How hard is it to lose 15-20 pounds?

sandamila356xx
sandamila356xx Posts: 4 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Is it hard?! I am already in a healthy weight but I want to get rid of body fat and get toned. I am 58kg and my goal weight is 52-54kg. I heard about metabolic confusion Aka carb cycling. can I eat 100-120 grams of carbs everyday and have 1 or 2 days per week where I eat 150-200 grams of carbs???

Replies

  • sandamila356xx
    sandamila356xx Posts: 4 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    You don't have to do anything complicated like carb cycling to lose weight and get definition. Eat in a deficit, get adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb goalweight) and follow a proper resistance program. I am not sure how tall you are but you can also look into recomp if you are at a healthy weight but not happy with your body composition. See this link

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Thank you!!! I’ll have a look into that
  • sandamila356xx
    sandamila356xx Posts: 4 Member
    Fuzzipeg wrote: »
    How easy or hard is it to loose 15 to 20 lb, as difficult as you choose to make it for yourself. Please do not complicate things more than they need be, at least at first. With this weight to loose may I suggest you use the guided set up set up to loose .5 of a lb a week, this loss is advised to those with less to loose than many here. You will come to know the calories in your foods, taking care you are close to the advised grams within the food groups could help you best until you know much more about your dietary requirements. Take care

    Thank you!
  • sandamila356xx
    sandamila356xx Posts: 4 Member
    Kita1818 wrote: »
    Hi,

    I don’t know about carb confusion, but I can tell you the numbers are a little off. If 1k=2.2lbs, then you are looking to lose between 8-13 pounds, not 15-20.

    The other thing to consider is that when you are talking about getting toned, then you are talking about getting muscles - and muscles weigh more than fat. So it’s very possible you won’t see the desired number on the scale as you achieve your desired goal: less fat and more muscle.

    OR, am I misunderstanding that you first want to lose more weight than you need to so that you can gain it back in muscles and arrive at a scale weight of 52-54? ... that one is hard because the effort to lose weight and excersice tend to be simultaneous.

    Yeah I meant that. I want to put bit of muscle while losing fat.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    edited June 2019
    I am in the same boat as you. I’m 5’ 4.5” and started at 140 pounds, with a goal of losing 15 pounds to reduce my body fat, while at the same time lifting weights to build strength and maybe some muscle. I have been eating at a small deficit (I have MFP set to lose .5 pounds a week but have averaged between .5 and 1 pound a week) and have lost 11 pounds in about 3 months. I eat lots of carbs, no low-carb or carb cycling or intermittent fasting or anything for me except earing at a deficit. I am WAY stronger than I was before I started lifting and am starting to see some nice definition in my upper back and arms (when flexed). I’m not convinced that I’ve actually built new muscle, but I have definitely uncovered and strengthened the muscles I have. So you might also consider eating at a small deficit and lifting weights. Once I hit my goal weight and begin maintenance, I will recomp. Just another route you might think about.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Your metabolism can't be "confused," nor does it need to be.

    To lose fat, you only need to be in a consistent calorie deficit. It does not matter what macros or specific foods those calories come from. You can ensure that you're in a calorie deficit by weighing all solid food using a food scale. If you exercise, keep in mind that exercise calorie estimates may be exaggerated. Many people start by eating half of their exercise calories in order to account for potentially inflated estimates, and then adjust from there.

    When you have very little weight to lose, weight loss will typically happen very slowly. It's not unusual to see no movement on the scale for 4-6 weeks, and then have the scale go down a pound or two. Losing weight at this point also requires meticulous logging. If you have very little weight to lose, your deficit is very small, and only a few errors in logging can wipe it out completely.

    Since you are already in a healthy weight range, I would encourage recomp rather than weight loss. Recomp makes many people happier with their appearance and is often what people mean by "toning." Keep in mind that if you lose weight, your body will take the fat from wherever it wants, which may or may not be the locations you want to lose fat from. In recomp, you can target specific muscle groups that you want to develop.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    sandamila356xx wrote: »
    Is it hard?! I am already in a healthy weight but I want to get rid of body fat and get toned. I am 58kg and my goal weight is 52-54kg. I heard about metabolic confusion Aka carb cycling. can I eat 100-120 grams of carbs everyday and have 1 or 2 days per week where I eat 150-200 grams of carbs???

    It's only hard in that you probably don't have a lot of wiggle room calorie wise and have to be patient. You can really only expect to lose a lb or two per month, and that can easily hide behind water weight fluctuations for weeks. So you really have to just trust the process and give up the daily anticipation of validation from the scale.

    IMHO that's why recomp is such a great idea. You can focus on moving through the program you're working, getting more fit, getting your calories in on point and not worry about every damn half lb!
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