Hello

Hello, and welcome!

I just turned 70, and am an MFP long-timer (joined in 2015, lost weight, now maintaining a healthy weight; quite active with exercise, mostly rowing and biking).

Honestly, it takes 4-6 weeks of reasonable consistency on a new eating and activity routine to know what the weight loss results will be. The first few weeks can mislead because of things like shifts in water weight. Once you have 4-6 weeks of reasonably careful, consistent logging data and scale weight results, you can use that to adjust (personalize) your calorie goal and dial in the results you want.

If your average weight loss per week isn't what you want after that many weeks, you can use the assumption that 500 calories per day is about a pound a week, and use arithmetic for partial pounds, i.e., 250 calories a day is about half a pound a week, etc.

At 5'7" and 150 pounds, you're already technically in a healthy weight range, though I'm not questioning that you might prefer to lose a few pounds. My point is that you're not so severely obese that fast weight loss is necessary . . . or even a good idea IMO. (I get that we all want to drop it like it's hot! 😆) I don't know what your goals are, but if I weighed 150 - which I did part way through weight loss, though I'm 5'5" - I wouldn't be trying to lose much more than about 3/4 of a pound per week, personally.

I'm a big believer that an easier plan is more likely to lead to success than a faster plan. On top of that, most people find staying at a good weight more challenging than reaching that weight in the first place. Going slower during loss creates more room for finding and practicing the eating and activity habits that will keep us at our desired weight long term.

You can do this, and make it work, if you stick with the process, using your own results to adjust as needed. I'd bet on that.

Wishing you success!

Everything Ann says, plus you’re also fairly close to goal.
A lot of new folks don’t realize, when you have less than 10-15 pounds to lose, the rate of loss crawls to a near standstill. We’re talking ounces a week, which are not really noticeable on the scale for a while, til enough accumulate to register. .

However, it’s still possible.

Like Ann, I’m an older, long term user (age 63). Like you I’m also 5’7” and hover close to 150. But I carry a lot of muscle, which is heavier than other body mass, so my weight is deceptive. I’ve been a consistent size 4 for several years now.

Question for you? Do you have arthritis or other inflammation? I always feel bloated when mine flares. Even though I don’t gain more than an actual a pound or two or three, all my clothes feel tight, even my socks (I sleep in footies because I’m always cold).

Just a thought. I’ve been trying to focus on reducing inflammation, rather than weight, and it’s made a difference into how my clothes fit and how puffy I feel.

one other thing, go to the Success Stiries board and one of the top threads is the NSV thread. An NSV is a Non-Scale Victory. NSVs are extremely useful when the scale doesn’t feel like it’s cooperating. People point out things that might not have even occurred to you.

😂 This is your body: