Is losing weight slowly really worth it

cwolfman13 wrote: »

I lost 40 Lbs at a rate of about 1 Lb per week...a bit faster initially because you do drop water and waste weight initially. I have kept it off for over 3.5 years but that doesn't really have anything to do with my rate of loss...I determined to change the way I was living my life and that is what has resulted in keeping the weight off. I went from doing the things that kept me lazy and fat to doing the things the lean, healthy, and fit people do.

Yay for you, this is so inspiring thanks for sharing! !

Hornsby wrote: »

I think it depends. Higher TDEEs can tend to lose a bit faster in my opinion. If someone can eat 2500 calories and still create a large enough deficit to lose more I don't think it's nearly as detrimental as the person eating ultra low numbers which makes it basically impossible to get enough macros/vitamins and minerals.

I tend to agree with this, especially if you are eating a nutrient rich diet. I am currently losing weight at a rate many on here would scold me for but I also eat extremely well, take vitamins as extra insurance, and eat enough calories that many on here would actually gain weight. Having a really high TDEE is a huge advantage as is strength training to prevent muscle loss. My wife, on the other hand, eats like a bird just to maintain.

kommodevaran wrote: »

I think weight loss rate should reflect the urgency of your situation. If you have a lot to lose, you can and should lose faster. 1% of your body weight per week is a good rule of thumb as long as there is too much of you.

This applies only when you have more than 50 pounds to lose. Otherwise it would mean that a 100 pound person seeking to lose 5 pounds should lost 1 lb per week, but MFP recommend .5 lb per week or less for someone like this.

I think it depends on where your mind is at the moment. People go through days of ups and downs during weight loss.

Some days there is nothing remotely easy about dieting.
I've said to myself "self we aint never, ever, ever ever doing this again".
Then, I have a all time low weigh in as an adult and say I knew we could do it .

I'll say that I'm more aware of the obese/overweight struggle than ever.
I have never been overweight except postpartum.
I never knew what people went through to lose weight.
I learned it aint for the faint of heart.
I understand why some just want to remain fat and free.
I would not know these things if I lost the weight in a day.

I think if we all could lose fast and get it done we would. But that isn't what happens for most..so we justify why it is so great it takes so long.

The attitude I take ..is how I lose the weight is what I will have to do to maintain the loss. So. if it takes more time.. it will be worth it for that.

I'm a slow loser and I was able to take the weight off and keep it off. I'm over 5 years at maintenance with no sign of stopping. What's the rush? You have the rest of your life to spend getting and staying healthy!

It seems to me that dropping weight quickly usually takes drastic measures, and I'm not sure how someone maintains that loss if they haven't learned or practiced maintenance behaviors along the way. I'm sure some fast losers figure it out, but that's not the norm from what I've seen.

At a slower rate, you would naturally be learning those behaviors. Once at goal, you just keep doing what you've been doing, with minor adjustment. With extreme weight loss measures, you really can't keep doing the same thing forever. So it must be much, much harder to transition to long-term maintenance for them.

Is making money slowly a good or a bad thing should you stop making money

I've been losing at a pound a week for about 16 weeks. This is the only time I've ever lost consistently for more than 8 weeks. So many times I've gone extreme and then rebounded, regained all lost plus more. I feel so good now. I am living my life, but the weight is continuing to go. My rate of loss is slowing... I only have about 6 more to lose... but I'm not feeling impatient. It actually took very little time to get here, in the grand scheme. If I had gone even more slowly, I'd still be well on my way, but I've found a way to exercise every day which makes the 1 lb per week average more doable.

I find myself actually thinking I'm glad that maintenance will require this same kind of attention, because I feel so much better than when I ate chaotically and exercised in spurts. I look forward to keeping up some version of this lifestyle indefinitely. I've never, ever thought that about a "diet"!

Gallowmere1984 wrote: »

trigden1991 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

Slower is good for compliance, lean mass preservation and overall health generally speaking.

Please can you provide any evidence for the above. I would say the opposite;

-Many people find it easier to comply to a 4-6 week diet than a 4-6 month diet
- Lean mass can be preserved during a faster more agressive cut
- Many people would be healthier if they were carrying 10-20lbs less fat

Pretty much this. If one is losing that much LBM, they need to take a hard look at their protein intake and sources. I'm also still pretty convinced that all of this "zomg I lost muscle" stuff comes from people believing that they are less fat than they really are.

Welcome to the internet, where every man is either 30% bodyfat or 15% or less.

Exactly. From reading Lyle's research, unless you are clueless with nurtition, it is surprisingly hard to lose muscle. Everyone is just fatter than they originally think.