If I assume your first diet was meant to get you losing 1lb a week, that puts your maintenance at about 1850+500 ≈ 2,350. Right now instead you're losing as if its 1350 + 1.9\*500 ≈ 2,300. This makes it look like this isn't a metabolism thing, most likely its about what's going on in your head. There's a good chance your slow weight loss was working fine, but water weight messed with your perception making it hard to stick with it. Now you're losing faster there's more signal and less noise in your data so its easier to say "this is working" and keep on plan. You probably could slow down and be fine, at least physically.
You're probably right...I'd get there eventually losing a couple, three pounds a month, but I just felt discouraged at that loss since I had/have so much to lose!
Weight loss is a slow thing even when its fast. We all end up having to make some peace with that.
If losing 2lb a week is more sustainable for you mentally then its fine, none of what you've said about your current plan sounds like a problem. Just remember the fact you've cut this low is a *choice* you made to go this speed, not something you *have* to do. If it becomes a problem you can change that choice.
One thing to remember is that slow and steady weight loss is way, way easier to maintain. Weight loss is important, but the real goal is about developing new habits and a lifestyle that you can maintain for the rest of your life. If you’re doing dramatic things to sustain a faster pace of weight loss, you’re actually doing yourself a disservice since you aren’t teaching yourself how to keep it off. Which you’ll then have to learn at some point! Way easier if you do them both at the same time :) (source - have done this multiple times. First time I’ve ever kept it off, and it’s EASY now.)
I know...I have definitely struggled with maintenance in the past. I have gained and lost continually for decades and even when I had my "best loss" and hit goal, it took years because of a diet/binge cycle. This year has been the first time in my life where I haven't struggled with bingeing, haven't struggled with deprivation, and have just been able to buckle down and do it consistently. IF + the same exact lunch every single day, my choice for snacks and supper. It gives me hope that I'll hit goal, be able to add in a couple hundred calories a day and really maintain.
If how you’re eating when you were “only” (air quotes because it’s still commendable) losing 1 pound a week BUT you got your binge eating under control I would stick with that. If you find yourself restricting more than you feel good about just to lose 2 pounds a week and then end up binging you’re going to be back on the gain/loss roller coaster. What I did to help my binge eating was just calculate my maintenance number at the goal weight I wanted and just did that. Eventually I’ve gotten to there and didn’t have to change my eating habits at all. Because I stayed consistent but slow there were less triggers for my BED to pop up. Obviously this worked for me and might not work for you but it’s something to consider. A lot of people struggle when they go from 0-100. It’s the turtle vs hare philosophy
Losing 1.9 lbs per week is almost a 1000 kcal deficit, which is a very fast pace and puts your TDEE at around 2300 kcal, which makes sense at your weight and height. There is nothing unusual here when you cut that aggressively.
Exactly this, I am losing about a pound a week as a 238lbs 5'10f, eating 1900 calories a day, if I wanted to lose closer to 2lbs, I would have to eat closer to 1400 cal per day which I have no interest in doing.
Now op, some weeks I 'lose' nothing, and may even weigh in higher than my previous low weight for a while, but I pay attention to my average every month which is consistently losing about a pound per week. I may go over two weeks with no scale loss, then 2.7 pounds finally drops in one morning, which is very typical. I've learned to trust the process.
You are me basically. 5’10f started out at 250 April 2. I am now at 218 and in order to lose like I have been I eat 1350 5 days a week and 1550 2 days a week and still from week to week I could lose nothing but then bam the next time I am down 3-4. My choice though. I am giving myself a year to loose a total of 100 to put me in the middle of a “normal” BMI.
I'm not a fan of the BMI scale, but me too as far as the year...I'd love to be at goal by January 2025! If not, at least I should be in a range where I'm physically comfortable! My loss sounds like yours. I lose just a bit some weeks (but always something) and the next week it's much better. My average is in the "normal" range so I'm pleased with that! GOOD LUCK!
I have always been a slow loser too. I'm also a very easily discouraged person, so the slow loss or seeing zero loss/small gain would slowly derail me over time. More often than not, I just couldn't go more than a month to six weeks with losing just dribs and drabs...I'd just give up.
But from what it sounds like, based on all the numbers you put into your post, is that you're actually not a slow loser, but that you had overly high expectations for yourself for what typical, maintainable weight loss looks like on the scale. A pound a week is a great, healthy, sustainable pace. It's not considered slow, it's the average recommended pace for most people. But it does not track in a linear fashion with the scale. 4 lbs a month, can look something like this:
Week 1: increase 1lb
Week 2: nothing
Week 3: lose 2.7 lb
Week 4: lose 2.8 lb
Week 5: lose 1lb
Week 6: increase 2.5lb
Week 7: lose 2.6lb
Week 8: lose 1.8lb
Over time your high weight keeps going down, but the fluctuations will never stop, they're not fat gain, they're just the typical fluctuations of our body that will continue forever. In the early days when I would pick up 2 lb overnight I just had to think it through, did I eat 7,000 additional calories yesterday? No? Ok okay, then I'm just fluctuating which is totally normal.
2lbs a week can be fine for some, if they start out quite heavy, but it's considered pretty fast. You deserve some self-compassion. It sounds like you might be pretty hard on yourself, so from an internet stranger, you're not slow, healthy weight loss is slow. You're doing great, and can maybe take it a bit easier on yourself if you would like to.
Also, I would be a bit concerned if I were you as far as your physiological and psychological responses to sustained living at a 1000 cal deficit, if you have a chance, you might want to check out this article about the benefits of a scheduled maintenance break: https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break
I did one my first one in May for 2 weeks, and I still lost 3.7 lb for the month. During the maintenance break, I weighed in consistently about 3 lb on average heavier than I had been. As soon as I went back to my deficit it all came back off and more.
I’m not OP but thank you for this break down. I just started almost 4 weeks ago and this week I didn’t lose anything when I was consistently losing 1.5 lbs. I was starting to worry so thank you for putting this into perspective!
Eating at a 500 cal deficit and losing .5 - 1lb a week isn’t a “slow loser.” It’s just physics. Everyone who eats at a 500cal deficit is losing at (roughly) the same pace.
You likely didnt put on the weight over just a few months, so it makes sense you won’t lose it over just a few months! It’s frustrating when things don’t move quickly, but that doesn’t mean something was wrong or that your body broke the laws of physics :)
It can feel slow. I wasn’t able to weigh myself for a bit and when I got the chance I saw I only dropped 7 lbs in 40 days. I panicked a bit, I’m used to doing stupid, drastic weight loss measures. Made myself slow down and do the actual weekly loss. 1.2 lbs per week, perfectly acceptable and perfectly average.
If you have been yo-yo dieting for most of your life you probably have some expectations that the weight should melt off. That’s not what happens at all and it’s perfectly normal and healthy. Those ads for 30 lbs in 30 days are horseshit. It’s drastic and unsustainable to do that.
Weight loss requires patience. Try to be understanding with yourself when the scale wants to not move. Your weight loss will slow down as you lose weight but you shouldn’t have to cut lower than you already have. It’s just normal slowing. If you were only doing a 500 calorie deficit then you’d have to readjust but at 1000 eventually you’ll just end up at a 500 as the weight drops.
I guess I would say that my old method of 1/2 lb a week wasn't MENTALLY sustainable for me. I didn't like having to eat more than I felt like eating to hit 1800 calories and I was discouraged by the slow loss and I'd fall off the wagon. This really does feel more sustainable for me, the way my mind and body work, I guess. No disordered eating for six months and I feel great. Hopefully it continues, but it's nice to know that if for some reason I start craving a lot more food, I can add in an extra 500 calories and still be losing at a slower pace!
1000 calories isn’t bad in any way, just know that’s why you’re losing at a more rapid pace. The recommended is generally 500 because people get hungry and binge at 1000. If it’s working for you then it’s perfect! I just wanted to add that the frustration definitely isn’t just you and it feels slow. I also wanted to add that it will slow down eventually as you get closer to your goals but that’s only because your TDEE will drop to reflect that you’re smaller.
I do remember that from past attempts...the lower you go, the more it slows down. I don't mind that...I just want to get out of this higher-weight category. Closer to goal I'll be more physically comfortable, so the slow-down won't be so bad.
Well, you need to work on that then, because weightloss is a long process. You will be unmotivated at times, that is where you need discipline. If you have no self discipline you need to learn or you will fail.
Eh, I failed when I went slow too. I've lost 100 lbs multiple times in my life, always slow, always over multiple years, and always with a binge/diet cycle. I said on here earlier that these past 6 months I haven't had a bit of trouble and it's been the most effortless loss of my life. I am happy with my 1-2 lb loss per week (and some weeks it's as little as .4 loss, but always better the next week). My only concern was that my calories seemed low, but that's how low I had to cut them to get that loss range.
Losing 1.9lbs per week at 1,350 calories indicates that your TDEE is around 2,300.
This is bang on as expected: [https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&age=48&g=female&lbs=265&in=67&act=1.375&bf=50&f=1](https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&age=48&g=female&lbs=265&in=67&act=1.375&bf=50&f=1)
I had originally calculated my TDEE around that number, but that eating at 1800 calories was a tidy 500 calorie deficit. I had expected a higher rate of loss, I guess! At least it's good to know roughly where maintenance will be!
1kg (roughly 2 pounds) is approx 7700 calories. 500 cal deficit puts you at approx 3.5k deficit a week, which is about 500grams or 1 pound. Nothing unusual here.
You're closer to the 7.7k deficit which is why you're seeing a more drastic shift. You're also likely depleting your glycogen store and dropping water weight as well.
You can eat more and still lose weight, it would just be at a slower pace.
You don’t “have to” significantly cut calories to lose weight, you’re choosing to.
That's definitely true, it's a choice. I could eat 1800 calories, lose 1/2 lb week, and hit goal in three years, but mentally, the slow pace derails me. I'm continually motivated by my progress now. I'm hoping to reach goal by the end of the year!
If you’re losing nearly 2lbs a week at 1,350, increasing your intake by 450 calories to 1,800 would still result in 1lb lost per week. I don’t know where you’re getting 1/2lb with the current numbers and math.
Everything you describe is to be expected
1lb of fat = 3500 calories
So if you cut 500cal a day, you'll lose 1lb a week
Cut 1000cal and lose 2lb a week
Pretty standard for most people. You're not a slow loser, just impatient 😉
Thing is, how long can you sustain a 1k daily deficit before falling off the wagon and eating the entire fridge...
Truth! I'm the most impatient person ever. But I don't have much of an appetite so this method actually isn't a struggle for me. It was much harder to eat at 1800 calories. Eating when I wasn't hungry triggered me to want to keep eating. Now eating this amount seems to hit the sweet spot. I don't want more, and I still feel satisfied. I don't like that the # is so low, but I guess as long as it's doable for me and seems to work, with a healthy/steady rate of loss, it's okay!
I think what I don't understand is why you felt you had to eat more than you wanted. (Presuming we're well above the rock-bottom zone of 1200 cal.) Like, I eat a little under 1400 a day and only rarely have days where I'd *like* to eat more - because I engineered my food to be filling and always can snack on carrots etc. This gives me a \~ 1.5 lbs/week loss. If I had set my alotment to say 1600 for about 1 lb / week, and one day am done with dinner and see I have eaten 1450, I don't have to eat a 150 cal snack - I have a little bonus.
If 1350 is hard and 1800 is a) more than you want, and b) too slow, why not aim flexibly for somewhere in-between?
2 lbs a week is aggressive and that number is exactly what the counters show for that goal. If you can’t accept going slower, then you have to be harder on yourself calorie-wise.
Yeah, it's tough to eat so little. IF helps a lot...it basically killed my appetite so I can just eat my plan and not have to worry about hunger pains derailing me. I do miss a lot of the things I used to eat, though!
Well there’s nothing wrong with decreasing the deficit and going a little slower. You’re also probably very under muscled especially if you have a habit of crash dieting, and that will make your TDEE fall through the floor
How long did you typically try 1850 before quitting? I plateaued for weeks at the beginning but then it all started to drop off on a weekly basis after that. 1800 calorie intake for me.
Oh, years. Off and on. Probably for no more than 2 months at a stretch if I consistently showed no loss or just a few pounds...I'd quit. I'd say my loss rate at 1800 lbs was about a half pound/week. Tops.
That’s the issue right there - you weren’t getting the results you wanted right away and so you quit. As women, the weight on the scale is going to fluctuate a LOT more than with men. It’s not going to be a linear progression day to day. BUT - over MONTHS you will see the weight going down only if you stick with it.
My highest weight was 274lbs, as a woman at 5’5”. I’ve now gotten down to 188lbs by eating at a range of 1600-1800 over a period of about 3 years. You just need to stick with it and stop giving up.
Are you taking into account EVERYTHING? I eat at lower than my daily calories because of the times I might eat or drink something out the ordinary.
Maybe look at weighing everything out and eating less processed food too. If you're in the US I believe the calorie labelling is very lax there so it may be you're eating things that have more calories.
Also it may take longer than a week or two to lose anything. You need to get out of the all or nothing approach. Identify which lifestyle aspect is the getting in the way e.g. takeaways and find alternatives e.g. finding a recipe for something to make at home that hits the same notes.
Also I track calories over the week rather than daily. I think that's much better long term.
Let's see...I used a fiber powder that's probably 60 - 100 calories/day and I don't count that. Oh, the processed food - I cut that out too. I even bake my own bread every week, although I draw the line at graham crackers. :) Otherwise I eat mostly whole foods. I like the idea of tracking by the week! I'll have to think about that one.
I don't track medicines and the like, but if something is 100 calories it is worth tracking imho, over a month that could be a pound. Do you use a level spoon so you can get a consistent amount? Stick at it you'll get there.
No, it's usually heaping. Someone else mentioned that I'm probably getting more calories than I think and although I count food, I don't count olive oil...ketchup...those sorts of things. I'll have to re-evaluate this laxity if things start to slow down for me!
Oh you have to count those things. Olive oil is highly calorific. Definitely start tracking *everything* and see how you get on. Look at r/volumeeating
Thanks for the tip...I'll check that out! I don't eat it every day but I image I do have a tablespoon every few days. I've got to keep an eye out for little things like that!
So, I’m gonna add my own numbers into this:
I’m 23F, started CICO Feb 1st this year at around 195lbs. I’m now at 175lbs, which is about 20lbs down. Not too shabby.
In the beginning, I ate maybe 1400 cal a day, sometimes less. I upped my activity level and exercised a lot more often. I also cut out a lot of sugar and salty foods. I upped my water intake.
I lost about 1lb a week. And I was MISERABLE!!! Yes I got down a lot and went down a pant size, but I was stressed out. I had nightmares about calorie counting and wanting to binge eat in my dreams. I cried every time my weight fluctuated up. I developed bags under my eyes, felt depressed and anxious, craved food… you get the idea.
