weight loss goals. advice?

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Cassandraw3
Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
edited June 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
My original plan was once I was down to 10 lbs left until goal, I would switch to .5 lbs/week loss rate. Currently I'm 2-3 lbs away from having 10 more pounds to lose and I should be there by the end of the month. But, we are currently planning trying to get pregnant this fall. Obviously, once I get pregnant, I will no longer be trying to lose weight. My last pregnancy I ate whatever I wanted and gained a 50-55 lbs. I am going to be much more careful about what I eat this time around so as not to gain excess fat like I did last time. If I keep going at 1 lb/week, I should hit my goal by mid-September. If I switch to .5 lb/week, then I will still have ~5 lbs to go when we start trying. My current goal weight is at the high end of the BMI scale, but according to a few different body fat calculators, I have about 105-115 lbs lean mass. So my question as this: what would you all recommend for a weight loss goal? Should I keep trucking at the 1 lb/week or should I slow it down to .5 lbs/ week?

5'4"
SW: 167
CW: 157.6
GW: 145

Replies

  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    I understand that it is possible that I won't get pregnant right away. I was just looking for some insight as to what others would suggest or what others have done.
  • 1BlueAurora
    1BlueAurora Posts: 439 Member
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    My guess is that neither rate of loss will affect whether you are able to conceive. Either rate is a healthy rate of loss. I'd personally just go with whatever feels right. Since I'm goal-oriented, I'd just go for the 1 pound per week until I was 5 pounds away from hitting my goal, then re-evaluate. The key would be: how energetic and healthy do I feel? Good luck!
  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    @1BlueAurora Thanks for the input. I know it won't affect ability to conceive. I was just kind of wondering if anyone has gone through something similar. I've seen several people posting on here that once you get down to the final pounds, to go for a .5 lb/week weight loss. I'm the kind of person that likes everything planned out and as I have been planning out this weight loss journey and calculating the end of it, I realized it overlaps with when I will ideally be pregnant again if I slowed down like originally intended.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
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    Starting the taper down early might help get you used to eating closer to maintenance which might give you more perspective about how to eat once you get pregnant.

    I got pregnant within a few weeks of reaching goal last time and was thoroughly confused about how many calories I needed.
  • iowalinda
    iowalinda Posts: 354 Member
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    Cassandraw3 wrote: »
    My original plan was once I was down to 10 lbs left until goal, I would switch to .5 lbs/week loss rate. Currently I'm 2-3 lbs away from having 10 more pounds to lose and I should be there by the end of the month. But, we are currently planning trying to get pregnant this fall. Obviously, once I get pregnant, I will no longer be trying to lose weight. My last pregnancy I ate whatever I wanted and gained a 50-55 lbs. I am going to be much more careful about what I eat this time around so as not to gain excess fat like I did last time. If I keep going at 1 lb/week, I should hit my goal by mid-September. If I switch to .5 lb/week, then I will still have ~5 lbs to go when we start trying. My current goal weight is at the high end of the BMI scale, but according to a few different body fat calculators, I have about 105-115 lbs lean mass. So my question as this: what would you all recommend for a weight loss goal? Should I keep trucking at the 1 lb/week or should I slow it down to .5 lbs/ week?
    Personally, I would consult my OB-GYN with this question. I have known pregnant ladies who have actually lost weight during their pregnancies by following a healthy, calorie-appropriate diet.

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,988 Member
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    CarvedTones wrote: »
    alvakathyy wrote: »
    What do you do when your weight has leveled off but your goal is 10 pounds away? You have to shake something up! 9 ways to shake up your weight-loss routine and help yourself come down off that ledge.

    She didn't say she had levelled off. Shaking it up is not really a thing. Staying in deficit is a thing. Sometimes people find it easier to stay within calorie goals if they take a break and maintain for a little while at a higher calorie goal and then lower it again to start losing again.

    Given the low number of posts and the random, non sequitur click-bait link, I think there's a good chance you're talking to a bot.
  • Kfrase83
    Kfrase83 Posts: 42 Member
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    We are the same height, almost same starting weight (162), and same goal of starting trying for our second in the next few months - and I have the same question! LOL. I am currently 141 pounds, 4 pounds over where I started when I got pregnant with my first, and I also gained too much - 48 pounds! I blame the ice cream, which I still logged and allowed for, but it does bad things when consumed that often.
    I was planning on moving to maintenance at the end of the month, just to comfortable there and see how the trying went. I'm hoping this is the right move. I'm also hopeful that my energy levels don't bottom out so that I can somewhat maintain my workout regime to keep muscle, and not gain as much this time around.
    Good luck, and let me know what works for you!
  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
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    @Kfrase83 I also was all about the ice cream when pregnant. I just let myself eat whatever I wanted. Definitely not letting that happen the next time around.

    And while I do plan on staying as active as I can during this pregnancy, any sort of weight/fat loss will not be my goal during that time. Since I'm managing ok with my current calorie goal, I'm going to stick with 1 lb/week for now. I can always change my mind later if I decide that is too difficult.

    Here is what I found as far as eating while pregnant. For total weight gain based on BMI:
    Underweight: 28 to 40 pounds
    Normal: 25 to 35 pounds
    Overweight: 15 to 25 pounds
    Obese: 11 to 20 pounds

    For calorie intake:
    The first trimester does not require any extra calories.
    During the second trimester, an additional 300-340 calories a day are recommended.
    For the third trimester, the recommendation is 300-450 calories more a day than when not pregnant.
    For breastfeeding, an additional 450-500 calories.

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