Losing 2 pounds a week, is it possible?

  • I am trying to lose 2 pounds a week. I'm eating 1200-1300 calories a day and doing cardio like couch to 5k (for half and hour) and zumba (for an hour) at least five days a week. Do you think this is possible to lose that amount per week? Last week I ate 1200 each day all week and it wasn't that hard but I did no exercise and this week I am including exercise. I'm not sure what I weighed the beginning of last week. I'm trying to only weigh myself at the end of each week because I don't want to keep thinking about the numbers. I'm currently 156 pounds and 5 foot 6 and at the cusp of overweight according to the bmi. I feel uncomfortable though. I don't like having belly fat and I don't like going through all my clothes each day to find something that fits and looks okay. I've been reading the posts on the boards for a while now. I'm not sure if I'm posting in the correct forum.
  • !!!!

    It is possible but maybe not every week, maybe just an average of 2lbs a week because weight loss is not linear (water retention from salty food, starting out with exercise, time of month, etc.)

    You are pretty light already with your height so it may take you a bit longer to lose than say a 200lb version of you. Generally, the heavier you are, the more you tend to lose per week.

    Just stick with your plan and you will get to 120 with time and patience. Don't ever give up even if you stall for a month or two at the same weight! (It's happened to me at 166lbs, ugh!)

    Good luck, Sophie!
  • Hey Sophie! I weight about 7 lbs more than you, and lately I've had a pattern of not losing one week, and losing 3 or 4 the next. It's definitely slowed from when I was bigger but hey, an ounce is an ounce!!!
  • We weigh about the same and when I was losing 2 lbs a week I was only eating 800-1000 cal a day max. I was supervised by a doctor, so it was okay. I would suggesting planning for 1 lb a week loss and if you get some bonus weight loss, just feel extra good about it
  • Why do you want to lose it quickly? At your weight it's possible, but not always a good idea to strive for. It's much harder to create such a big deficit at your weight
  • sontaikle

    Did you lose all your weight counting calories?
    You look absolutely incredible
  • I suppose it could be possible...but you are starting at such a low weight to begin with that a 2lb average might be tough. And if you are doing that much exercise you might not be eating enough calories a day - it probably wouldn't hurt to check with your doctor.

    I mean I'm losing 2-3 lbs a week now on a 1600 calorie a day average and I weigh 100 more lbs than you do.
  • Why aiming for 2 pounds a week
    There are two reason why I'd like to lose 2 pounds a week. One is that its a higher goal and so if I only lose 1 pound a week I won't feel like I didn't accomplish anything and also if I strive for 1200 but eat 1500 its better than trying for 1500 but eating 1800. The other reason is that I'm visiting my grandmother in 7 weeks who I haven't seen in over a year and if I only lose 7 pounds between now and then from 156 to 149 I don't think she'll even notice the difference. Yes I'm doing this for me but she is 93 and I want to how her how and working on it and changing.
  • Quote: sontaikle

    Did you lose all your weight counting calories?
    You look absolutely incredible
    Thanks! And yes, I lost it counting calories.

    Quote: There are two reason why I'd like to lose 2 pounds a week. One is that its a higher goal and so if I only lose 1 pound a week I won't feel like I didn't accomplish anything and also if I strive for 1200 but eat 1500 its better than trying for 1500 but eating 1800. The other reason is that I'm visiting my grandmother in 7 weeks who I haven't seen in over a year and if I only lose 7 pounds between now and then from 156 to 149 I don't think she'll even notice the difference. Yes I'm doing this for me but she is 93 and I want to how her how and working on it and changing.
    "only" losing 1 pound a week is actually fantastic loss. You may lose more or less; our bodies don't always work the way we want them to.

    It might be worthwhile to really examine why you want to do this. Rushing through weight loss just for your grandmother may make it hard to maintain the loss in the long run. Making weight loss about something you want to do for yourself is probably a bit of a healthier mindset. Impressing your grandmother can be a nice "bonus."

    I remember wanting to rush through my own weight loss for my high school reunion. I realized what I was doing for myself and put it on the backburner and focused on ME. I still looked great during the reunion and considered all of the compliments a little "extra" Focusing on a deadline just drove me nuts!!

    Even now that I'm shedding some of the lbs I gained trying to build some muscle, I'm not giving myself a deadline or rushing through it. I figure as long as I stick to my plan it'll come off when it wants to.
  • I'm the kind of person who likes some kind of "deadline," but they are certainly not written in stone. I put out a tentative time that I could reasonably reach a weight (depending on my food and exercise), and adjust it if need be (later or sooner). I do much worse when I have no deadline, or I'm really set on a certain date/event.

    I agree with the other posters - it's possible, but unlikely. And very unlikely to be a linear loss. Often I'll go from one weight, down a few lbs, up a few lbs, and arrive at the exact same weight at the end of the week that I started with, all eating on plan. But my overall trend is losing, which is the important part.

    I'd like to echo that losing weight for someone else may not be sustainable. I've tried it, and I burn out quickly. Maybe it's different for you, though. But I'd make sure of it before pushing so hard to meet that deadline.

    WELCOME and good luck with everything!
  • Love reading this thread. Wonderful advice from all of you. I have about 25 pounds to lose total. I am already down 4 pounds, but that was with 3 weeks at 1200 calories a day, plus working my bum off 5-6 days a week walking/jogging. I am pretty committed to losing this weight, so for me not getting the 2 pounds a week weight loss is ok. It's come off quicker before, but I feel like it just set me up for failure in the long run. When the next week wasn't as big as the first, I gave up.