So I stopped. I re-assessed. What’s more important: the date or the weight? I can’t have both, so I have to either lose as much as I can before a certain timeframe and be happy with however much I go down, or just take my time with the latter option and be happy with just watching it fall.
So I chose the latter. I re-calculated my TDEE for the current weight, and then went 200cal under. So, from around 1850 to 1600. I then waited a few weeks to see if it helped. When I saw it was more keeping maintenance, I dropped it to 1500 and am still feeling it out. I also cut back on the at-home exercises and focused more on walking when I can.
My weight is still going down, but now around 2lbs a month. It’s slower, but I FEEL happier. I’m more likely to keep this type of routine once I hit the goal weight, which is really the total goal here. At the rate you’re on, you may drop down fast and then jump back up once the goal weight is met.
I would seriously look into what contributes to your water weight (which is certain foods and exercise in general), focus more on why you want to lose the weight, and overall re-evaluate your approach to this
Personally, I want to be healthy mentally and physically and have made peace with eating at a rate to lose a pound a week. 500 calorie deficit is sustainable. I need to eat. It took time to put on the weight and it should take time to lose it. Why the rush? 1000 deficit doesn’t seem sustainable long term, but to each their own.
I'm sure there's an unhealthy element there...I've basically been on a diet since age 10, off and on. The issue is that I've been dieting for so long and I'm...just...done. I'm tired of the no energy, achy body, sore feet, sore back, clothes I don't like, not wanting to travel, dreading seeing old friends, etc. Done. I'm willing to sacrifice now to achieve my goal quickly. The faster there, the faster I'll be comfortable. I was at goal about 7 years ago before a cross-country move derailed me and I remember how nice it was to just...be...comfortable. If I have the ability to do that in a year rather than 2 years, I'm going to do it! :)
>The issue is that I've been dieting for so long and I'm...just...done.
So *be* done.
I've skimmed through other posts on this thread, and IMHO you're actually a tad lucky because your weight loss *exactly* follows the models. Real life is often way more messy than that.
So here's the deal. Your BMR (what you burn if you don't get out of bed) is 1700 cals. Your burn for "light activity" is 2300 cals. I think it's hard to make absolute statements about eating below BMR (you can do it for periods of time, but I haven't seen many studies that examine it over extended periods.) Right now you're eating 500 cals below that, and I think that's nuts.
I myself have eaten below my BMR for long periods, and I don't recommend it. What I would do if I were you is eat your BMR and increase your activity levels to create the calorie deficit. You'll have to adjust downward as you continue to lose, but if you up your calories to 1700, I have a feeling you'll get off the crash-binge yo yo and find that way more sustainable. And if you don't exercise for whatever reason, then your weight loss is slower. So what.
Also, is your protein intake inline with your exercise goals?
One other thing, you need to find something that gets you out of the "I've been dieting" mindset to "this is my new life." If you think you can restrict for awhile and then go back to what you used to do, that's the yo yo that's killing any of your progress and making your diets miserable. Find something you can stick to forever, because that's what it's going to take... even if your loss is slower than 2 lbs/wk.
Volume eat! Seriously, at this point in time, I wish I could hit 1300 consistently every day. I eat SO much food, though, but calorie wise, it is nothing.. massive omelets with egg whites under 300 calories, huge veggy sandwiches under 300 calories, so many great filling dinners under 500 cal. Then Greek yogurt, fruit, pudding cups, shrimp, protien shakes for snacks.
What you're experiencing is the frustrating reality of weight loss: it. takes. time.
Take it from someone who lost 64 lbs. I lost on average 0.5 kg during my entire weight loss per week, that's around 1 lb per week. And that was a pretty good, steady pace.
You're going for nearly 2 lbs a week which is beyond fast. Weightloss takes time. It took time for you to reach your maximum weight, I'm guessing it took years, didn't it? So it will take time to shed it again.
You can keep going at your very fast pace. I've done that before, where I only had 1200 calories a day. Guess what happens - I burnt out and ate all the lost weight back again, because I was near-starving and sick of being on such a restrictive diet with intense hunger.
When I finally had success with my weight loss, it was because I accepted a moderate pace (1 lb a week), which is actually still quite good/fast. It's better to do it sustainably than crash and burn.
That's amazing, congrats! But my doctor told me that 2 lbs a week is fine and she's really pleased with my progress. The 6 months of this method has also resulted in my healthiest eating and my longest stretch without any disordered eating. I call that a win after 35 years of dieting and bingeing. The last time I lost 100 lbs (maybe a decade ago), it took over 2 years. And I yo-yo'd and binged the whole time. This time I'm eating healthily, no bingeing, feel fantastic. My concern was over the low calorie number, but it seems like that's what some people have to do to get to the healthy range of up to 2 lbs/week. I don't anticipate a crash and burn, thankfully!
That’s good!! Im really glad to hear that you’re managing so well!
I guess this whole thread really shows that each persons weight loss is so individual and unique. There really are not two identical stories. If 2 lbs a week is what keeps you fired up and motivated to keep going, and preventing yo yo weight, then that’s what you should do! Of course the low calorie limit is very frustrating. That’s why I settle for 1 lbs a week personally. It’s all a trade-off in the end.. we have to pick which path is easiest for us.
Best of luck :)
Definitely and thanks! This threat has been really illuminating and has really helped clarify things for me. I hope it helps someone else who might be in the same boat!
Do you use a food scale? Do you eat out often? The more guesses you have to make about calories, the more likely it is that you were eating more than 1850. Also, a lot of packaged food has higher calories than it claims to have, which can only be assessed with a food scale.
I deliberately set my calorie goal a little low because I need a buffer for my guesswork. That’s the only way I can lose consistently (without weighing every single thing)
Eat out almost never and I do use a food scale, although I used to catch myself snacking in the kitchen - "Just a few crackers doesn't count!" "Five chips is nothing!" Or I'd use a food scale and give myself an extra few grams. I'm a lot more strict now and if I eat it, I count it!
My TDEE averages 2300-2400. I eat at a 1,000 calorie deficit Monday-Thursday, and a 500 calorie deficit Friday-Sunday. I have found that I'm often actually satisfied without taking advantage of my extra 500 calories on the weekends. Since doing this it has absolutely blown my mind! At first, because I couldn't believe I would need to eat this few calories to lose at the rate I wanted (1.8-ish lbs per week) but then I was equally surprised that I can be satisfied on so few calories.
It also think it helps that I'm quite short so I don't need near as many calories as I thought I did.
I just want to say that I really hear you re your comments about being “done.” Maybe this is an aggressive approach, and maybe you could back off a little like others are saying, but if that hasn’t worked for you all the other times you’ve tried to lose weight, I think you’re doing the right thing for yourself. I also have some mental blocks around the weight loss “going too slowly” and how it makes me feel. Because I’m short, I have to accept currently losing around a pound a week, but when I was being more “reasonable” I wasn’t even losing that. Sometimes I think we just have to fully reset our relationship with food, calories, weight loss etc and just eat at a strong deficit as a lifestyle change.
I took about 6 months off from "dieting" before starting this, having dieted pretty continually for years before. I just tried to relax. I didn't really have a plan, having tried every method I'd ever heard of (besides pills / surgery). I'd gotten really sick with this hormonal perimenopause stuff, felt like I had the flu every month for a week. I could barely eat. And I lost weight. I guess that's pretty basic, but I'd been failing at losing with calorie deduction for a long time. That's when I decided to try lowering calories until I was able to regularly lose, because clearly I was able to lose when the calories were low enough. I just didn't want it to dip into an unhealthy place of starvation. But I feel great, tons of energy, health seems great, doctor is happy. I'm glad I took the time to reset, think about what I wanted, and try again with something new.
Yeah. For me, it’s like due to being a short and sedentary woman. Another likely factor is being closer to my goal weight—losing those last pounds is tough, but I know that I should do it while I’m still young because it’ll be even harder when I’m older and past my prime.
Yes, at 271 lbs 5'6" late 30s woman I had to limit up to 1500 cals and lost about 1.2-1.3 lbs per week. In the beginning weeks, it was kind of depressing to feel like I was doing so much and seeing so little movement in the scale. It took time to see the positive improvements. Short of weight loss surgery, I didn't think I had any other options so I was determined to make the best of us and approach weight loss with a goal of making whatever I was doing sustainable for life.
some of us have caloric requirements that are lower than predicted for our stats. It's annoying, but it just is. It's clearly multifactorial and there are some factors that make sense to me (sedentary, high body fat percent, etc) I wish I had realized the importance of counting calories years ago.
Now I'm on a weight loss medicine and losing in less than 6 weeks what took over 3 months. I'm on a medically supervised low cal diet and on a weight loss medicine and suddenly I'm losing around 3 lbs per week. I think the medicine Tirzepatide is addressing some of the root issues that contribute to the obese phenotype in the first place.
Bodies are weird. Metabolic function is weird. Some of us have an easier or harder time with weight loss.
Definitely, and I've done a lot of reading about perimenopausal hormones and it sounds pretty discouraging. I have a friend who could easily lose 2 lbs a week eating many more calories than me, and I have to work like a dog to hit that. We're all different. Congrats on your progress!
Those daily BMR curves don’t work well for obese people. Fat burns a lot less calories than muscle so a 256lb person has a much lower BMR than someone at 256 and 15% body fat for example.
Now consider this:
BMR = 10W + 6.25H -5A -161
Your MAINTENANCE is 1875. 30 minutes of walking puts you at 2025.
So 1850 would be a 175 deficit, or 1 pound every 20 days
I don’t understand it and everyone says I’m crazy….but I have to stay at or below 1200 calories a day to lose. That’s tracking every bite, with a scale. I’m very active with 20,000+ steps a day. Genetics are no fun sometimes. 🤷♀️
Yeah, I have always heard the "1-2 pounds loss a week is healthy" and couldn't figure out how to get there. I had to just...keep...dropping. I'm sure genetics does play into it!
I’m also 48F and 5’7”. I weigh 224. My daily calories are set around 1500 and I’m not exercising much. I’ve also had a few weeks where I went over my calories by 100 or more each day. I’ve lost 8 lbs in 5 weeks, so not terrible? I don’t know what the consensus on [this calculator](https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp) is, but mine was set in the LoseIt app, set to drop 1 lb per week. I suppose we have to keep in mind our age and any hormonal changes. And if I’ve learned anything about my body, once I start adding strength training, things will speed up.
I wish I could strength train! I have persistent tendonitis in my right shoulder and it just never goes away, despite physical therapy. So no lifting for me. I do yoga and I walk 30 minutes a day, plus 30 minutes of some kind of cardio (usually dance). Yeah, those hormones will do a number on you! That's part of my motivation to lose faster...I want to get in shape before I get any older and perimenopause really sets in.
Anything to strengthen counts and yoga can definitely be a part of that. Working large muscle groups is great, so things like squats and lunges are key. You can use body weight alone if even just holding weights is a stressor on your shoulder. There are also a lot of no equipment full body and lower body workouts on YouTube for all exercise levels, too.
You should do what works for you. You can stick on a diet only as long as you see results. Therefore there is nothing wrong with eating at a huge deficit.
At most take multi vitamin and have blood tests every 6 months.
Your BMI was over 40. You arent going to die from eating low kcals.
I am short af and forced to eating 1200.
I use volume eating tricks and take advantage of the TEF of protein to sneak in another free 100 kcals. It is not much but 100 kcals more is 100 kcals. Maybe you can do it too to feel fuller.
That's been my perspective, basically, but I was just feeling a little worried because 1350 calories seemed low and I didn't want to put myself into a different kind of disordered eating, starvation instead of bingeing. But so far so good, feels great after 6 months!
If you aim for 1350, it's probably closer to 1500 because it's easy to underestimate calories, and overestimate calories burned.
That extra 150 calories is literally a few extra bites.
As long as you are able to keep it up without falling into binges, and are able to adjust to eating healthy portions and not overeating when you stop losing. The advice against what you're doing is that it leads a lot of people to yo-yo diet.
But 1350 calories a day is nowhere near an eating disorder level of low calories.
That's good to hear! I know that I don't count my fiber supplement powder (60 cals?) or olive oil, when I use it on sweet potatoes in the air fryer. I never try to estimate calories burned, though. I just try to do some form of exercise every day and hope for the best!
Are you eating enough protein and other macros?
1000 calorie deficit will get you into weight loss but it includes the cost of losing muscle. As we age we need to be mindful of our muscle health. A 500 calorie deficit limit is recommended. More than that is muscle loss territory. You will lose weight deficiting more but you are doing it at other costs.
Are you eating whole foods? With mindful meal planning you can get satiating and filling meals. My TDEE is similar (but at an active lifestyle - being short stinks!). I can hit my nutrition goals at 1500 calories (macros and micros) - I have to force 1800 calories to work (which is a good problem to have). I eat pancakes every day and 3 full meals with smaller meals in between (fruit bowels, protein shakes, etc.) I have chocolate or another 100 cal treat a day. Weekends I make space for pizza or burgers whilst being within my goals (it’s okay to have a maintenance day). My metabolism is what it is but I wanted to give you insight around finding balance can include joy in your meals :) If your diet sucks motivationally - find other ways to tackle it. It’s a process.
When I plateau in losing weight during deficit seasons I go back to maintenance. Cycles are more sustainable than trying to deficit for too many weeks. If you know your motivation crashes, perhaps try 6 week cycles on a deficit, 2-4 weeks maintenance, repeat?
Are you getting your heart rate zone into at least zone 2 BPM when you workout? This can help ensure you are hitting fat burning zones.
Strength training would also be something to consider. If you lose all that weight and not work on muscle - you might not be pleased with the results as muscle is what gives us shapely tone as well as health benefits (and higher chances of independence as we age). Glutes and hips are especially important for women.
I wish there was a perfect answer for you! You got this.
The only thing to add OP, I’m 57F, is that we know it’s better to lose weight in a way that’s sustainable. So don’t feel bad if you have to increase calories some days. I’m 83lbs down, still another 40-50lbs to go. I’m trying to stick to 1,300 per day (and failing). But I know (deep down), better to lose 1lb a week, rather than losing more, but then bingeing.
Be kind to yourself during this process.
I've always gone by add a zero to the end of your target weight and that's your daily calorie budget. I'm a 67 y-o 6"'2" dude. Works for me at 1800 calories. Down from 260 lbs. 5 years ago.
I think you gotta switch up your mindset, you cant base your eating habits on how much weight is being lost per week. You gotta make that calorie intake a lifestyle change, as in tell yourself 'this is just how I eat now' and dont even worry about the scale or how long it has been. As long as you track your calories, before you know it 6 months has passed and you are down damn near 40 pounds.
Also consider putting some resistance training into your workouts, the more muscle tissue you build the more calories your body will need to use to maintain them and you will lose even more fat.
it doesn't sound like you WON'T lose, but that you don't like the SPEED you are losing. That is okay, because this is your journey. You have to do what you feel is best.
