Is slower and steady better for maintaining weight loss?

lucyholdcroft7
lucyholdcroft7 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!

So I’m 6’2 and weigh 80kg, lost 6kg over the last 4 weeks. I’m going on holiday at the end of August and want to weigh about 75/76 as this is where I look a bit more defined. I’m 19 and quite active and I was wondering if it would be better to set my goal at 0.2kg per week for the duration up until my holiday, losing slowly, or if I should just maintain for two months or so and then lose quicker. I’ve heard different stories, such as maintaining ‘resetting’ the metabolism and then losing weight quickly at the end and I’m concerned that I’ll get demotivated by constantly dieting for several months and losing suuuch a barely noticeable amount of weight (my scales are kg and fluctuations will likely make it seem as though I’m gaining/losing by the week). Yet, I also hear that I can keep the weight off more easily if I do it slowly and then switch to maintenance when I’m at my goal. Does anyone have any advice on the best way to do this?

Replies

  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
    I think there's positives and negatives for both approaches.

    1) Lose fast= steep deficit. You'll see the scale move faster however you may lose more muscle than desirable meaning your body composition in the end isnt quite where you want it to be. Extreme deficit can lead some to bingeing. Bigger adjustment in calories when goal weight is achieved though if you return to prior eating habits you may put weight back on before holiday. If you lose at the end though you may have lose skin.

    2) Slow and steady = slower movement on the scales can make it seems like goal is forever away and may lose momentum, logging needs to be stricter as smaller deficit is easy to wipe out. Can eat more food which might the whole process more sustainable for the long term.

    May to August isnt a huge amount of time so not sure if issues with hormones etc will be much different either way.

    I am doing a mix of both. Initially losing quickly with a high deficit which was partly due to wanting to do be lighter for running to be able to achieve running goals. In a month (its been 2 so far) I'll reduce my deficit and will be focused more on strength training. I know I wont achieve my actual goal weight before my beach holiday in October unless I starve myself until then and then I'll look crap anyway. For me its about getting to a weight I am more comfortable and confident at and work on the remaining weight in my own time.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I started fast - too fast before I started using mfp and paying attention to advice - and then came in slow once I neared goal. That way maintenance is just a little adjustment from last stretch of losing.
  • bstanb01
    bstanb01 Posts: 30 Member
    I've been going slow and steady because I'm breastfeeding, and since I know the lack of weight loss can be discouraging, I don't weigh myself very often. If you did slow and steady while thinking of it like maintenance, that might alleviate some of the discouraged feelings
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 978 Member
    edited May 2018
    Edit: I just wrote a massive post, and it's all just been deleted ... excuse me as I retype the gist (the first version was better :s ) :

    Another kilogram weigher here

    I agree that weighing in kilograms can make it feel like you're making slow progress, but personally I like it because the fluctuations look far less noticeable, which I find much more motivating.

    I think what you need to do is work out why you want to lose weight and what you want to do once you reach your target weight. If you're just losing to look good for your holiday, then are happy to regain all the weight again afterwards, by all means, lose weight quickly. But if your aim is to keep the weight off, slow and steady really does win the race. This mean you need to make changes for life and healthy habits are easier to maintain into the future if you introduce them slowly.

    Also the thing about being able to reset your metabolism is a myth. Your metabolism can and will change over time, but this is a slow process. There is no way of dramatically changing your metabolism quickly.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Nothing resets metabolism - metabolism is just the rate at which your body burns energy.

    For mental as well as physical health, as slow as possible is always best.
    If you have a lot to lose, it's best to get it off as quickly as posssible.

    Such a small amount of excess weight as you have, will come off almost imperceptibly slow, and your habits and general "feel" at this stage should be very close to how maintenance will be. Maintaining weight means that you'll see nothing but the normal day-to-day fluctuations on the scale, day in, day out, while still doing pretty much what you're doing now, just to avoid weight gain. I think you should work on your attitude and prepare for this, as soon as possible.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I just posted this to another thread, but it is just as relevant here:

    By the time you enter maintenance, what you are eating should not seem like a restricted diet you are going off of. If it does, you are not nearly as likely to keep the weight off.

Categories