Weight loss

r4ngpywn7v · February 23

I have been overweight most of my life. But last summer I was 170 which was my heaviest
(I am 5’4 f)
I am now 160
My goal is to by 125 somewhere in July. I have be on a 1,200 cal diet and trying to eat more protein for a little over a month now. (I usually eat a light breakfast then have a protein bar or fruit for lunch and save most of my calories for dinner.) I have also started lifting weights 2-3 times a week and trying to do more a cardio. I have trouble over eating on the weekends because I am not as busy so it is easier to find food.
I tried to lose 10 pound in 5 week but only managed 5. I see changes in my body ( like a slimmer face and torso) but the scale just does go down as much as I want it to. So I guess my questions are how do I lose weight more effectively and how do I make
sure I reach my goal by July. Any tips
or suggestions?

Corina1143 · February 23

Congratulations on a good loss so far. No hints to do better cause I think you're doing great!

musicfan68 · February 23

With only 35 lbs to lose, you are losing at a good rate. You shouldn't really be losing more than a pound a week, so you are losing at a good rate.

glassyo · February 23

"as much as I want it to"

Right there.

Losing a lb a week is healthy and perfectly fine and you're on the right track.

yirara · February 23

Yep, with your current weight losing 1lbs per week is totally normal. Losing more than that might not be possible to start with because you won't give your body enough nutrition. Plus MFP will only allow you to lose at a healthy rate, and 2lbs per week is very likely rather unhealthy. So all is fine. As you get closer to target your loss might even shrink to 1/2lbs per week as a lighter body needs less energy. But don't worry. Just mentioning it so that you're prepared.

Finally: Congratulations! Well done! ❤️

cats2222 · February 23

I too don't feel the scale doesn't move as much as I would like it to, but my mindset is every ounce is a victory at this point. I think you are doing fantastic. Keep up the good work

Strudders67 · February 23

You tried to lose 10lb in 5 weeks, but "only managed" 5. Look at that another way - you're already 5lb lighter than you were 5 weeks ago - fabulous! As yirara says, you may find it takes longer than expected to get to your target weight, so focussing on "I'm x number of pounds lighter than I was when I started" is much more positive and motivating than thinking you haven't achieved your goal.

Based on gender, height and weight, each person needs x calories to maintain their current weight.
Eating 500 cals fewer should see you losing at roughly 1 lb a week, although it'll never be linear.
As you lose weight, the amount of cals you need to maintain that new, lower weight also goes down - so either you eat less to continue having a deficit of 500 cals or your deficit will be getting smaller. You shouldn't eat less than 1200, so your deficit will be getting smaller. Your weight loss rate will therefore slow down.

I'm around 5'1f and, at my starting weight, my maintenance calories were around 1650.
Eating 1200 a day, I was never going to lose the 2lb a week I'd optimistically (and unrealistically) set my MFP target to be and wasn't even going to be losing 1lb a week as my deficit was only 450 cals.
After a while, my maintenance calories for my new weight was only 1500. My deficit had shrunk to 300 cals, which is just over 0.5lb a week.
Eventually I lost a bit more and got closer to my goal weight - and my deficit shrunk further. My bathroom scales often didn't show any downward movement for weeks.

It was slow going, but I learned a lot about how much food I actually need, what makes me feel fuller for longer and what portion sizes to serve myself. I also didn't beat myself up when the numbers on the scales jumped around or didn't go down for a while. Your weight fluctuates anyway due to water weight, hormones and other factors and I knew my deficit was tiny so there wasn't much margin for error.

Your numbers will be different but the process is the same, hence it gets slower as you get down to the last 20lbs or so. Focus on how much you've lost and remember that you're doing a great job at staying on track. You still weigh less than you did 5 weeks ago.

xbowhunter · February 23

Excellent results!

Weight loss

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