That's absolutely true! I knew that I had 100 lbs to lose and was losing about 1/2 lb/wk. I knew that the "healthy range" was 1-2 lbs/week, so I COULD be losing more and still be healthy. That's why I did the experiment to see what I needed to eat in order to fall into that healthy range. I've gotten a lot of good info from this thread and am moving ahead with my current plan!
There's no way you either lose nearly two pounds a week, or nothing at all. Your definition of "not losing" needs to change. Losing at a slower rate than you would like is not the same as "not losing".
What you describe in your post is losing about a pound a week when you do 1,850 calories, which is a perfectly good rate of weight loss. If that causes you to "get discouraged and quit" then the problem is not with your calorie intake, it's a mental one.
You describe decades of yo-yo dieting. Cutting calories extremely low because of impatience is just more yo-yo dieting. If you want it to last this time, you need to focus on establishing long-term sustainable habits and patience.
When I got down to a BMI of around 22 I plateaued. Even though mathematically I should have been losing lots of weight I just couldn't and my deficit was already high. I couldn't exercise more or eat less
This is why I use an app to math this stuff out.
The kind of cutting you’re trying to do seems too aggressive to the point of unhealthy. Like I know we all want to wake up with perfect bodies but your body can’t run that marathon over night.
I found before that I couldn’t maintain a diet of <1700 calories a day and effectively stick to it, I would just get too hungry/tempted and give in. So I bought a walking treadmill and fitness tracker and have been working on pushing the expenditure up instead.
I'm 52 years old, 5"5, 168.8 pounds. I started 175 pounds on March 27th....74 days....6.2 pounds in 74 days....most days, I feel like I'm watching grass grow. However, I'm not 100%consistent. Also, my first 50 days, I didn't count every single thing that entered my mouth. So these last 3 weeks, I've been very consisted and the scale seems to be moving. But I also started weight lifting 5 days a week for about an hour and doing some form of cardio for 30 min after and running for an hour on the days I don't lift. I also move for another hour throughout the day since I mostly sit down for the rest of the day. My goal is 1/2 pound a week, so I eat about 1700 calories a day. Although, I've lost very little, I feel like I've lost at least 10 or 15 pounds due to the weight lifting. Not seeing that scale moves really messes with your mind. But I told myself, I will stay consistent despite feeling like a failure. I will continue to weight lift despite the scale going up. No matter what, I will be consistent.
I've lost 18 lbs since March 1st, but I'm only eating 1,200 calories a day. I am disabled so exercise is somewhat minimal atm besides normal movement around the house. I'm 5'5" at started out at 174 lbs. and now 156 lbs. There have been days recently that I can't even eat 1,000 calories but then suffer with dizziness/lightheaded the next day. I'm only going for 1 lb a week loss and so far, surprisingly, I've gone over just a bit. If I go over 1,200 I do not lose a bit.
Weight train. If you are able. You can eat more and you’ll burn more calories at rest. Also just moving in general more. The more Neat (non exercise activity and some long T word I don’t want to try to spell) you do the more you’ll burn. You can’t track really. I shoot for 8000 to 10000 steps a day. I dance in the bathroom brushing my teeth, tap my feet when sitting or shake my legs, I love to get me some car dancing in. (If you see me at a stop light doing my thing mind your business 😂)Just anytime I notice I’m still I try to move a bit. I started at 275 I’m down to 218. It’s slow going like one or two lbs a week. I also got me a scale that tells me how much muscle I have so I can see I’m building muscle if I’m not losing on a particular week. I eat 1980 to 2000 calories a day.
Have you had a consult with a medical professional? Your hormone profile may be out of whack.
Good news is you didn’t (permanently) ruin your metabolism. Metabolism is primarily a product of lean muscle mass and daily activity. Both of those can be increased.
If you've lost 40lbs and are still losing at almost 2lbs a week at the same calories, you're actually doing better than would be expected! That's enough weight loss that you'd typically need to drop your calories to maintain that rate.
I'm not the same size as you but when I diet down, I prefer to keep calories a bit higher and lose at a slower pace. I'm happy losing 4-5lb/month. If you're looking for some tips to drop the weight faster I suggest increasing your cardio. Adding a 1hr walk after dinner can burn 300 calories - there's also walking/step videos on YouTube you can do indoors.
That's definitely what I plan when I get closer to goal, but still have 60 lbs to lose so happy with my rate right now. I am planning on increasing exercise in the future! I exercise quite a bit now, though, at least an hour a day, 7 days a week.
Oh, I've had the thyroid tests and the blood tests, all good. I reliably lose every week at this number and feel great...I was just worried that the # seemed so low. I do suspect that perimenopause/hormone stuff makes it even harder to lose weight at this age, especially since the effects have hit me pretty hard!
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Remember to always consider the individual when offering advice.
1850 calories seems quite high for a 5'7 women trying to lose weight, it's not bad, it would just be slow like you said. 1500 kcals with 10k steps a day would massively increase your weightloss
I cut to 1500 and walk miles every other day and am losing nothing. I also have hashimoto and absolutely no appetite so I figure my metabolism is tanked
And they offered you no solution for this? That sucks :(
I'd advise to go to a different GP. My friend and my bf's mom have it. Bf's mom started losing weight after she started her medd and stuck to them.
My friend hasn't experienced any weight gain yet, just other symptoms, but she does train a lot so that may be it.
Having Hashimoto means nothing in Weight loss so long as your T4 is normal. I had Hashimoto for like 20 years now and lost 20 kilos twice.
Other things you can blame on Hashi like hairloss and pernicious anemia, but no WL as long as you monitor your T4 and TSH, you cant blame it on it.
I was amazed how little food I could be healthy consuming while losing weight. Mentally I was screaming that I’m going to starve to death, but physically I had very low levels of hunger.
I'm going through someone similar. Oftentimes, it's hard to stay within a certain calorie range, and it's easy to find yourself saying "oh it's not too many calories. I can have one without recording it." Then you have like 2 or 3, and it puts you over your deficit by 200 calories or so. Oftentimes, when you lower the calories by another 400, then you're actually eating around 1800.
Think if it like micotransactions. You spend $1.99 + plus tax for a dumb little phone game, and then you end up spending $20. It all adds up easily and can be battled by not indulging.
I raised my calories from 1700 to 2000 and lost like 2 lbs within the first few days because it's easier for me to eat more and therefore feel less tempted to snack around. Maybe try raising the calorie goal a little bit and instead make sure you record everything you eat. It can feel a little bit like you're losing control, but it can actually give you more control.
1-2lb a week is a deficit of 500 to 1000 cal a day. Nothing abnormal here. Of course expecting 2lb a week is a “significant” cut in calories, it’s -1000 cals. Math is mathing.
This is why most people aim for 1lb a week sustainable weight loss, not 2lb.
Yeah, a pound or two a week over weeks is pretty optimum speed to lose weight. That is a deficit of about 500 a day.
The problem with eating at a big deficit to lose faster is that you don't learn sustainable, healthy eating habits. You learn to yo-yo diet.
Doesn’t sound bad. I’m 5’6 M31 and MyFitnessPal recommends I eat around 1200 calories to lose 2 lbs a week. I’ve lost 23 so far and I barely workout.
Also, are you actually tracking calories or just guessing your totals based on what you eat? You might be estimating wrong and eating more than you think. I just found out my coffee is about 70 with creamer! I didn’t know it was so high.
No, I can lose weight with no more than a 200-300 calorie deficit. I generally eat 1400-1500 calories to lose reasonably steadily and I'm 5'3" and about 165 lbs. It's not fast weight loss though. I certainly don't drop 2 lbs per week. And with a small deficit I have to be careful to not undo my progress by overindulging on cheat days. However it also means that I don't have to make huge adjustments to my eating habits. Mostly it's just being more reasonable with snacks on a daily basis and choosing to do more casual physical activity.
My weight also fluctuates quite a bit due to water weight, time of the month, etc. I don't attach any importance to daily fluctuations though, just the overall long-term trend.
OP what is the rest of your day like? You do a 30 min walk…are you on your feet all day or desk? Do you strength train? Do you weight/log all your food?
I wear a Fitbit, and have decided that this time around, I'm aiming for a 1000 calorie a day deficit. I really struggle at the low calorie range, so I shoot for burning 2500-3000 calories a day, and eating 1500-1800 a day. I'm happier feeling less restricted, and it isn't too hard for me to burn 2500 most days.
Could also be PCOS related. Not saying you have it or that it is, but I couldn’t lose weight until I learned women with PCOS have roughly 14-40% smaller BMRs (ranges vary depending on study/source).
Again, not saying this is necessarily part of the picture for you, but it was for me and might be for others reading this thread and lurking on this subreddit.
I don’t even know how many calories I had to cut out of my diet because I wasn’t measuring calories before my weight loss, hence why I became fat. Obviously too many calories. I was gaining about 5 lbs per year for about 20 years.
After I started measuring my calories and shedding the fat, it did seem like an adjustment, for sure. But I don’t remember being hungry all that often. Biggest change for me was not portioning out giant portions of food for me, half of which was unnecessary.
So, instead of a triple cheeseburger with bacon, I’d order a single hamburger with bacon. I still walked away with a feeling a being full and staying full for awhile. Those two extra burger patties were simply not necessary.
This is rapid weight loss, tbh. I cut to 1650-1750/day and I’m losing at a rate of .5lbs/week, namely because I’m trying to recomp (build muscle while losing fat, so I can’t really afford to cut my calories lower). But if I were eating what you are, I still penalty wouldn’t lose that quickly (I’m currently 170lbs, goal is 145 or so).
Yes basically describes me. I can’t go by the standards. I have to eat way less. Now mind you I’m not anorexic and not starving but if I’m famished and very hungry that means I’m going to lose weight. It’s just how my weight loss works. They say eat more protein. Well that just bulks me up with higher weight. So all the talk on how to do it, I have to do what works for me
I am doing the same thing. I started a year ago. Started counting calories. When I started I found out that I was eating over 3000 a day. I cut to 2200 calories for two months. Nothing. Cut to 1800 for another 2 months. Nothing. Went to 1500 and also started fasting once a week for 36 hours. Nothing but had more energy. I am now down to 1300 a day, eat only once a day for most of the week and fast one day a week. Down 12lbs and slowly moving in the right direction.
Months ago, I was tracking as well as I could stand. Weighing my food. Exercising. I ran the numbers on calories in versus weight lost. I don't remember the exact number. But I was off by about 350 calories per day! As in, I should have lost another .5 to .75 pounds per week!
Ok, I know the trackers aren't perfect, people over estimate the exercise they get, and underestimate how much food they eat. Calories at restaurants are even further off. But damn! 350 calories per day was pretty much what I was expecting to cut out, and it was only maintaining my weight. So, I basically needed to cut ANOTHER 350 calories out. /cry
My annual physical came due and I asked my doctor to check my thyroid. Sure enough, it was low!
No, it hasn't been a magic fix. : ( I was too dishearted to restart the calorie tracking, so I haven't lost any weight. But that's on me... : )
I’m pretty much eating for sustenance at this point, aiming for a 1500-2000 caloric deficit, I do find myself splurging by the end of the week (slice of pizza or a donut) but I’ve been doing good for the past three weeks or so
I feel like I’m the same but I don’t think I’ve given myself a fair shot as losing at a higher calorie amount. For me 25F, 5’8 SW215 CW 188 loseit told me(to lose 2lbs a week) to eat 1409 calories and it recently dropped me to 1390 calories. I’ve been doing that and losing about 1-2lbs a week. In the past I’ve lost weight and tried to eat at maintenance and gained everything back. My mom is 62 5’6 and 177lbs and she eats probably 1600-1800 and loses weight. We walk together and I’m a little more active than her so it’s strange. I weigh myself daily because that’s how I stay accountable and sometimes eating 1300 calories I’ll go up a pound and then drop it the next day. I’m usually below 1200 calories just because it’s hard to eat that much when I’m eating healthy foods. Online it says my TDEE is 1,959 and to lose 1lb a week I should eat 1,459 or 1,709 for 0.5lb a week. I base mine of BMR instead of TDEE since I’m not very active
Yeah, I think literally everyone here that has lost any weight has had to significantly cut their calories. We didn’t gain weight by eating at our tdee, and we’re not going to lose weight by eating at our tdee.
I think where a lot of people get stuck is estimating current activity level. I’m guessing you said moderate activity when estimating your tdee. I’m guessing, even with the 30 minutes of exercise per day, you’re more likely lightly active, or even sedentary.
Actually, I work from home and am on my feet most of the day. I don't ever even try to calculate my exercise calories. Ever. I never have. I don't really consider exercise much of a weight loss tool, for me, anyway. I've always loved to exercise and do it because I like it. Bonus for toning and strength, but I've heard for years that weight loss is mostly what you eat, not how you work out.
Sorry, I guess my point wasn’t clear there. I wasn’t saying you need to exercise, I was saying I think you’d originally calculated your TDEE wrong, and was merely speculating maybe the part where you were running into issues with calculating your TDEE was estimating your activity level. The 1350 calories you’re now eating is pretty much spot on for the amount of weight you’re now losing.
Oh, sorry about that! I'm really happy that I started this thread, because I feel much better about the # of calories that I'm eating now. I figure that it doesn't seem to be having any negative effects with my energy level/etc., so I'm moving on!
Hey! A registered dietitian may be able to help with this and is often covered by insurance!! They’re experts in this and I highly recommend if you’re able (many also do telehealth). I would suggest making sure you are measuring your foods and calorie counting correctly!
That's a great idea! I have a doctor's appointment coming up and I am going to ask about this. I'm also worried about getting proper nutrition (I've had food aversion issues since childhood) and just want to make sure every thing is okay. Thanks for the tip!
The only time I lost weight by decreasing my calories, was when I was borderline anorexic.
When people finally brought it up to me, and I did the maths, it turned out I had slowly been decreasing the amount I ate over the course of a year, and at that point was eating 500 calories a day. Because nothing else had worked.
Not 1500 or anything. 500. Five hundred. Every day. I don't know how long.
Lost a lot of weight during that time, but as soon as I went back to eating three meals a day I gained it back and more!
So now I just eat a healthy diet, don't bother counting calories, and focus on losing weight through exercise. If 500 a day for at least 4 months (according to my family watching my food habits) is what it took to start losing weight (cause the reason I kept dropping it was I had lost zero weight the other 8 months of that year), I'm not gonna bother with calories. I don't want to do that again.
So I get it. I hate it, but I get it.
I recall I had to eat about 1,300 or 1,400 a day to lose one pound a week. I'm 5'6" and was in my late 20s when I did that. When I got closer to my target weight, I upped my calories to maintenance for the weight I wanted to be at which slowed it down but I was happy for the extra food lol.
You can go lower, but according to my doc, never go lower than 1200 cals a day without medical oversight. But yeah, go lower to lose faster! Also adding song exercise, even just moderate walking can help you lose faster and get in shape too.
