Weight loss - Quantity or Quality? What's your aim?

I came here as a reforming couch potato in my late 50s, so definitely quality. I didn't have any lean mass to spare.

Definately quality.

My 2 main objectives are:

- sustainability
- maintaining as much LBM as possible.

Among other things, having a small calorie deficit (i.e. doing it slowly) allows me to:

- not 'diet', but rather make better choices
- get enough protein, which, combined with strength training, gives me a better chance of maintaining my LBM
- have enough energy to fuel said strength training (and cardio when I actually do it)
- go out, have a meal with friends, have a few drinks now and again......'normal' stuff
- not having to make much of a transition from 'dieting' to maintenance, and all the possible problems arising from that
- get enough micronutrients from foos without having to focus so much on everything I am eating (the more food, assuming it is nutritious, the more likely I am to get enough micronutrients).
- not be hungry and enjoy yummy food.


Now, in all honesty, would I prefer to lose weight quicker (wouldn't we all) - absolutely, but not at the expense of the points I made above.

I honestly do not care what I weigh - I care about my BF% and my size (we all have some vanity here!) and body composition.

Both.

I want to be fitter... to be able to walk (and do other active things) farther and faster than I could without breathing as hard. And I want to be trimmer... less jiggle and fewer inches. Given where I was, that involves both losing weight and gaining muscle. Like you, I'm fine with a bit slower, because I believe that will be more beneficial. Among the benefits I expect are that it will be more maintainable (because I will have new habits), that I won't get the drawn, sick look that some people get when they lose too quickly, and I'm hoping that this way my body including my skin will adjust better to a new shape and lifestyle. (I wouldn't mind losing a little faster than a pound a month, so I have my settings for 1.5 right now, but I'm happy if it works out to an average of a pound per week.)

There's no reason people can't have both and that's what we're all striving for. What one person thinks is a higher 'quality' weight loss is not everyone else's belief. Is your weight loss a higher quality than someone who followed a different plan and is also happy with their result?

I've never heard of people bemoaning that their weight loss lacked 'quality', outside of starvation diets. Usually they admit they regained because they went back to their old habits.

I want quality. I'm not on a diet - I'm living healthy and making it a lifestyle. I'm looking to be in the best shape I've every been and healthier than I've ever been. Yes, I slip sometimes but I think that's good for everyone of us now and then. Eat something you want in a very small proportion and then your craving doesn't become too much.

I've never heard of people bemoaning that their weight loss lacked 'quality', outside of starvation diets. Usually they admit they regained because they went back to their old habits.

Well, that sort of answers the question of quality then, doesn't it? If it's just massive weight loss (quantity) and it was using methods that are more of a quick fix than a lifestyle change (quality) then they're probably more likely to gain it back. If you follow a plan that supports fat loss while retaining lean muscle, you are more likely looking for quality and the quantity part will come in (longer) time.

I want to get another stone off me as quickly as possible.

But I am morbidly obese, so I have that to spare haha.

Quality. That's why I weigh in only about once a month. I go more by how my clothes fit (and how often I drop a size).

I wanted speed for a while, but when I dropped only 10 lbs and lost nearly 2 pants sizes....I realized it doesn't take huge numbers to show huge changes.

I've never heard of people bemoaning that their weight loss lacked 'quality', outside of starvation diets. Usually they admit they regained because they went back to their old habits.

Well, that sort of answers the question of quality then, doesn't it? If it's just massive weight loss (quantity) and it was using methods that are more of a quick fix than a lifestyle change (quality) then they're probably more likely to gain it back. If you follow a plan that supports fat loss while retaining lean muscle, you are more likely looking for quality and the quantity part will come in (longer) time.

It does make more sense if you define 'quality' as 'lifestyle change'. But I really think everyone is aiming for the lifestyle change and the most LBM retention that also isn't going to keep them fat for years. Where people believe that falls on the deficit spectrum varies. If the absolute slowest is the absolute healthiest, shouldn't we all be just eating a hair under our current maintenance amount? No, because some deficit is perfectly healthy and weight loss is also healthy. All that differs from person to person is what deficit level we each feel is a perfect balance (for us) of speed and 'quality'.

Quantity.. Then quality. Meaning, I want to lose a good deal of weight first. And then I will focus more on toning. Let's just put it this way.. I need to lose over 50#, so for me, quantity IS quality.

This is a very important point. At a certain weight, the cost/benefit is very different to folks at a different weight. With a reasonably large amount of weigh to lose, the benefits of losing quicker (medical and motivation) may well outweigh the disadvantages (plus, those disadvantages are less the more you have to lose). At some point however, imo, that balance tips the other way, as you have noted.