Losing two pounds a week - is it realistic?

[Anonymous]

Yes completely cut out water

[Anonymous]

What you are doing is not healthy!!! Just go on the injectibles and it will fall off easily, but eat responsibly, from all the food groups.

[Anonymous]

Low salt cabbage soup diet. It’s not something that you can do for an extended period of time, but it’s doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Low salt cabbage soup diet. It’s not something that you can do for an extended period of time, but it’s doable.

Thank you for the suggestion I just read about this! I'm going to try it to kick start my healthy eating.

[Anonymous]

I am losing about 2lb per week on the lowest dose of zepbound (never more than 2, occasionally only 1 if I'm PMSing and having cravings for sweets that normally I don't have anymore). I started at 175 and am now 145 after 4 months. I would definitely not recommend losing faster than that. Even though I have made a big effort to include lots of healthy foods, lots of protein, and continue to exercise, you can see in my face that I lost 30lb in 4 months. Not severe- but I can see the difference around my chin and neck. I'll take it- because I had high blood pressure and now I don't, and I had high cholesterol and I bet that will be better too when it's checked again in 2 months. And I'm no longer nearly obese. But I think if I lost it faster, I'd have lost a lot of muscle, and I'd probably look haggard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you are doing is not healthy!!! Just go on the injectibles and it will fall off easily, but eat responsibly, from all the food groups.

Just curious why would the injectables be healthier? They literally kill the desire to eat?
Isn't it the same, you end up eating so little that you can't even believe you're still alive?
No experience with either, just curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I have, but it was not 2lbs lost every week. It requires a large calorie deficit which may or may not be sustainable for you depending on your height. I am 5’3.5 and was 168 at my highest. At that weight, my TDEE was around 1800-2000. I ate between 800-1000 calories a day. This requires careful planning to maximize protein and nutrition and you must get rid of all other useless calories (drink black coffee, make sure theres no calories in any supplements you take etc). I bulked all meals with tons of low cal veggies like bell peppers, romaine, zucchini etc. I used no oils when cooking, no sugar, no junk food. At that kind of deficit you don’t have room to eat anything that does not provide maximum nutritional value.

No, I did not use glp1s or any other help - it was sheer willpower at first driven by a strong medical motivation. I’m very glad I did it this way. Seeing the numbers drop quickly helped me keep going, and I completely cleaned up my diet and got used to a whole new way of eating. Back to my high school size and weight of 107lbs at 42. Have maintained for over a year now. Medical issues have gotten tremendously better if not completely resolved.

This is OP and your stats are like mine. I’ve lost ~7 pounds in the last month by going to the gym regularly (3-4 times a week, more typically 3) and drastically cutting calories and carbs (eating keto for the most part). I just turned 40 and aware that weight loss is more challenging as we get older. I’m still holding on to 25 pounds of stubborn baby weight, and my “baby” will be three next month!

I am strict during the weekdays, having broth and coffee during the day, and maybe something like beef jerky or hard-boiled eggs or celery if I get really hungry, and then having a normal dinner (which I’ve been bulking with salad). I was laid back over the weekend - had Chinese food and ice cream one night, pizza the next - and was markedly bloated and put on a few pounds when I weighed myself on Monday morning (I know this is water weight, and I’m back to where I was today, but still). Guess there’s no flexibility with such a lofty goal!

This sounds very dangerous.

Yep. ED territory

This is OP and I’m sorry, but I have to resort to extreme measures. Anything short of caloric restriction HAS NOT WORKED, and believe me when I say I have tried. I have *never* been overweight for so long before, until my last kid. It is depressing, I feel ugly, it’s hard to dress, and I don’t feel at home in my body.

I don’t plan on maintaining this deficit forever, but I need to do something dramatic to actually get the weight off. I have plenty of reserves!

Relatable and it is not disordered eating, it's discipline. There are people who eat one meal a day for years and you're not even doing that. I'm 42 and cannot get away with how I ate a few years ago or I gain. Easily. I have to work out 5-6 hours, lifting heavy weights and walking to not be as strict as you. I'm eating about 1500-1600 calories daily and try to focus on protein as a vegetarian. I got to 175 lbs at 5'3". I have only lost a couple so far, but I have noticed changes in body composition, around my gut as well as firmer thighs. My goal is to lose 20-25 lbs overall.

[Anonymous]

That should say 5-6 day/week, not hours. - PP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I have, but it was not 2lbs lost every week. It requires a large calorie deficit which may or may not be sustainable for you depending on your height. I am 5’3.5 and was 168 at my highest. At that weight, my TDEE was around 1800-2000. I ate between 800-1000 calories a day. This requires careful planning to maximize protein and nutrition and you must get rid of all other useless calories (drink black coffee, make sure theres no calories in any supplements you take etc). I bulked all meals with tons of low cal veggies like bell peppers, romaine, zucchini etc. I used no oils when cooking, no sugar, no junk food. At that kind of deficit you don’t have room to eat anything that does not provide maximum nutritional value.

No, I did not use glp1s or any other help - it was sheer willpower at first driven by a strong medical motivation. I’m very glad I did it this way. Seeing the numbers drop quickly helped me keep going, and I completely cleaned up my diet and got used to a whole new way of eating. Back to my high school size and weight of 107lbs at 42. Have maintained for over a year now. Medical issues have gotten tremendously better if not completely resolved.

This is OP and your stats are like mine. I’ve lost ~7 pounds in the last month by going to the gym regularly (3-4 times a week, more typically 3) and drastically cutting calories and carbs (eating keto for the most part). I just turned 40 and aware that weight loss is more challenging as we get older. I’m still holding on to 25 pounds of stubborn baby weight, and my “baby” will be three next month!

