Is it wrong to aim for 2lbs weight loss a week?

I was actually wondering the same thing! lol

Yes -- unless you have 75+ lbs to lose, choose 2lbs a week is not a good choice.

Here are guidlelines to setting your goals based on weight you need to lose:

75lbs or more: Choose to lose 2lbs/week
40-75 pounds: Choose to lose 1.5lbs/week
25-40 pounds: Choose to lose 1lb/week
15-20 pounds: Choose either 1/2lb or 1lb
Less than 15/20 pounds: choose 1/2 lb/week

I think it all depends on the amount of weight you need to lose. I have 89 lbs to go before I hit my ultimate goal weight of 160, so 2lbs/week for me is feasible. I will eventually adjust it down to 1.5/ week, then 1/week and maybe even once I am down to 160 I will change it to 0.5/ week. It also has a lot to do with your body, can your body sustain itself on those calories healthily and lose? Just keep tweaking it and you will settle into a loss that is right for you.

IMHO, 2 lbs a week is kinda pushing it. and 1440 calories doesn't sound like nearly enough for your gender, height, and weight. but hey, just like anything else, try it and see what happens. and if it's not something you can sustain long-term, adjust the numbers. or you can try alternative calorie goals from one week to the next, to keep your body guessing. there are a lot of possibilities. you just hafta pay attention to your body and it'll let you know what it needs.

good luck!

You may find it is fine to start with but you may want to reduce it to 1lb a week later on. Whatever works for you. If you find yourself getting too hungry it might be an idea to try 1.5lb instead. Listen to your body and do what works for you. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I would aim for 1 pound a week loss & if you can stay another 500 calories under your daily goal you'll lose another pound... but at least your numbers won't turn red & make you feel bad if you go over. 1000 calorie defecit in food alone is not that easy & you want to set yourself up for ongoing success

see thats the thing... i have been able to handle it this long... for me the first week was the trial... now im just used to it. Its not a big deal. Im not as hungrier as before but i will aim to get to the limit and thats it.


i feel good and i dont feel any weirder than before. its been good so far and nice to see the scale these days. I mean i want to keep it off so i might tweak it as the weeks come by. Plus my ultimate cheat day is Thanksgiving so i havent even messed the diet up yet.

If you're already been doing that few for a while -- and especially as a man, your body is probably just starving.
That seems ridiculously low to me -- mine is higher and I'm only 5'4" and female --

Ultimately it's healthy and safe to, but as you have a lot of weight to lose, I'm guessing you may find jumping down to 1440 calories a day a culture shock. You're gonna need to probably do quite a lot of daily physical activity in order to eat as you used to or just really massively have self discipline. It may be easier trying to lose 1lb a week for a week or 2 and getting used to less food and more exercise and then upping it and upping your level of activity further and food intake less. Might be more successful..I don't know your character, current activity levels, what you currently eat and how motivated you are!

IMO, the reason behind the appropriate amount of weight loss per week has more to do with being able to sustain the lifestyle changes after losing the weight than how fast you loose it. It would be fine to lose 5 lbs per week IF you could maintain it afterwards. 99% of people can't though, the changes to lose that much weight is too drastic and they go back to previous habits and gain the weight back. If you are comfortable with your diet on a 2lb per week weight loss, then go for it. If you struggle with it, try 1 1/2 or 1 lb. It just has to be something you can sustain since chances are you will have to eat approximately the same at your goal weight as you do now to lose it.

When I started, I emptied the kitchen, came up with an eating plan I could live with, tried it for a month and THEN created my 1 1/2 lb per week goal based on what I lost and because I knew I could continue eating this way. The guidelines others have posted are a good place to start, but ultimately, it's what works for you.

Changing your goals to even 1.5 lbs a week gives you 1650 a day -- which seems a lot more realistic.
1lb/week gives you 1900 a day -- and probably something you can live with a lot easier and not feel like you're on a diet.

I would also suggest changing your MFP settings --- your daily carbs are almost 3 times higher than your protein.
Your protein is very low and should be closer to 1g per pound of your current weight.

My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom
Enter you calores -- I would personally choose something between the numbers above like 1750
Change your percentages (maybe 40% protein, 30% carb, 30% fat -- I actually have mine at 45% protein/25% carb but thats hard for most people to manage)

Protein will make you feel full for longer.

Your goal here is to find a healthy way of eating that you can live with -- not a temporary diet.

I would also try to eat back at least half of your exercise calories. Sopme people eat them all -- but I aim for half just to account for miscalculations in the database and even the potential that my HRM is off sometimes.