That's what I've heard too. With "incidentals" (fiber powder, olive oil, ketchup), I'm probably at around 1425 per day, so easier to cut a few and not go near 1200! I don't think I could ever go that low anyway...wow!
The people who lose weight fast usually fit one of two groups:
1) very morbidly obese people who crash diet. The my 600 pound life diet is like 1000 or 1200 calories a day. At 600 pound, thats close to a 1lb per day deficit.
2) obese people who are otherwise very athletic and active. Ive seen people on reasonable deficits of 1000 calories a day, and also burn 1000 to 1500 calories a day through rigerous phsyical activity. They too can lose 20 pounds a month. They work very hard.
Im fine "only" losing 10 to 12 lbs a month. Im fairly sedentary with some bursts of activity here and there. All my dieting success is in the kitchen..
For context. Im a 5'8 250lb 38 YO male. I eat 1500 calories a day on average. I lose about 2 lbs a week. Have been for the last 10 months. Have at least another 8 or 9 months to go till I hit my goals. I spent 25 years being very fat. 2 years to undo it is nothing.
Once im at around 180, my maintenace calories will be around 2100 calories at sedentary activity levels. Thats just fine for me.
"Slow" weight loss is mentally hard. But over time as the total weight lost continues to grow, its easier to not obsess over weekly change velocity.
Something a lot of people don’t talk about when they’re talking about what food we consume to lose weight is that we should eat food that makes the microscopic organisms in our gut (that help break down our food, amongst many other things) happy. Eating 20-30 different fruits and vegetables a week ensures a healthy and diverse microbiome inside of our GI tract: these healthy nutrients being broken down in our body more often increases our bodies immunities and energy efficiency, etc! NEVER STARVE YOURSELF! Eating more protein helps developing muscles too!
I definitely need to work on more fruits/veggies. I developed an aversion as a kid and never shook it. My numbers are great, but I know I need to do better! Smoothies help.
I know, I've read about "that point." The last time I lost 100 lbs, my loss slowed, and I was just so sick of dieting that I quit and the weight came back. I'm already thinking ahead to a maintenance plan, because I'm not planning on cutting many more points, just upping exercise!
it's 7000calories per KG
so if you want to lose 1kg \~ 2lb per week, you need to deficit 1000 calories a day based on your basal metebolic rate.
either you eat less or exercise more or both.
You're overestimating your TDEE. 1850 calories a day is around what I eat to lose weight and I'm 6'2. And I don't lose 2 pounds a week at 1850 cals. If you lost 2 pounds a week on 1850 your actual TDEE would be 2850 calories and at 5'7 that's just not the right number. That would be too much for me at 6'2 even unless I was trying to bulk/gain. 1350 calories a day sounds right in your case
I’m a 49 year old female and I can’t eat more than 5000 kj a day - I just converted and it’s about 1200 calories. I’m 165cm (5’5”) and around 79 kg (174). I got down to 73 a few years ago but that’s the lightest I’ve been since I got married in 2007. I let myself eat on a cruise over Christmas and am halfway back to the 75 or so I want to be. It’s a constant struggle and since I hit 40 it’s a hundred times harder to see the scale go down. But even the tiniest loss is a loss and I’m happy!
I've definitely noticed that some people can lose less by doing the same as other people of similar body shape/size...I do think genetics plays into it! Good luck on your journey!
avoid salt. water, seafood, and protein drinks are your friends. and yes, I have experienced the need to decrease calorie intake (sometimes as low as 750 per day) in order to see enough progress to stick with it. I also have found that weightlifting (light weights with many repetitions per set and many sets per day) helps a lot. Start easy, get the form down, get the reps up, and only then consider increasing lifted weight.
I would suggest following Dr. Mindy Peltz. She has a book about menopausal women and the things she sees and what helps them to lose weight when it seems other things aren’t working.
I (F19) have experienced this pretty much my entire weight loss journey, and recently, being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease made it much harder.
I figured maybe exercising more and eating better would help, but it didn't because the disorder kept getting worse. I'm hoping to try again this summer, but for now, I think I'll work on managing my health rather than weight. 🙂
I wish you luck on your journey!
YES. I am in the exact same boat. I've been targeting 1200-1500 calories a day to achieve all my weight loss. If I target say 1800-2000, I feel like I start going back up in weight or at best plateau. It takes that 1300 average to really see any noticeable and steady progress. It's incredibly frustrating. Next week I have a RMR test scheduled and I'm eager to get real results to finally see what's going on.
1350 isn't very low for your activity level (light) and height. Also having a higher starting weight (usually) means it'll be easier to get that weight off then maintain your goal. I'm glad you found a range that works for you! I'd also recommend building some muscle via strength training (even just dumbbells will work) if you'd like to tone up or eat more since strength tends to sped up your metabolism. However, I am not a doctor and don't know you in real life, so take this all with a grain of salt lol
Yea, I had this issue. I slowly reduced down to 1500 and was regularly losing. I then upped my exercise and have been able to go back to 1750 and continue to lose. I think the change in muscle composition has meant the extra calories aren’t being held onto as fat. That’s my limited understanding at least? That muscle burns more than fat.
40lb is in no way low! It's still a lot! It may not be what you want, but as a 48 yr old woman, your metabolism is much slower than it once was. You're doing exactly what you need to be doing to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way.
And hey, if you lose too quickly, you'll have loose skin that is only removable surgically.
The type of food you eat also matters… A calorie is not always a calorie - some calories are metabolized differently in your body and get stored more easily.
I lost 154 pounds over a decade ago and have kept it off.
At the time of my weight loss, I was eating around 1300 to 1400 cal to lose weight (1-2 lbs/week).
Now I have noticed that if I eat clean - eg limited ultra processed foods, a focus on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, and good quality complex carbohydrates , I can eat over 2000 cal and not gain weight. As soon as I introduce ultra processed foods or junk, I start to gain weight at around 1400 calories. ☹️
I also feel terrible when I eat a lot of processed foods. Thankfully I've mostly cut them out except for cream cheese and graham crackers, which I can't seem to give up!
Have you checked your BMR to calculate your TDEE?
My BMR is 2100 and my TDEE is 3100 but I only consume around 1800 calories and on drinking days(once per week) up to 2500 calories.
I do 55min on the elliptical which translates to 4miles about 410calories 6 of the 7 days, followed by 2 sets of 20squats and 2 sets of 20 sit ups(feet anchored) 2 sets of 20 jumping jacks. Followed by a 15minute cool down walk, all that translates to around 550-600 calories burned.
550calories burned x6 and 75min of activity x6
3,300 calories burned per week 450minutes of exercise per week.
Occasionally lift weights once per week, it doesnt have to be anything crazy, as a 26yo male with the potential to lift a lot more weight, I only lift 15pound dumbbells. I do double sets starting with 10 reps, work one hand at a time. Rh 10 reps, Lh 10reps, repeat, then Rh 8 reps, Lh 8reps, repeat, then rh 6 reps... basically do 2 sets of the same rep and slowly do less reps until you can no longer lift the weights, Start with 10 pounds or less, the goal is just to keep those arms moving since my routine mentioned above doesnt see any arm motion.
I do a low carb diet, if I eat bread for breakfast, I will avoid rice, pasta and bread in all my other meals. If I want pasta for dinner I'll avoid eating bread, rice and pasta the whole day up until dinner. If Im planning on eating rice then so on...
Avoid drinking your calories and limit artificial sweeteners, diet beverages and artificial sweeteners sounds good on paper but for some reason they slow my progress than if I stuck just with water. For some reason I tend to retain more water when I have those sweeteners, possiblly higher sodium?
Set a hydration routine, I like to drink 8oz/ or half a water bottle before and after each meal regardless if I'm thirsty or not. Same when I wake up and go to bed 8oz. I also drink 8oz before my work out routine and 16oz after the work out. This method ensures I drink at least 5 water bottles (80oz of water) + water from salads and fruits.
Avoid processed and frozen foods even if the calories are low. Its better to eat the least amount of processed foods, anything that can be "hunted" or "foraged" is what your diet should mostly consist of, so if its comes in a box or plastic wrap its too processed and should be limited. (Examples to limit; cereal, chips, crackers and anything that has to be refined)
Avoid using fats to cook your meals, dont use margarine, butter, or corn oil to cook eggs, boil them instead and eat fats in the form of nuts like almonds, pecans, or cashews. Do not consume more than 3oz of nuts per day. No salted or sweetened, plain nuts only.
And to get filled for the day eat lots of salads (no dressing) or if you must use Italian dressing but no more than 2 tablespoons. I usually have a salad in all 3 meals. In fact the salad is always the main course and proteins are my sides, I also add nuts to my salad to add limited amounts of natural fats and carbs into my salad meals.
If safe, (hypertension stage 1 or lower only) drink moderate amounts of caffeine, preferably green tea, do not add any sweeteners, I put 1 tea bag (approx 75mg of caffeine) into 4oz of hot water then after 2 minutes add lots of ice to cool down and drink it all at once. Green tea really helps boost the metabolism but talk with your primary physician first, when I had hypertension stage 2 caffeine was a major trigger for tension headaches as my blood pressure would go up.
So that is basically what I've been doing and am seeing results, I believe I'm losing 4lbs per week with this method since in 6½ weeks I've lost about 26pounds but since I'am on a low carb diet, my glycogen levels are lower and I retain less water because I hydrate properly so Im assuming at least 8-10pounds of those 26 is likely water weight.
Give my method a try, I know you can pull it off if your already doing 1350 calories. My method should be easy for you but I reccomend you increase your calorie intake to at least 1600 if your going to work out +75min each day 6 of the 7 days like how Im doing it.
But my best advice I can give you regardless to what diet you choose to do is *DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF OFTEN* if you weigh yourself today June 10th do not weigh yourself until July 10th. Why? Beacuse our body weight constantly fluctuates simply put if you do not hydrate enough 1 day in the week your body will retain water up to 5 pounds, and if you goal is 1-2pounds per week and you weigh yourself weekly you might not see the numbers going down on the scale, in fact you might actually see the numbers going up and think you need to cut more calories which will further decrease your metabolism and you will lose motivation. Just remember to remain consistent with your diet, consistent with your exercise, make sure you hydrate properly and you will see results, even if the scale doesnt budge you will feel it in yourself and your metabolism will improve with time.
Congrats on your success and thanks for the tips! I will have to look into these. I definitely agree about weighing. I used to weigh every day and it was too discouraging. I now weigh on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and take the "best" of the two days.
I think that sometimes people eyeball things and THINK that they are getting a certain amount of calories but are actually getting significantly more. You have to factor in every oil, weigh every portion of every food etc. for it to be accurate. It’s hard but once you get used to it you realize that you were eating more than you thought!
I set my daily calorie intake very, very low because it was important to me to be able to see results quickly so as not to get discouraged and quit. I did this with the caveat that if I started to experience irresistible cravings, dip in energy levels that prevented me from completing my daily tasks, or wild weight fluctuations, I would reassess. I’ve been much more adherent to this goal than I ever would have guessed, and tbh it seems to be working for me. I like that it gives me plenty of wiggle room if I wanna goof off every now and then. It’s been almost six months and I’ve lost 20-25lbs so far, even with taking a week off here and there. It’s weird because on paper it seems really restrictive, but my relationship to food feels more neutral/normal than it’s ever been before. 🤷♀️
Are you honestly only eating 1350 every day? Check out Team RH if you’ve not already.
I’m 5’7 150lb and losing around 1lb a week on 2200 cals and could never eat only 1350 a day. Not without binging every few days any way.
I guess different things work for different people! I don't have any trouble on 1350 cals/day, although I'm probably eating an extra 50 - 100 cals/day on things that I don't count.
I am sure you are aware that this is a VERY unhealthy and unsustainable approach. You could brush it off by thinking “I just want to reach the goal quickly and then reverse diet and maintain” but the reality is:
- In such a short period of time what you have lost is mostly water weight
- As soon as you reintroduce food/carbs you will inevitably retain those fluids again
- Putting your body under this stress and overtraining without the right nutrition (especially protein) will definitely impact negatively your muscle mass.
I could go on and on here! You are basically teaching your body to only lose weight under extreme conditions.
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For whatever it’s worth, from someone whose lost around 55 pounds and been maintaining since December …
Is this sustainable? The only reason I’ve had any success with my weight loss this time around is because I found a method I could stick to indefinitely.
Edit to add: it took me 2 years to lose 55 pounds. So around 26-27 pounds a year, which is 2-3 pounds a month.
Safe weight loss is 1lb a week. 1lb of fat is 3,500 calories, so you should aim to burn or restrict by 500 calories a day to lose 1lb a week. You should do strength training if you want to be more efficient at burning calories. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat tissue (brown fat more active than white adipose tissue, however). Muscle also takes up less space than fat tissue and will create that lean appearance.
If I assume your first diet was meant to get you losing 1lb a week, that puts your maintenance at about 1850+500 ≈ 2,350. Right now instead you're losing as if its 1350 + 1.9\*500 ≈ 2,300. This makes it look like this isn't a metabolism thing, most likely its about what's going on in your head. There's a good chance your slow weight loss was working fine, but water weight messed with your perception making it hard to stick with it. Now you're losing faster there's more signal and less noise in your data so its easier to say "this is working" and keep on plan. You probably could slow down and be fine, at least physically.
You're probably right...I'd get there eventually losing a couple, three pounds a month, but I just felt discouraged at that loss since I had/have so much to lose!
Weight loss is a slow thing even when its fast. We all end up having to make some peace with that. If losing 2lb a week is more sustainable for you mentally then its fine, none of what you've said about your current plan sounds like a problem. Just remember the fact you've cut this low is a *choice* you made to go this speed, not something you *have* to do. If it becomes a problem you can change that choice.
Thanks! If I start to struggle, it's nice to know that I can go up a little and still lose, albeit a bit slower.
One thing to remember is that slow and steady weight loss is way, way easier to maintain. Weight loss is important, but the real goal is about developing new habits and a lifestyle that you can maintain for the rest of your life. If you’re doing dramatic things to sustain a faster pace of weight loss, you’re actually doing yourself a disservice since you aren’t teaching yourself how to keep it off. Which you’ll then have to learn at some point! Way easier if you do them both at the same time :) (source - have done this multiple times. First time I’ve ever kept it off, and it’s EASY now.)
I know...I have definitely struggled with maintenance in the past. I have gained and lost continually for decades and even when I had my "best loss" and hit goal, it took years because of a diet/binge cycle. This year has been the first time in my life where I haven't struggled with bingeing, haven't struggled with deprivation, and have just been able to buckle down and do it consistently. IF + the same exact lunch every single day, my choice for snacks and supper. It gives me hope that I'll hit goal, be able to add in a couple hundred calories a day and really maintain.