I am strict during the weekdays, having broth and coffee during the day, and maybe something like beef jerky or hard-boiled eggs or celery if I get really hungry, and then having a normal dinner (which I’ve been bulking with salad). I was laid back over the weekend - had Chinese food and ice cream one night, pizza the next - and was markedly bloated and put on a few pounds when I weighed myself on Monday morning (I know this is water weight, and I’m back to where I was today, but still). Guess there’s no flexibility with such a lofty goal!

What you are doing is neither healthy nor sustainable. Eat real meals with smaller portion sizes. Make sure you're getting vegetables and protein throughout the day. You should be working with a dietician to make sure you are getting the nutrition you need in your restricted calorie diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I have, but it was not 2lbs lost every week. It requires a large calorie deficit which may or may not be sustainable for you depending on your height. I am 5’3.5 and was 168 at my highest. At that weight, my TDEE was around 1800-2000. I ate between 800-1000 calories a day. This requires careful planning to maximize protein and nutrition and you must get rid of all other useless calories (drink black coffee, make sure theres no calories in any supplements you take etc). I bulked all meals with tons of low cal veggies like bell peppers, romaine, zucchini etc. I used no oils when cooking, no sugar, no junk food. At that kind of deficit you don’t have room to eat anything that does not provide maximum nutritional value.

No, I did not use glp1s or any other help - it was sheer willpower at first driven by a strong medical motivation. I’m very glad I did it this way. Seeing the numbers drop quickly helped me keep going, and I completely cleaned up my diet and got used to a whole new way of eating. Back to my high school size and weight of 107lbs at 42. Have maintained for over a year now. Medical issues have gotten tremendously better if not completely resolved.

This is OP and your stats are like mine. I’ve lost ~7 pounds in the last month by going to the gym regularly (3-4 times a week, more typically 3) and drastically cutting calories and carbs (eating keto for the most part). I just turned 40 and aware that weight loss is more challenging as we get older. I’m still holding on to 25 pounds of stubborn baby weight, and my “baby” will be three next month!

I am strict during the weekdays, having broth and coffee during the day, and maybe something like beef jerky or hard-boiled eggs or celery if I get really hungry, and then having a normal dinner (which I’ve been bulking with salad). I was laid back over the weekend - had Chinese food and ice cream one night, pizza the next - and was markedly bloated and put on a few pounds when I weighed myself on Monday morning (I know this is water weight, and I’m back to where I was today, but still). Guess there’s no flexibility with such a lofty goal!

This sounds very dangerous.

Yep. ED territory

This is OP and I’m sorry, but I have to resort to extreme measures. Anything short of caloric restriction HAS NOT WORKED, and believe me when I say I have tried. I have *never* been overweight for so long before, until my last kid. It is depressing, I feel ugly, it’s hard to dress, and I don’t feel at home in my body.

I don’t plan on maintaining this deficit forever, but I need to do something dramatic to actually get the weight off. I have plenty of reserves!

You do know that you will gain it back if you lose it this way, right? What you are doing is no different than people on GLP-1 who don't change their diets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people lose that much per week with a keto diet. I'm steadily losing one pound per week, which is fine with me. You don't want to do any diet you can't stick to, or that wrecks your metabolism. I find that I feel better on a keto diet, which makes it easier to stick to for the long haul. Exercise, even just brisk walking after meals, will help the weight drop a little faster.

Yep, keto is actually great. But I find it impossible to do if you have children or a fussy partner and busy life.

I've been surprised that the keto substitutions work pretty well. Tonight we're having smash burgers; I'll have mine in a lettuce wrap with sugar-free ketchup. Tomorrow enchiladas, mine in baked in a separate pan using zero-carb tortillas. I'll make my usual pasta sauces, with regular pastas for DH and kids while I'll use egg white spaghetti for mine. Lots of egg dishes for breakfast, and snacks like olives and cheese on hand. It definitely gets monotonous but it's been surprisingly workable. I'd probably lose weight more quickly if I didn't use the 'frankenketo' carb substitutes (keto bagels, bread) but they keep me reasonably content and it's working well enough so far. I'm pre-diabetic, so need to view this as a permanent life style change. Trying to get to my birthday in late spring before enjoying a cheat day, then will immediately get back on the wagon.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been trying to lose weight for a few months now and it’s been closer to 1 lb per week. I’m down 9 lbs total, down from 150. I thought it would go faster but this is really the first time in my life I’ve had to try to lose weight, so there’s been a learning curve. I feel less boated, my energy has improved, and my clothes fit much better. I strength train for 30-45 minutes twice per week and walk a couple of days per week.

[Anonymous]

i don't find weight loss to be linear. I recently lost 20 pounds over 9 months. Some weeks, I would lose 2-3 pounds and others, I would lose 0.5 or even gain 0.5. However, my clothes got loser and loser consistently so I know that my body was responding to the changes in my diet and exercise. I have maintained the loss for 6 months!

[Anonymous]

This is OP - I have lost ten pounds in the last month and am encouraged by the progress. I have an event coming up at the end of April and would love to lose another 15 pounds at least by then.

I’ve been eating 800-1800 calories a day. Working out 2-3 times a week - lifting less heavy and more cardio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is OP - I have lost ten pounds in the last month and am encouraged by the progress. I have an event coming up at the end of April and would love to lose another 15 pounds at least by then.

I’ve been eating 800-1800 calories a day. Working out 2-3 times a week - lifting less heavy and more cardio.

What do you eat on the 800 calorie days? It didn’t sound like a sustainable amount.