Logic behind taking the last 10lbs slow.

SeanD2407
SeanD2407 Posts: 139 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm curious why for the last 10lbs its recommended to only have .5 a week loss? If i'm 5"8 male 165lbs with a goal weight of 155lbs... what's the logic in taking 20 weeks to get there? (probably longer since every week doesn't generate weight loss) when I'm perfecting fine consuming 1600 calories a day in order to burn close to a lb a week but everybody says "no that's too aggressive" what's aggressive about it?

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    First... you lose fat weight each day you are in a deficit. It may not show up on the bathroom scale each week or for weeks at a time but that is because it is being masked by normal other weight fluctuations like water and varying amounts of food waist.

    Second... it is considered a transition into maintenance and a further effort to preserve muscle mass.

    I am not sure of the actual science behind it. I am not there yet so I really do not know how I will handle it but I don't think I will stick with a 250 calorie deficit because of the margin of error in logging. I have read that some people on here have gone for very extended amounts of time (up to a year) getting off their last few pounds. I feel like I will go for a 350 calorie deficit to make sure I am, in fact, in a deficit each day and making progress.

  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,272 Member
    Just to clarify though , it isn't really that it is the last 10lb - it is when you only have 10lb to lose.

    If someone were starting only 10lb overweight, the 0.5lb thing would still apply.

    Probanly due to percentages - if I only have 10lb to lose that is only a small percentage of my total weight - whereas if I have 100lb to lose 1 or 2lb is the same percentage of body weight as 0.5 lb on a smaller person.

    So some people with 200lb to lose could safely lose 3 or 4 lb per week in the beginning.

    Of course this is a generalisation and if you are a tall man with only 10lb to lose the percentage of your body weight is different to a tiny lady with same amount to lose - but it is only a general rule.
  • deadlftr
    deadlftr Posts: 4 Member
    As somebody that has done this after a couple different holiday seasons, lol, I think they are telling you that because as a male there is nowhere to go after 1600 if you should stall. Unless you workout more or manipulate where your at. Thats where Im at right now, 1600 but carb cycling is keeping things rolling fine.
  • Justin_7272
    Justin_7272 Posts: 341 Member
    I think it's largely to curb people's expectations, e.g. so people aren't let down/give up if they've been losing 1-2 lbs a week but now see the weight dropping slower (which, scientifically it should; as weight decreases, TDEE will decrease, thus the caloric defecit will decrease).

    Other than dropping below a minimally-healthy caloric intake (generally considered 1200 calories), I've seen no scientific evidence why you can't continue to lose at a higher rate than .5 lbs per week.

    It may be difficult-if not impossible-to keep within the recommended protein range, but that's a different discussion.
  • jan110144
    jan110144 Posts: 1,281 Member
    I lost 50 pounds in 6 months. I did not find the last 10 to be all that slow (although certainly slower than the first 10.) That said, I did gradually increase exercise throughout the 6 months which helped to.maintain a relatively consistent daily calorie deficit relative to current weight. I was also fortunate in never really encountering a plateau during the weight loss phase.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,740 Member
    Part of that is to make the transition into maintenance easier. Going from a 1000 calorie deficit to a 0 deficit isn't easy. Either you continue to lose weight until you find a good balance, which may put you way under your goal, or you try to eat all the food you've been deprived of while losing weight and start gaining it all back. You need to learn to eat at and around maintenance or you will end up doing a lot of yoyo dieting to stay on point.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    It’s about not losing too much muscle and eating enough to keep up your nutrition and energy. Just because you “feel fine” at the moment does not mean you’re the exception to these physiological processes. The effect may not show up for awhile.

    Easing the transition to maintenance is purely psychological strategy. Not to say it’s unimportant but that part varies by individual and is not the reason for the 0.5 advice from medical experts.

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