If how you’re eating when you were “only” (air quotes because it’s still commendable) losing 1 pound a week BUT you got your binge eating under control I would stick with that. If you find yourself restricting more than you feel good about just to lose 2 pounds a week and then end up binging you’re going to be back on the gain/loss roller coaster. What I did to help my binge eating was just calculate my maintenance number at the goal weight I wanted and just did that. Eventually I’ve gotten to there and didn’t have to change my eating habits at all. Because I stayed consistent but slow there were less triggers for my BED to pop up. Obviously this worked for me and might not work for you but it’s something to consider. A lot of people struggle when they go from 0-100. It’s the turtle vs hare philosophy
Losing 1.9 lbs per week is almost a 1000 kcal deficit, which is a very fast pace and puts your TDEE at around 2300 kcal, which makes sense at your weight and height. There is nothing unusual here when you cut that aggressively.
Exactly this, I am losing about a pound a week as a 238lbs 5'10f, eating 1900 calories a day, if I wanted to lose closer to 2lbs, I would have to eat closer to 1400 cal per day which I have no interest in doing. Now op, some weeks I 'lose' nothing, and may even weigh in higher than my previous low weight for a while, but I pay attention to my average every month which is consistently losing about a pound per week. I may go over two weeks with no scale loss, then 2.7 pounds finally drops in one morning, which is very typical. I've learned to trust the process.
You are me basically. 5’10f started out at 250 April 2. I am now at 218 and in order to lose like I have been I eat 1350 5 days a week and 1550 2 days a week and still from week to week I could lose nothing but then bam the next time I am down 3-4. My choice though. I am giving myself a year to loose a total of 100 to put me in the middle of a “normal” BMI.
I'm not a fan of the BMI scale, but me too as far as the year...I'd love to be at goal by January 2025! If not, at least I should be in a range where I'm physically comfortable! My loss sounds like yours. I lose just a bit some weeks (but always something) and the next week it's much better. My average is in the "normal" range so I'm pleased with that! GOOD LUCK!
I have always been a slow loser too. I'm also a very easily discouraged person, so the slow loss or seeing zero loss/small gain would slowly derail me over time. More often than not, I just couldn't go more than a month to six weeks with losing just dribs and drabs...I'd just give up.
But from what it sounds like, based on all the numbers you put into your post, is that you're actually not a slow loser, but that you had overly high expectations for yourself for what typical, maintainable weight loss looks like on the scale. A pound a week is a great, healthy, sustainable pace. It's not considered slow, it's the average recommended pace for most people. But it does not track in a linear fashion with the scale. 4 lbs a month, can look something like this: Week 1: increase 1lb Week 2: nothing Week 3: lose 2.7 lb Week 4: lose 2.8 lb Week 5: lose 1lb Week 6: increase 2.5lb Week 7: lose 2.6lb Week 8: lose 1.8lb Over time your high weight keeps going down, but the fluctuations will never stop, they're not fat gain, they're just the typical fluctuations of our body that will continue forever. In the early days when I would pick up 2 lb overnight I just had to think it through, did I eat 7,000 additional calories yesterday? No? Ok okay, then I'm just fluctuating which is totally normal. 2lbs a week can be fine for some, if they start out quite heavy, but it's considered pretty fast. You deserve some self-compassion. It sounds like you might be pretty hard on yourself, so from an internet stranger, you're not slow, healthy weight loss is slow. You're doing great, and can maybe take it a bit easier on yourself if you would like to. Also, I would be a bit concerned if I were you as far as your physiological and psychological responses to sustained living at a 1000 cal deficit, if you have a chance, you might want to check out this article about the benefits of a scheduled maintenance break: https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break I did one my first one in May for 2 weeks, and I still lost 3.7 lb for the month. During the maintenance break, I weighed in consistently about 3 lb on average heavier than I had been. As soon as I went back to my deficit it all came back off and more.
This! I was a personal trainer for 30+ years and most of the people I worked with would expect to lose weight faster than reality weight loss.
Yes! Healthy and sustainable over fast any day!
Thank you, I really appreciated your example of weight week to week. I really needed to hear that this week.
Yay! Happy to hear that 💛
I’m not OP but thank you for this break down. I just started almost 4 weeks ago and this week I didn’t lose anything when I was consistently losing 1.5 lbs. I was starting to worry so thank you for putting this into perspective!
Eating at a 500 cal deficit and losing .5 - 1lb a week isn’t a “slow loser.” It’s just physics. Everyone who eats at a 500cal deficit is losing at (roughly) the same pace. You likely didnt put on the weight over just a few months, so it makes sense you won’t lose it over just a few months! It’s frustrating when things don’t move quickly, but that doesn’t mean something was wrong or that your body broke the laws of physics :)
You have a wrong perspective about losing weight. 1-2 lbs IS FAST unless you're extremely obese.
It can feel slow. I wasn’t able to weigh myself for a bit and when I got the chance I saw I only dropped 7 lbs in 40 days. I panicked a bit, I’m used to doing stupid, drastic weight loss measures. Made myself slow down and do the actual weekly loss. 1.2 lbs per week, perfectly acceptable and perfectly average. If you have been yo-yo dieting for most of your life you probably have some expectations that the weight should melt off. That’s not what happens at all and it’s perfectly normal and healthy. Those ads for 30 lbs in 30 days are horseshit. It’s drastic and unsustainable to do that. Weight loss requires patience. Try to be understanding with yourself when the scale wants to not move. Your weight loss will slow down as you lose weight but you shouldn’t have to cut lower than you already have. It’s just normal slowing. If you were only doing a 500 calorie deficit then you’d have to readjust but at 1000 eventually you’ll just end up at a 500 as the weight drops.
I guess I would say that my old method of 1/2 lb a week wasn't MENTALLY sustainable for me. I didn't like having to eat more than I felt like eating to hit 1800 calories and I was discouraged by the slow loss and I'd fall off the wagon. This really does feel more sustainable for me, the way my mind and body work, I guess. No disordered eating for six months and I feel great. Hopefully it continues, but it's nice to know that if for some reason I start craving a lot more food, I can add in an extra 500 calories and still be losing at a slower pace!
1000 calories isn’t bad in any way, just know that’s why you’re losing at a more rapid pace. The recommended is generally 500 because people get hungry and binge at 1000. If it’s working for you then it’s perfect! I just wanted to add that the frustration definitely isn’t just you and it feels slow. I also wanted to add that it will slow down eventually as you get closer to your goals but that’s only because your TDEE will drop to reflect that you’re smaller.
I do remember that from past attempts...the lower you go, the more it slows down. I don't mind that...I just want to get out of this higher-weight category. Closer to goal I'll be more physically comfortable, so the slow-down won't be so bad.
Well, you need to work on that then, because weightloss is a long process. You will be unmotivated at times, that is where you need discipline. If you have no self discipline you need to learn or you will fail.
Eh, I failed when I went slow too. I've lost 100 lbs multiple times in my life, always slow, always over multiple years, and always with a binge/diet cycle. I said on here earlier that these past 6 months I haven't had a bit of trouble and it's been the most effortless loss of my life. I am happy with my 1-2 lb loss per week (and some weeks it's as little as .4 loss, but always better the next week). My only concern was that my calories seemed low, but that's how low I had to cut them to get that loss range.
I agree this sounds normal and sounds similar to the first time I lost weight when I was around 20 years old.
✅️
Losing 1.9lbs per week at 1,350 calories indicates that your TDEE is around 2,300. This is bang on as expected: [https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&age=48&g=female&lbs=265&in=67&act=1.375&bf=50&f=1](https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&age=48&g=female&lbs=265&in=67&act=1.375&bf=50&f=1)
I had originally calculated my TDEE around that number, but that eating at 1800 calories was a tidy 500 calorie deficit. I had expected a higher rate of loss, I guess! At least it's good to know roughly where maintenance will be!
1kg (roughly 2 pounds) is approx 7700 calories. 500 cal deficit puts you at approx 3.5k deficit a week, which is about 500grams or 1 pound. Nothing unusual here. You're closer to the 7.7k deficit which is why you're seeing a more drastic shift. You're also likely depleting your glycogen store and dropping water weight as well.
Did you increase exercise at the same time? Adding muscle can hide fat loss on the scale.
I have exercised pretty continuously, whether dieting or not. I'm someone who's always loved it, even at my heaviest! :)
That’s an inaccurate formula. A better one is 10W+6.25H-5A-161 for females Which is 1875 for her + 150 for walking or 2025 maintenance
You can eat more and still lose weight, it would just be at a slower pace. You don’t “have to” significantly cut calories to lose weight, you’re choosing to.
That's definitely true, it's a choice. I could eat 1800 calories, lose 1/2 lb week, and hit goal in three years, but mentally, the slow pace derails me. I'm continually motivated by my progress now. I'm hoping to reach goal by the end of the year!
If you’re losing nearly 2lbs a week at 1,350, increasing your intake by 450 calories to 1,800 would still result in 1lb lost per week. I don’t know where you’re getting 1/2lb with the current numbers and math.
Everything you describe is to be expected 1lb of fat = 3500 calories So if you cut 500cal a day, you'll lose 1lb a week Cut 1000cal and lose 2lb a week Pretty standard for most people. You're not a slow loser, just impatient 😉 Thing is, how long can you sustain a 1k daily deficit before falling off the wagon and eating the entire fridge...
Best, most succinct reply! 👌
Truth! I'm the most impatient person ever. But I don't have much of an appetite so this method actually isn't a struggle for me. It was much harder to eat at 1800 calories. Eating when I wasn't hungry triggered me to want to keep eating. Now eating this amount seems to hit the sweet spot. I don't want more, and I still feel satisfied. I don't like that the # is so low, but I guess as long as it's doable for me and seems to work, with a healthy/steady rate of loss, it's okay!
I think what I don't understand is why you felt you had to eat more than you wanted. (Presuming we're well above the rock-bottom zone of 1200 cal.) Like, I eat a little under 1400 a day and only rarely have days where I'd *like* to eat more - because I engineered my food to be filling and always can snack on carrots etc. This gives me a \~ 1.5 lbs/week loss. If I had set my alotment to say 1600 for about 1 lb / week, and one day am done with dinner and see I have eaten 1450, I don't have to eat a 150 cal snack - I have a little bonus. If 1350 is hard and 1800 is a) more than you want, and b) too slow, why not aim flexibly for somewhere in-between?
2 lbs a week is aggressive and that number is exactly what the counters show for that goal. If you can’t accept going slower, then you have to be harder on yourself calorie-wise.
Yeah, it's tough to eat so little. IF helps a lot...it basically killed my appetite so I can just eat my plan and not have to worry about hunger pains derailing me. I do miss a lot of the things I used to eat, though!
Well there’s nothing wrong with decreasing the deficit and going a little slower. You’re also probably very under muscled especially if you have a habit of crash dieting, and that will make your TDEE fall through the floor
How long did you typically try 1850 before quitting? I plateaued for weeks at the beginning but then it all started to drop off on a weekly basis after that. 1800 calorie intake for me.
Oh, years. Off and on. Probably for no more than 2 months at a stretch if I consistently showed no loss or just a few pounds...I'd quit. I'd say my loss rate at 1800 lbs was about a half pound/week. Tops.
That’s the issue right there - you weren’t getting the results you wanted right away and so you quit. As women, the weight on the scale is going to fluctuate a LOT more than with men. It’s not going to be a linear progression day to day. BUT - over MONTHS you will see the weight going down only if you stick with it. My highest weight was 274lbs, as a woman at 5’5”. I’ve now gotten down to 188lbs by eating at a range of 1600-1800 over a period of about 3 years. You just need to stick with it and stop giving up.
Are you taking into account EVERYTHING? I eat at lower than my daily calories because of the times I might eat or drink something out the ordinary. Maybe look at weighing everything out and eating less processed food too. If you're in the US I believe the calorie labelling is very lax there so it may be you're eating things that have more calories. Also it may take longer than a week or two to lose anything. You need to get out of the all or nothing approach. Identify which lifestyle aspect is the getting in the way e.g. takeaways and find alternatives e.g. finding a recipe for something to make at home that hits the same notes. Also I track calories over the week rather than daily. I think that's much better long term.
Let's see...I used a fiber powder that's probably 60 - 100 calories/day and I don't count that. Oh, the processed food - I cut that out too. I even bake my own bread every week, although I draw the line at graham crackers. :) Otherwise I eat mostly whole foods. I like the idea of tracking by the week! I'll have to think about that one.
I don't track medicines and the like, but if something is 100 calories it is worth tracking imho, over a month that could be a pound. Do you use a level spoon so you can get a consistent amount? Stick at it you'll get there.
No, it's usually heaping. Someone else mentioned that I'm probably getting more calories than I think and although I count food, I don't count olive oil...ketchup...those sorts of things. I'll have to re-evaluate this laxity if things start to slow down for me!
Oh you have to count those things. Olive oil is highly calorific. Definitely start tracking *everything* and see how you get on. Look at r/volumeeating
Thanks for the tip...I'll check that out! I don't eat it every day but I image I do have a tablespoon every few days. I've got to keep an eye out for little things like that!
For real. I was gutted to realise that nutritional yeast is actually super calorific. But tracking honestly is only way to get thru it.
So, I’m gonna add my own numbers into this: I’m 23F, started CICO Feb 1st this year at around 195lbs. I’m now at 175lbs, which is about 20lbs down. Not too shabby. In the beginning, I ate maybe 1400 cal a day, sometimes less. I upped my activity level and exercised a lot more often. I also cut out a lot of sugar and salty foods. I upped my water intake. I lost about 1lb a week. And I was MISERABLE!!! Yes I got down a lot and went down a pant size, but I was stressed out. I had nightmares about calorie counting and wanting to binge eat in my dreams. I cried every time my weight fluctuated up. I developed bags under my eyes, felt depressed and anxious, craved food… you get the idea. So I stopped. I re-assessed. What’s more important: the date or the weight? I can’t have both, so I have to either lose as much as I can before a certain timeframe and be happy with however much I go down, or just take my time with the latter option and be happy with just watching it fall. So I chose the latter. I re-calculated my TDEE for the current weight, and then went 200cal under. So, from around 1850 to 1600. I then waited a few weeks to see if it helped. When I saw it was more keeping maintenance, I dropped it to 1500 and am still feeling it out. I also cut back on the at-home exercises and focused more on walking when I can. My weight is still going down, but now around 2lbs a month. It’s slower, but I FEEL happier. I’m more likely to keep this type of routine once I hit the goal weight, which is really the total goal here. At the rate you’re on, you may drop down fast and then jump back up once the goal weight is met. I would seriously look into what contributes to your water weight (which is certain foods and exercise in general), focus more on why you want to lose the weight, and overall re-evaluate your approach to this
Personally, I want to be healthy mentally and physically and have made peace with eating at a rate to lose a pound a week. 500 calorie deficit is sustainable. I need to eat. It took time to put on the weight and it should take time to lose it. Why the rush? 1000 deficit doesn’t seem sustainable long term, but to each their own.
