posts: 938 Member
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    Thanks, everyone!

    I haven't gotten my body fat professionally measure, but according the BAI, it's close to the top of the "healthy" range at 32%, so I'm healthy there, but really close to not healthy, so I guess that I can keep it at 1 pound/week for now.

    If in a couple of pounds, my calories go much lower, I will probably switch to 1/2 pound a week, because 1310 net is about where I'm comfortable, and I can't imagine going much lower than this!

    And yes, I'm definately losing the "vanity pounds" hahaha! I just want to be one pants size smaller, is that too much to ask? ;-) And I would also like to have my fat percentage lowered a bit.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
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    Thanks, everyone!

    I haven't gotten my body fat professionally measure, but according the BAI, it's close to the top of the "healthy" range at 32%, so I'm healthy there, but really close to not healthy, so I guess that I can keep it at 1 pound/week for now.

    If in a couple of pounds, my calories go much lower, I will probably switch to 1/2 pound a week, because 1310 net is about where I'm comfortable, and I can't imagine going much lower than this!

    And yes, I'm definately losing the "vanity pounds" hahaha! I just want to be one pants size smaller, is that too much to ask? ;-) And I would also like to have my fat percentage lowered a bit.

    Ain't nuthin' wrong with losing "vanity pounds"
    When you feel better about yourself, you act more confidently.
    When you act confident, people respond differently and that often brings really good things to your life.

    At first, I just wanted to be healthy to live a better life.
    But now that I'm a healthy BMI with a 10 lbs buffer, I'm toying with the idea of losing maybe another 5 lbs?

    One of my things is not to be obsessed with food whether it is over eating or dieting.
    I don't want food to be my focus. I want to put that energy into, fun, family and friends.
    So I don't have my heart set on those last 5, but I'll see how it goes and play it by ear.

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