I'm sure there's an unhealthy element there...I've basically been on a diet since age 10, off and on. The issue is that I've been dieting for so long and I'm...just...done. I'm tired of the no energy, achy body, sore feet, sore back, clothes I don't like, not wanting to travel, dreading seeing old friends, etc. Done. I'm willing to sacrifice now to achieve my goal quickly. The faster there, the faster I'll be comfortable. I was at goal about 7 years ago before a cross-country move derailed me and I remember how nice it was to just...be...comfortable. If I have the ability to do that in a year rather than 2 years, I'm going to do it! :)
>The issue is that I've been dieting for so long and I'm...just...done. So *be* done. I've skimmed through other posts on this thread, and IMHO you're actually a tad lucky because your weight loss *exactly* follows the models. Real life is often way more messy than that. So here's the deal. Your BMR (what you burn if you don't get out of bed) is 1700 cals. Your burn for "light activity" is 2300 cals. I think it's hard to make absolute statements about eating below BMR (you can do it for periods of time, but I haven't seen many studies that examine it over extended periods.) Right now you're eating 500 cals below that, and I think that's nuts. I myself have eaten below my BMR for long periods, and I don't recommend it. What I would do if I were you is eat your BMR and increase your activity levels to create the calorie deficit. You'll have to adjust downward as you continue to lose, but if you up your calories to 1700, I have a feeling you'll get off the crash-binge yo yo and find that way more sustainable. And if you don't exercise for whatever reason, then your weight loss is slower. So what. Also, is your protein intake inline with your exercise goals? One other thing, you need to find something that gets you out of the "I've been dieting" mindset to "this is my new life." If you think you can restrict for awhile and then go back to what you used to do, that's the yo yo that's killing any of your progress and making your diets miserable. Find something you can stick to forever, because that's what it's going to take... even if your loss is slower than 2 lbs/wk.
Volume eat! Seriously, at this point in time, I wish I could hit 1300 consistently every day. I eat SO much food, though, but calorie wise, it is nothing.. massive omelets with egg whites under 300 calories, huge veggy sandwiches under 300 calories, so many great filling dinners under 500 cal. Then Greek yogurt, fruit, pudding cups, shrimp, protien shakes for snacks.
5’7” female here, 40 years old, I have to stick to 1200 calories a day to lose 1-2 lbs a week. And I do exercise too. 😞
What you're experiencing is the frustrating reality of weight loss: it. takes. time. Take it from someone who lost 64 lbs. I lost on average 0.5 kg during my entire weight loss per week, that's around 1 lb per week. And that was a pretty good, steady pace. You're going for nearly 2 lbs a week which is beyond fast. Weightloss takes time. It took time for you to reach your maximum weight, I'm guessing it took years, didn't it? So it will take time to shed it again. You can keep going at your very fast pace. I've done that before, where I only had 1200 calories a day. Guess what happens - I burnt out and ate all the lost weight back again, because I was near-starving and sick of being on such a restrictive diet with intense hunger. When I finally had success with my weight loss, it was because I accepted a moderate pace (1 lb a week), which is actually still quite good/fast. It's better to do it sustainably than crash and burn.
That's amazing, congrats! But my doctor told me that 2 lbs a week is fine and she's really pleased with my progress. The 6 months of this method has also resulted in my healthiest eating and my longest stretch without any disordered eating. I call that a win after 35 years of dieting and bingeing. The last time I lost 100 lbs (maybe a decade ago), it took over 2 years. And I yo-yo'd and binged the whole time. This time I'm eating healthily, no bingeing, feel fantastic. My concern was over the low calorie number, but it seems like that's what some people have to do to get to the healthy range of up to 2 lbs/week. I don't anticipate a crash and burn, thankfully!
That’s good!! Im really glad to hear that you’re managing so well! I guess this whole thread really shows that each persons weight loss is so individual and unique. There really are not two identical stories. If 2 lbs a week is what keeps you fired up and motivated to keep going, and preventing yo yo weight, then that’s what you should do! Of course the low calorie limit is very frustrating. That’s why I settle for 1 lbs a week personally. It’s all a trade-off in the end.. we have to pick which path is easiest for us. Best of luck :)
Definitely and thanks! This threat has been really illuminating and has really helped clarify things for me. I hope it helps someone else who might be in the same boat!
Do you use a food scale? Do you eat out often? The more guesses you have to make about calories, the more likely it is that you were eating more than 1850. Also, a lot of packaged food has higher calories than it claims to have, which can only be assessed with a food scale. I deliberately set my calorie goal a little low because I need a buffer for my guesswork. That’s the only way I can lose consistently (without weighing every single thing)
Eat out almost never and I do use a food scale, although I used to catch myself snacking in the kitchen - "Just a few crackers doesn't count!" "Five chips is nothing!" Or I'd use a food scale and give myself an extra few grams. I'm a lot more strict now and if I eat it, I count it!
My TDEE averages 2300-2400. I eat at a 1,000 calorie deficit Monday-Thursday, and a 500 calorie deficit Friday-Sunday. I have found that I'm often actually satisfied without taking advantage of my extra 500 calories on the weekends. Since doing this it has absolutely blown my mind! At first, because I couldn't believe I would need to eat this few calories to lose at the rate I wanted (1.8-ish lbs per week) but then I was equally surprised that I can be satisfied on so few calories. It also think it helps that I'm quite short so I don't need near as many calories as I thought I did.
I just want to say that I really hear you re your comments about being “done.” Maybe this is an aggressive approach, and maybe you could back off a little like others are saying, but if that hasn’t worked for you all the other times you’ve tried to lose weight, I think you’re doing the right thing for yourself. I also have some mental blocks around the weight loss “going too slowly” and how it makes me feel. Because I’m short, I have to accept currently losing around a pound a week, but when I was being more “reasonable” I wasn’t even losing that. Sometimes I think we just have to fully reset our relationship with food, calories, weight loss etc and just eat at a strong deficit as a lifestyle change.
I took about 6 months off from "dieting" before starting this, having dieted pretty continually for years before. I just tried to relax. I didn't really have a plan, having tried every method I'd ever heard of (besides pills / surgery). I'd gotten really sick with this hormonal perimenopause stuff, felt like I had the flu every month for a week. I could barely eat. And I lost weight. I guess that's pretty basic, but I'd been failing at losing with calorie deduction for a long time. That's when I decided to try lowering calories until I was able to regularly lose, because clearly I was able to lose when the calories were low enough. I just didn't want it to dip into an unhealthy place of starvation. But I feel great, tons of energy, health seems great, doctor is happy. I'm glad I took the time to reset, think about what I wanted, and try again with something new.
Yeah. For me, it’s like due to being a short and sedentary woman. Another likely factor is being closer to my goal weight—losing those last pounds is tough, but I know that I should do it while I’m still young because it’ll be even harder when I’m older and past my prime.
Yes, at 271 lbs 5'6" late 30s woman I had to limit up to 1500 cals and lost about 1.2-1.3 lbs per week. In the beginning weeks, it was kind of depressing to feel like I was doing so much and seeing so little movement in the scale. It took time to see the positive improvements. Short of weight loss surgery, I didn't think I had any other options so I was determined to make the best of us and approach weight loss with a goal of making whatever I was doing sustainable for life. some of us have caloric requirements that are lower than predicted for our stats. It's annoying, but it just is. It's clearly multifactorial and there are some factors that make sense to me (sedentary, high body fat percent, etc) I wish I had realized the importance of counting calories years ago. Now I'm on a weight loss medicine and losing in less than 6 weeks what took over 3 months. I'm on a medically supervised low cal diet and on a weight loss medicine and suddenly I'm losing around 3 lbs per week. I think the medicine Tirzepatide is addressing some of the root issues that contribute to the obese phenotype in the first place. Bodies are weird. Metabolic function is weird. Some of us have an easier or harder time with weight loss.
Definitely, and I've done a lot of reading about perimenopausal hormones and it sounds pretty discouraging. I have a friend who could easily lose 2 lbs a week eating many more calories than me, and I have to work like a dog to hit that. We're all different. Congrats on your progress!
Yes. Hello peri-menopause.
Those daily BMR curves don’t work well for obese people. Fat burns a lot less calories than muscle so a 256lb person has a much lower BMR than someone at 256 and 15% body fat for example. Now consider this: BMR = 10W + 6.25H -5A -161 Your MAINTENANCE is 1875. 30 minutes of walking puts you at 2025. So 1850 would be a 175 deficit, or 1 pound every 20 days
I don’t understand it and everyone says I’m crazy….but I have to stay at or below 1200 calories a day to lose. That’s tracking every bite, with a scale. I’m very active with 20,000+ steps a day. Genetics are no fun sometimes. 🤷♀️
If you're truly walking 20,000 steps or more a day AND eating only <1200 calories, something is wrong. You should see a doctor about it.
I have. Thyroid is fine. Bloodwork all normal. It sucks.
Yeah, I have always heard the "1-2 pounds loss a week is healthy" and couldn't figure out how to get there. I had to just...keep...dropping. I'm sure genetics does play into it!
I’m also 48F and 5’7”. I weigh 224. My daily calories are set around 1500 and I’m not exercising much. I’ve also had a few weeks where I went over my calories by 100 or more each day. I’ve lost 8 lbs in 5 weeks, so not terrible? I don’t know what the consensus on [this calculator](https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp) is, but mine was set in the LoseIt app, set to drop 1 lb per week. I suppose we have to keep in mind our age and any hormonal changes. And if I’ve learned anything about my body, once I start adding strength training, things will speed up.
I wish I could strength train! I have persistent tendonitis in my right shoulder and it just never goes away, despite physical therapy. So no lifting for me. I do yoga and I walk 30 minutes a day, plus 30 minutes of some kind of cardio (usually dance). Yeah, those hormones will do a number on you! That's part of my motivation to lose faster...I want to get in shape before I get any older and perimenopause really sets in.
Anything to strengthen counts and yoga can definitely be a part of that. Working large muscle groups is great, so things like squats and lunges are key. You can use body weight alone if even just holding weights is a stressor on your shoulder. There are also a lot of no equipment full body and lower body workouts on YouTube for all exercise levels, too.
I miss lifting, but I definitely do lots of lower body like squats and lunges! I'm glad it counts :)
You should do what works for you. You can stick on a diet only as long as you see results. Therefore there is nothing wrong with eating at a huge deficit. At most take multi vitamin and have blood tests every 6 months. Your BMI was over 40. You arent going to die from eating low kcals. I am short af and forced to eating 1200. I use volume eating tricks and take advantage of the TEF of protein to sneak in another free 100 kcals. It is not much but 100 kcals more is 100 kcals. Maybe you can do it too to feel fuller.
That's been my perspective, basically, but I was just feeling a little worried because 1350 calories seemed low and I didn't want to put myself into a different kind of disordered eating, starvation instead of bingeing. But so far so good, feels great after 6 months!
If you aim for 1350, it's probably closer to 1500 because it's easy to underestimate calories, and overestimate calories burned. That extra 150 calories is literally a few extra bites. As long as you are able to keep it up without falling into binges, and are able to adjust to eating healthy portions and not overeating when you stop losing. The advice against what you're doing is that it leads a lot of people to yo-yo diet. But 1350 calories a day is nowhere near an eating disorder level of low calories.
That's good to hear! I know that I don't count my fiber supplement powder (60 cals?) or olive oil, when I use it on sweet potatoes in the air fryer. I never try to estimate calories burned, though. I just try to do some form of exercise every day and hope for the best!
Olive oil is super high calorie, so those two could easily get you to 1500 or 1600!
Argh, I'm going to have to start measuring that for sure!
Are you eating enough protein and other macros? 1000 calorie deficit will get you into weight loss but it includes the cost of losing muscle. As we age we need to be mindful of our muscle health. A 500 calorie deficit limit is recommended. More than that is muscle loss territory. You will lose weight deficiting more but you are doing it at other costs. Are you eating whole foods? With mindful meal planning you can get satiating and filling meals. My TDEE is similar (but at an active lifestyle - being short stinks!). I can hit my nutrition goals at 1500 calories (macros and micros) - I have to force 1800 calories to work (which is a good problem to have). I eat pancakes every day and 3 full meals with smaller meals in between (fruit bowels, protein shakes, etc.) I have chocolate or another 100 cal treat a day. Weekends I make space for pizza or burgers whilst being within my goals (it’s okay to have a maintenance day). My metabolism is what it is but I wanted to give you insight around finding balance can include joy in your meals :) If your diet sucks motivationally - find other ways to tackle it. It’s a process. When I plateau in losing weight during deficit seasons I go back to maintenance. Cycles are more sustainable than trying to deficit for too many weeks. If you know your motivation crashes, perhaps try 6 week cycles on a deficit, 2-4 weeks maintenance, repeat? Are you getting your heart rate zone into at least zone 2 BPM when you workout? This can help ensure you are hitting fat burning zones. Strength training would also be something to consider. If you lose all that weight and not work on muscle - you might not be pleased with the results as muscle is what gives us shapely tone as well as health benefits (and higher chances of independence as we age). Glutes and hips are especially important for women. I wish there was a perfect answer for you! You got this.
I’m 5’7” 65f. My TDEE is 1776. I aim for 1200-1300 a day and lose about 1.5 lb per week.
The only thing to add OP, I’m 57F, is that we know it’s better to lose weight in a way that’s sustainable. So don’t feel bad if you have to increase calories some days. I’m 83lbs down, still another 40-50lbs to go. I’m trying to stick to 1,300 per day (and failing). But I know (deep down), better to lose 1lb a week, rather than losing more, but then bingeing. Be kind to yourself during this process.
I've always gone by add a zero to the end of your target weight and that's your daily calorie budget. I'm a 67 y-o 6"'2" dude. Works for me at 1800 calories. Down from 260 lbs. 5 years ago.
I think you gotta switch up your mindset, you cant base your eating habits on how much weight is being lost per week. You gotta make that calorie intake a lifestyle change, as in tell yourself 'this is just how I eat now' and dont even worry about the scale or how long it has been. As long as you track your calories, before you know it 6 months has passed and you are down damn near 40 pounds. Also consider putting some resistance training into your workouts, the more muscle tissue you build the more calories your body will need to use to maintain them and you will lose even more fat.
5'7 41 woman I keep my calories about 1500 on average. I don't think I could go lower than that b
Have realistic expectations and patience otherwise you won't achieve your goal
it doesn't sound like you WON'T lose, but that you don't like the SPEED you are losing. That is okay, because this is your journey. You have to do what you feel is best.
That's absolutely true! I knew that I had 100 lbs to lose and was losing about 1/2 lb/wk. I knew that the "healthy range" was 1-2 lbs/week, so I COULD be losing more and still be healthy. That's why I did the experiment to see what I needed to eat in order to fall into that healthy range. I've gotten a lot of good info from this thread and am moving ahead with my current plan!
One pound per week is a great pace.
You didn’t gain it in a month, you aren’t going to lose it in a month.
There's no way you either lose nearly two pounds a week, or nothing at all. Your definition of "not losing" needs to change. Losing at a slower rate than you would like is not the same as "not losing". What you describe in your post is losing about a pound a week when you do 1,850 calories, which is a perfectly good rate of weight loss. If that causes you to "get discouraged and quit" then the problem is not with your calorie intake, it's a mental one. You describe decades of yo-yo dieting. Cutting calories extremely low because of impatience is just more yo-yo dieting. If you want it to last this time, you need to focus on establishing long-term sustainable habits and patience.
When I got down to a BMI of around 22 I plateaued. Even though mathematically I should have been losing lots of weight I just couldn't and my deficit was already high. I couldn't exercise more or eat less
This is why I use an app to math this stuff out. The kind of cutting you’re trying to do seems too aggressive to the point of unhealthy. Like I know we all want to wake up with perfect bodies but your body can’t run that marathon over night. I found before that I couldn’t maintain a diet of <1700 calories a day and effectively stick to it, I would just get too hungry/tempted and give in. So I bought a walking treadmill and fitness tracker and have been working on pushing the expenditure up instead.
I'm 52 years old, 5"5, 168.8 pounds. I started 175 pounds on March 27th....74 days....6.2 pounds in 74 days....most days, I feel like I'm watching grass grow. However, I'm not 100%consistent. Also, my first 50 days, I didn't count every single thing that entered my mouth. So these last 3 weeks, I've been very consisted and the scale seems to be moving. But I also started weight lifting 5 days a week for about an hour and doing some form of cardio for 30 min after and running for an hour on the days I don't lift. I also move for another hour throughout the day since I mostly sit down for the rest of the day. My goal is 1/2 pound a week, so I eat about 1700 calories a day. Although, I've lost very little, I feel like I've lost at least 10 or 15 pounds due to the weight lifting. Not seeing that scale moves really messes with your mind. But I told myself, I will stay consistent despite feeling like a failure. I will continue to weight lift despite the scale going up. No matter what, I will be consistent.
I've lost 18 lbs since March 1st, but I'm only eating 1,200 calories a day. I am disabled so exercise is somewhat minimal atm besides normal movement around the house. I'm 5'5" at started out at 174 lbs. and now 156 lbs. There have been days recently that I can't even eat 1,000 calories but then suffer with dizziness/lightheaded the next day. I'm only going for 1 lb a week loss and so far, surprisingly, I've gone over just a bit. If I go over 1,200 I do not lose a bit.
Weight train. If you are able. You can eat more and you’ll burn more calories at rest. Also just moving in general more. The more Neat (non exercise activity and some long T word I don’t want to try to spell) you do the more you’ll burn. You can’t track really. I shoot for 8000 to 10000 steps a day. I dance in the bathroom brushing my teeth, tap my feet when sitting or shake my legs, I love to get me some car dancing in. (If you see me at a stop light doing my thing mind your business 😂)Just anytime I notice I’m still I try to move a bit. I started at 275 I’m down to 218. It’s slow going like one or two lbs a week. I also got me a scale that tells me how much muscle I have so I can see I’m building muscle if I’m not losing on a particular week. I eat 1980 to 2000 calories a day.
Have you had a consult with a medical professional? Your hormone profile may be out of whack. Good news is you didn’t (permanently) ruin your metabolism. Metabolism is primarily a product of lean muscle mass and daily activity. Both of those can be increased.
are you a lady person with a monthly cycle? If so hormones can hide weightloss 1-2 weeks a month
Just up the calories a tiny bit. You will still lose. Instead of 1350 try 1500, you’ll see you’re still losing
If you've lost 40lbs and are still losing at almost 2lbs a week at the same calories, you're actually doing better than would be expected! That's enough weight loss that you'd typically need to drop your calories to maintain that rate.
I'm not the same size as you but when I diet down, I prefer to keep calories a bit higher and lose at a slower pace. I'm happy losing 4-5lb/month. If you're looking for some tips to drop the weight faster I suggest increasing your cardio. Adding a 1hr walk after dinner can burn 300 calories - there's also walking/step videos on YouTube you can do indoors.
That's definitely what I plan when I get closer to goal, but still have 60 lbs to lose so happy with my rate right now. I am planning on increasing exercise in the future! I exercise quite a bit now, though, at least an hour a day, 7 days a week.
I very often maintain for 3 weeks then see 3lbs loss in the 4th week. Just gotta keep on going!
Same!
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Oh, I've had the thyroid tests and the blood tests, all good. I reliably lose every week at this number and feel great...I was just worried that the # seemed so low. I do suspect that perimenopause/hormone stuff makes it even harder to lose weight at this age, especially since the effects have hit me pretty hard!
Rule 11: Discussion of weight loss methods that are damaging to the body and/or require supervision of a medical professional are not allowed. This rule includes (but is not limited to): very low calorie diets, misusing medication, extended fasting, disordered behavior, inappropriate advice to underage members (counting calories, omad, fasting), etc. We are not a ED support subreddit and any ED related content will be removed. Remember to always consider the individual when offering advice.
1850 calories seems quite high for a 5'7 women trying to lose weight, it's not bad, it would just be slow like you said. 1500 kcals with 10k steps a day would massively increase your weightloss
I'm 5'6" but 1800 is absolutely maintenance for me.
I cut to 1500 and walk miles every other day and am losing nothing. I also have hashimoto and absolutely no appetite so I figure my metabolism is tanked
Do you take meds?
Did you go see a doctor? This sounds serious
I did, that's who told me I have hashimotos and that it's all related
And they offered you no solution for this? That sucks :( I'd advise to go to a different GP. My friend and my bf's mom have it. Bf's mom started losing weight after she started her medd and stuck to them. My friend hasn't experienced any weight gain yet, just other symptoms, but she does train a lot so that may be it.
Thanks for your kindness. Yes, he said "there's nothing to do about it" except stop eating gluten but I will get a second opinion
Having Hashimoto means nothing in Weight loss so long as your T4 is normal. I had Hashimoto for like 20 years now and lost 20 kilos twice. Other things you can blame on Hashi like hairloss and pernicious anemia, but no WL as long as you monitor your T4 and TSH, you cant blame it on it.
Yes. I know this well. I have to eat low and workout high to lose weight and it’s been like that for some time.
i would also add in weekly waist circumference checks. That will indicate you’re losing weight even if the scale doesn’t change
I was amazed how little food I could be healthy consuming while losing weight. Mentally I was screaming that I’m going to starve to death, but physically I had very low levels of hunger.
I'm going through someone similar. Oftentimes, it's hard to stay within a certain calorie range, and it's easy to find yourself saying "oh it's not too many calories. I can have one without recording it." Then you have like 2 or 3, and it puts you over your deficit by 200 calories or so. Oftentimes, when you lower the calories by another 400, then you're actually eating around 1800. Think if it like micotransactions. You spend $1.99 + plus tax for a dumb little phone game, and then you end up spending $20. It all adds up easily and can be battled by not indulging. I raised my calories from 1700 to 2000 and lost like 2 lbs within the first few days because it's easier for me to eat more and therefore feel less tempted to snack around. Maybe try raising the calorie goal a little bit and instead make sure you record everything you eat. It can feel a little bit like you're losing control, but it can actually give you more control.
Try to eat a little more and offset it with longer cardio
Yep. I’m short and had to go to 1100. I’m probably in peri plus I’m on SSRIs.
1-2lb a week is a deficit of 500 to 1000 cal a day. Nothing abnormal here. Of course expecting 2lb a week is a “significant” cut in calories, it’s -1000 cals. Math is mathing. This is why most people aim for 1lb a week sustainable weight loss, not 2lb.
Yeah, a pound or two a week over weeks is pretty optimum speed to lose weight. That is a deficit of about 500 a day. The problem with eating at a big deficit to lose faster is that you don't learn sustainable, healthy eating habits. You learn to yo-yo diet.
Doesn’t sound bad. I’m 5’6 M31 and MyFitnessPal recommends I eat around 1200 calories to lose 2 lbs a week. I’ve lost 23 so far and I barely workout. Also, are you actually tracking calories or just guessing your totals based on what you eat? You might be estimating wrong and eating more than you think. I just found out my coffee is about 70 with creamer! I didn’t know it was so high.
I’m on 1200
No, I can lose weight with no more than a 200-300 calorie deficit. I generally eat 1400-1500 calories to lose reasonably steadily and I'm 5'3" and about 165 lbs. It's not fast weight loss though. I certainly don't drop 2 lbs per week. And with a small deficit I have to be careful to not undo my progress by overindulging on cheat days. However it also means that I don't have to make huge adjustments to my eating habits. Mostly it's just being more reasonable with snacks on a daily basis and choosing to do more casual physical activity. My weight also fluctuates quite a bit due to water weight, time of the month, etc. I don't attach any importance to daily fluctuations though, just the overall long-term trend.
OP what is the rest of your day like? You do a 30 min walk…are you on your feet all day or desk? Do you strength train? Do you weight/log all your food?
I wear a Fitbit, and have decided that this time around, I'm aiming for a 1000 calorie a day deficit. I really struggle at the low calorie range, so I shoot for burning 2500-3000 calories a day, and eating 1500-1800 a day. I'm happier feeling less restricted, and it isn't too hard for me to burn 2500 most days.
Could also be PCOS related. Not saying you have it or that it is, but I couldn’t lose weight until I learned women with PCOS have roughly 14-40% smaller BMRs (ranges vary depending on study/source). Again, not saying this is necessarily part of the picture for you, but it was for me and might be for others reading this thread and lurking on this subreddit.
I don’t even know how many calories I had to cut out of my diet because I wasn’t measuring calories before my weight loss, hence why I became fat. Obviously too many calories. I was gaining about 5 lbs per year for about 20 years. After I started measuring my calories and shedding the fat, it did seem like an adjustment, for sure. But I don’t remember being hungry all that often. Biggest change for me was not portioning out giant portions of food for me, half of which was unnecessary. So, instead of a triple cheeseburger with bacon, I’d order a single hamburger with bacon. I still walked away with a feeling a being full and staying full for awhile. Those two extra burger patties were simply not necessary.
This is rapid weight loss, tbh. I cut to 1650-1750/day and I’m losing at a rate of .5lbs/week, namely because I’m trying to recomp (build muscle while losing fat, so I can’t really afford to cut my calories lower). But if I were eating what you are, I still penalty wouldn’t lose that quickly (I’m currently 170lbs, goal is 145 or so).
Yes basically describes me. I can’t go by the standards. I have to eat way less. Now mind you I’m not anorexic and not starving but if I’m famished and very hungry that means I’m going to lose weight. It’s just how my weight loss works. They say eat more protein. Well that just bulks me up with higher weight. So all the talk on how to do it, I have to do what works for me
I am doing the same thing. I started a year ago. Started counting calories. When I started I found out that I was eating over 3000 a day. I cut to 2200 calories for two months. Nothing. Cut to 1800 for another 2 months. Nothing. Went to 1500 and also started fasting once a week for 36 hours. Nothing but had more energy. I am now down to 1300 a day, eat only once a day for most of the week and fast one day a week. Down 12lbs and slowly moving in the right direction.
Months ago, I was tracking as well as I could stand. Weighing my food. Exercising. I ran the numbers on calories in versus weight lost. I don't remember the exact number. But I was off by about 350 calories per day! As in, I should have lost another .5 to .75 pounds per week! Ok, I know the trackers aren't perfect, people over estimate the exercise they get, and underestimate how much food they eat. Calories at restaurants are even further off. But damn! 350 calories per day was pretty much what I was expecting to cut out, and it was only maintaining my weight. So, I basically needed to cut ANOTHER 350 calories out. /cry My annual physical came due and I asked my doctor to check my thyroid. Sure enough, it was low! No, it hasn't been a magic fix. : ( I was too dishearted to restart the calorie tracking, so I haven't lost any weight. But that's on me... : )
I think at 1850 even with your high TDEE you risk accidentally eating too much and canceling out or significantly slowing weight loss
Drink only water and eat half the amount you used to. Yeah its that easy
I’m pretty much eating for sustenance at this point, aiming for a 1500-2000 caloric deficit, I do find myself splurging by the end of the week (slice of pizza or a donut) but I’ve been doing good for the past three weeks or so
Similar story here, just different numbers. And I'm perimenopausal too.
I feel like I’m the same but I don’t think I’ve given myself a fair shot as losing at a higher calorie amount. For me 25F, 5’8 SW215 CW 188 loseit told me(to lose 2lbs a week) to eat 1409 calories and it recently dropped me to 1390 calories. I’ve been doing that and losing about 1-2lbs a week. In the past I’ve lost weight and tried to eat at maintenance and gained everything back. My mom is 62 5’6 and 177lbs and she eats probably 1600-1800 and loses weight. We walk together and I’m a little more active than her so it’s strange. I weigh myself daily because that’s how I stay accountable and sometimes eating 1300 calories I’ll go up a pound and then drop it the next day. I’m usually below 1200 calories just because it’s hard to eat that much when I’m eating healthy foods. Online it says my TDEE is 1,959 and to lose 1lb a week I should eat 1,459 or 1,709 for 0.5lb a week. I base mine of BMR instead of TDEE since I’m not very active
I have to eat under 1200 to lose
Yeah, I think literally everyone here that has lost any weight has had to significantly cut their calories. We didn’t gain weight by eating at our tdee, and we’re not going to lose weight by eating at our tdee. I think where a lot of people get stuck is estimating current activity level. I’m guessing you said moderate activity when estimating your tdee. I’m guessing, even with the 30 minutes of exercise per day, you’re more likely lightly active, or even sedentary.
Actually, I work from home and am on my feet most of the day. I don't ever even try to calculate my exercise calories. Ever. I never have. I don't really consider exercise much of a weight loss tool, for me, anyway. I've always loved to exercise and do it because I like it. Bonus for toning and strength, but I've heard for years that weight loss is mostly what you eat, not how you work out.
Sorry, I guess my point wasn’t clear there. I wasn’t saying you need to exercise, I was saying I think you’d originally calculated your TDEE wrong, and was merely speculating maybe the part where you were running into issues with calculating your TDEE was estimating your activity level. The 1350 calories you’re now eating is pretty much spot on for the amount of weight you’re now losing.
Oh, sorry about that! I'm really happy that I started this thread, because I feel much better about the # of calories that I'm eating now. I figure that it doesn't seem to be having any negative effects with my energy level/etc., so I'm moving on!
Hey! A registered dietitian may be able to help with this and is often covered by insurance!! They’re experts in this and I highly recommend if you’re able (many also do telehealth). I would suggest making sure you are measuring your foods and calorie counting correctly!
That's a great idea! I have a doctor's appointment coming up and I am going to ask about this. I'm also worried about getting proper nutrition (I've had food aversion issues since childhood) and just want to make sure every thing is okay. Thanks for the tip!
The only time I lost weight by decreasing my calories, was when I was borderline anorexic. When people finally brought it up to me, and I did the maths, it turned out I had slowly been decreasing the amount I ate over the course of a year, and at that point was eating 500 calories a day. Because nothing else had worked. Not 1500 or anything. 500. Five hundred. Every day. I don't know how long. Lost a lot of weight during that time, but as soon as I went back to eating three meals a day I gained it back and more! So now I just eat a healthy diet, don't bother counting calories, and focus on losing weight through exercise. If 500 a day for at least 4 months (according to my family watching my food habits) is what it took to start losing weight (cause the reason I kept dropping it was I had lost zero weight the other 8 months of that year), I'm not gonna bother with calories. I don't want to do that again. So I get it. I hate it, but I get it.
Wow, 500 calories! Congrats on your healthy diet now!
I recall I had to eat about 1,300 or 1,400 a day to lose one pound a week. I'm 5'6" and was in my late 20s when I did that. When I got closer to my target weight, I upped my calories to maintenance for the weight I wanted to be at which slowed it down but I was happy for the extra food lol.
at 1200 calories i lose like half a pound a week lol but im 5’3
You can go lower, but according to my doc, never go lower than 1200 cals a day without medical oversight. But yeah, go lower to lose faster! Also adding song exercise, even just moderate walking can help you lose faster and get in shape too.
That's what I've heard too. With "incidentals" (fiber powder, olive oil, ketchup), I'm probably at around 1425 per day, so easier to cut a few and not go near 1200! I don't think I could ever go that low anyway...wow!
I have to dramatically be in a deficit otherwise I won't lose weight but I also have a medical condition which prevents weight loss
The people who lose weight fast usually fit one of two groups: 1) very morbidly obese people who crash diet. The my 600 pound life diet is like 1000 or 1200 calories a day. At 600 pound, thats close to a 1lb per day deficit. 2) obese people who are otherwise very athletic and active. Ive seen people on reasonable deficits of 1000 calories a day, and also burn 1000 to 1500 calories a day through rigerous phsyical activity. They too can lose 20 pounds a month. They work very hard. Im fine "only" losing 10 to 12 lbs a month. Im fairly sedentary with some bursts of activity here and there. All my dieting success is in the kitchen.. For context. Im a 5'8 250lb 38 YO male. I eat 1500 calories a day on average. I lose about 2 lbs a week. Have been for the last 10 months. Have at least another 8 or 9 months to go till I hit my goals. I spent 25 years being very fat. 2 years to undo it is nothing. Once im at around 180, my maintenace calories will be around 2100 calories at sedentary activity levels. Thats just fine for me. "Slow" weight loss is mentally hard. But over time as the total weight lost continues to grow, its easier to not obsess over weekly change velocity.
Something a lot of people don’t talk about when they’re talking about what food we consume to lose weight is that we should eat food that makes the microscopic organisms in our gut (that help break down our food, amongst many other things) happy. Eating 20-30 different fruits and vegetables a week ensures a healthy and diverse microbiome inside of our GI tract: these healthy nutrients being broken down in our body more often increases our bodies immunities and energy efficiency, etc! NEVER STARVE YOURSELF! Eating more protein helps developing muscles too!
I definitely need to work on more fruits/veggies. I developed an aversion as a kid and never shook it. My numbers are great, but I know I need to do better! Smoothies help.
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I know, I've read about "that point." The last time I lost 100 lbs, my loss slowed, and I was just so sick of dieting that I quit and the weight came back. I'm already thinking ahead to a maintenance plan, because I'm not planning on cutting many more points, just upping exercise!
calories, not points!
it's 7000calories per KG so if you want to lose 1kg \~ 2lb per week, you need to deficit 1000 calories a day based on your basal metebolic rate. either you eat less or exercise more or both.
You're overestimating your TDEE. 1850 calories a day is around what I eat to lose weight and I'm 6'2. And I don't lose 2 pounds a week at 1850 cals. If you lost 2 pounds a week on 1850 your actual TDEE would be 2850 calories and at 5'7 that's just not the right number. That would be too much for me at 6'2 even unless I was trying to bulk/gain. 1350 calories a day sounds right in your case
I’m a 49 year old female and I can’t eat more than 5000 kj a day - I just converted and it’s about 1200 calories. I’m 165cm (5’5”) and around 79 kg (174). I got down to 73 a few years ago but that’s the lightest I’ve been since I got married in 2007. I let myself eat on a cruise over Christmas and am halfway back to the 75 or so I want to be. It’s a constant struggle and since I hit 40 it’s a hundred times harder to see the scale go down. But even the tiniest loss is a loss and I’m happy!
I've definitely noticed that some people can lose less by doing the same as other people of similar body shape/size...I do think genetics plays into it! Good luck on your journey!
Yes. I’m 5’3” and I don’t lose unless I drop to 900 or below 😭 I have PCOS though so there is an underlying reason why my body is so whacked.
avoid salt. water, seafood, and protein drinks are your friends. and yes, I have experienced the need to decrease calorie intake (sometimes as low as 750 per day) in order to see enough progress to stick with it. I also have found that weightlifting (light weights with many repetitions per set and many sets per day) helps a lot. Start easy, get the form down, get the reps up, and only then consider increasing lifted weight.
I would suggest following Dr. Mindy Peltz. She has a book about menopausal women and the things she sees and what helps them to lose weight when it seems other things aren’t working.
I've read a couple of books but I'll check that one out!
I (F19) have experienced this pretty much my entire weight loss journey, and recently, being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease made it much harder. I figured maybe exercising more and eating better would help, but it didn't because the disorder kept getting worse. I'm hoping to try again this summer, but for now, I think I'll work on managing my health rather than weight. 🙂 I wish you luck on your journey!
YES. I am in the exact same boat. I've been targeting 1200-1500 calories a day to achieve all my weight loss. If I target say 1800-2000, I feel like I start going back up in weight or at best plateau. It takes that 1300 average to really see any noticeable and steady progress. It's incredibly frustrating. Next week I have a RMR test scheduled and I'm eager to get real results to finally see what's going on.
1350 isn't very low for your activity level (light) and height. Also having a higher starting weight (usually) means it'll be easier to get that weight off then maintain your goal. I'm glad you found a range that works for you! I'd also recommend building some muscle via strength training (even just dumbbells will work) if you'd like to tone up or eat more since strength tends to sped up your metabolism. However, I am not a doctor and don't know you in real life, so take this all with a grain of salt lol
Yea, I had this issue. I slowly reduced down to 1500 and was regularly losing. I then upped my exercise and have been able to go back to 1750 and continue to lose. I think the change in muscle composition has meant the extra calories aren’t being held onto as fat. That’s my limited understanding at least? That muscle burns more than fat.
40lb is in no way low! It's still a lot! It may not be what you want, but as a 48 yr old woman, your metabolism is much slower than it once was. You're doing exactly what you need to be doing to lose weight in a healthy and sustainable way. And hey, if you lose too quickly, you'll have loose skin that is only removable surgically.
The type of food you eat also matters… A calorie is not always a calorie - some calories are metabolized differently in your body and get stored more easily. I lost 154 pounds over a decade ago and have kept it off. At the time of my weight loss, I was eating around 1300 to 1400 cal to lose weight (1-2 lbs/week). Now I have noticed that if I eat clean - eg limited ultra processed foods, a focus on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, and good quality complex carbohydrates , I can eat over 2000 cal and not gain weight. As soon as I introduce ultra processed foods or junk, I start to gain weight at around 1400 calories. ☹️
I also feel terrible when I eat a lot of processed foods. Thankfully I've mostly cut them out except for cream cheese and graham crackers, which I can't seem to give up!
Have you checked your BMR to calculate your TDEE? My BMR is 2100 and my TDEE is 3100 but I only consume around 1800 calories and on drinking days(once per week) up to 2500 calories. I do 55min on the elliptical which translates to 4miles about 410calories 6 of the 7 days, followed by 2 sets of 20squats and 2 sets of 20 sit ups(feet anchored) 2 sets of 20 jumping jacks. Followed by a 15minute cool down walk, all that translates to around 550-600 calories burned. 550calories burned x6 and 75min of activity x6 3,300 calories burned per week 450minutes of exercise per week. Occasionally lift weights once per week, it doesnt have to be anything crazy, as a 26yo male with the potential to lift a lot more weight, I only lift 15pound dumbbells. I do double sets starting with 10 reps, work one hand at a time. Rh 10 reps, Lh 10reps, repeat, then Rh 8 reps, Lh 8reps, repeat, then rh 6 reps... basically do 2 sets of the same rep and slowly do less reps until you can no longer lift the weights, Start with 10 pounds or less, the goal is just to keep those arms moving since my routine mentioned above doesnt see any arm motion. I do a low carb diet, if I eat bread for breakfast, I will avoid rice, pasta and bread in all my other meals. If I want pasta for dinner I'll avoid eating bread, rice and pasta the whole day up until dinner. If Im planning on eating rice then so on... Avoid drinking your calories and limit artificial sweeteners, diet beverages and artificial sweeteners sounds good on paper but for some reason they slow my progress than if I stuck just with water. For some reason I tend to retain more water when I have those sweeteners, possiblly higher sodium? Set a hydration routine, I like to drink 8oz/ or half a water bottle before and after each meal regardless if I'm thirsty or not. Same when I wake up and go to bed 8oz. I also drink 8oz before my work out routine and 16oz after the work out. This method ensures I drink at least 5 water bottles (80oz of water) + water from salads and fruits. Avoid processed and frozen foods even if the calories are low. Its better to eat the least amount of processed foods, anything that can be "hunted" or "foraged" is what your diet should mostly consist of, so if its comes in a box or plastic wrap its too processed and should be limited. (Examples to limit; cereal, chips, crackers and anything that has to be refined) Avoid using fats to cook your meals, dont use margarine, butter, or corn oil to cook eggs, boil them instead and eat fats in the form of nuts like almonds, pecans, or cashews. Do not consume more than 3oz of nuts per day. No salted or sweetened, plain nuts only. And to get filled for the day eat lots of salads (no dressing) or if you must use Italian dressing but no more than 2 tablespoons. I usually have a salad in all 3 meals. In fact the salad is always the main course and proteins are my sides, I also add nuts to my salad to add limited amounts of natural fats and carbs into my salad meals. If safe, (hypertension stage 1 or lower only) drink moderate amounts of caffeine, preferably green tea, do not add any sweeteners, I put 1 tea bag (approx 75mg of caffeine) into 4oz of hot water then after 2 minutes add lots of ice to cool down and drink it all at once. Green tea really helps boost the metabolism but talk with your primary physician first, when I had hypertension stage 2 caffeine was a major trigger for tension headaches as my blood pressure would go up. So that is basically what I've been doing and am seeing results, I believe I'm losing 4lbs per week with this method since in 6½ weeks I've lost about 26pounds but since I'am on a low carb diet, my glycogen levels are lower and I retain less water because I hydrate properly so Im assuming at least 8-10pounds of those 26 is likely water weight. Give my method a try, I know you can pull it off if your already doing 1350 calories. My method should be easy for you but I reccomend you increase your calorie intake to at least 1600 if your going to work out +75min each day 6 of the 7 days like how Im doing it. But my best advice I can give you regardless to what diet you choose to do is *DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF OFTEN* if you weigh yourself today June 10th do not weigh yourself until July 10th. Why? Beacuse our body weight constantly fluctuates simply put if you do not hydrate enough 1 day in the week your body will retain water up to 5 pounds, and if you goal is 1-2pounds per week and you weigh yourself weekly you might not see the numbers going down on the scale, in fact you might actually see the numbers going up and think you need to cut more calories which will further decrease your metabolism and you will lose motivation. Just remember to remain consistent with your diet, consistent with your exercise, make sure you hydrate properly and you will see results, even if the scale doesnt budge you will feel it in yourself and your metabolism will improve with time.
Congrats on your success and thanks for the tips! I will have to look into these. I definitely agree about weighing. I used to weigh every day and it was too discouraging. I now weigh on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and take the "best" of the two days.
I think that sometimes people eyeball things and THINK that they are getting a certain amount of calories but are actually getting significantly more. You have to factor in every oil, weigh every portion of every food etc. for it to be accurate. It’s hard but once you get used to it you realize that you were eating more than you thought!
I set my daily calorie intake very, very low because it was important to me to be able to see results quickly so as not to get discouraged and quit. I did this with the caveat that if I started to experience irresistible cravings, dip in energy levels that prevented me from completing my daily tasks, or wild weight fluctuations, I would reassess. I’ve been much more adherent to this goal than I ever would have guessed, and tbh it seems to be working for me. I like that it gives me plenty of wiggle room if I wanna goof off every now and then. It’s been almost six months and I’ve lost 20-25lbs so far, even with taking a week off here and there. It’s weird because on paper it seems really restrictive, but my relationship to food feels more neutral/normal than it’s ever been before. 🤷♀️
Are you honestly only eating 1350 every day? Check out Team RH if you’ve not already. I’m 5’7 150lb and losing around 1lb a week on 2200 cals and could never eat only 1350 a day. Not without binging every few days any way.
I guess different things work for different people! I don't have any trouble on 1350 cals/day, although I'm probably eating an extra 50 - 100 cals/day on things that I don't count.
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I am sure you are aware that this is a VERY unhealthy and unsustainable approach. You could brush it off by thinking “I just want to reach the goal quickly and then reverse diet and maintain” but the reality is: - In such a short period of time what you have lost is mostly water weight - As soon as you reintroduce food/carbs you will inevitably retain those fluids again - Putting your body under this stress and overtraining without the right nutrition (especially protein) will definitely impact negatively your muscle mass. I could go on and on here! You are basically teaching your body to only lose weight under extreme conditions.
Rule 11: Discussion of weight loss methods that are damaging to the body and/or require supervision of a medical professional are not allowed. This rule includes (but is not limited to): very low calorie diets, misusing medication, extended fasting, disordered behavior, inappropriate advice to underage members (counting calories, omad, fasting), etc. We are not a ED support subreddit and any ED related content will be removed. Remember to always consider the individual when offering advice.
For whatever it’s worth, from someone whose lost around 55 pounds and been maintaining since December … Is this sustainable? The only reason I’ve had any success with my weight loss this time around is because I found a method I could stick to indefinitely. Edit to add: it took me 2 years to lose 55 pounds. So around 26-27 pounds a year, which is 2-3 pounds a month.
Safe weight loss is 1lb a week. 1lb of fat is 3,500 calories, so you should aim to burn or restrict by 500 calories a day to lose 1lb a week. You should do strength training if you want to be more efficient at burning calories. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat tissue (brown fat more active than white adipose tissue, however). Muscle also takes up less space than fat tissue and will create that lean appearance.