to think that actually it's quite HARD to lose 2lb a week!

[Lauriefairycake]

According to foodfocus I USE 2051 calories a day to keep myself the weight I am and in order to lose 2 lb a week I have to consume 1051 calories every day.

Now I've managed it this week (actually I've managed to keep to the calories, I've no idea about the weight loss yet) by being completely scrupulous but I still think it's quite hard.

It is hard isn't it? I seriously take my hat off to anyone who manages that for months and months. How on earth do people manage to eat half the food they were eating before - that is some serious willpower.

Well done to all those who do.

Surely it also depends on how many calories you burn through exercise? In which case you wouldn't need to eat so few calories.

2lbs is equal to 7000 calories. So you know what you need to do to lose 2 pounds a week is lower your calorie intake by 7000 per week or up your output by 7000 a week. So you can eat more if you exercise more.

Exercise.

Seriously, I maintained a 2lb a week weightloss at weight watchers but as I was 4 stone overweight to start with, it was easy for me to 'drop' 1000 calories a day just by dropping out fat.

NOW I weigh 2 stone less and I'm stuck. I just can't bear to cut my portions any more. I'll be HUNGRY.

So the key (dislike it as I may) is exercise - to up my output, rather than cut my intake.

Are you overweight btw? That is a low amount of calories

I just think it's amazing that 2lb represents 7000 calories. That's honestly incredible to me.

I'm not an exerciser honestly. Actually that's not quite true - I'm a constant mover-arounder. Like 2 hours gardening at the allotment today, one hour walking the dog. A lot of the days I am quite sedentary though so decided not to 'add' calories by exercising unless I get hungry (I'm not hungry)

At 1000 calories you're pretty much on a starvation diet so it's no wonder your body is hanging onto every last pound it can- it thinks famine is on the way! Up the exercise, and up your calorie intake for a few days to kick start your metabolism back into fat burning mode

colditz - i did a low-carb diet ten years ago and i 'plateaud' at a certain weight loss. My coach said do nothing different for 3 months as it might just be a natural plateau. She was right and I lost a further stone after that.

I've been allegedly plateau'ed for 2 years but in reality i'vep robably put a stone back on as I've become lazy.

Yes, it is HARD.

If you are an approximately normal weight then you need to do a lot of exercise or eat very few calories.

If you are rather overweight then even though you are allowed more calories your intake up til this point will have been quite high, so cutting down is still very hard.

Oh that's crap, poor you i remember it being really shit when I plateaud.

I am overweight (about 4-5 stone) and according to food focus I will be at goal weight in 9 months if I carry on what I'm doing.

it's extremely hard. You shouldn't go under 1100 a day at all anyway, and if you are exercising you should add the extra you burn and eat that too. 1050 with exercise is simply not enough. Your body will start hanging on to fat and burning muscle if you keep that up.

Exercise is the key. 1100 calories is not a lot of food, but if you burn say 400 with exercise, 1500 is much more respectable. You can have very good days when you don't do exercise and when you do you can eat a bit more normally. Makes it more sustainable.

FWIW I lost 2 stone counting calories but never aimed for 2lb a week - I aimed for 1lb a week and kept it up. 2lb a week and I would have caved within a fortnight.

7000 calories wow! YANBU.

I want to lose 8lbs to get to my pre baby wedding weight and I am finding it impossible. I can lose 2lbs if I stick to 1000 calories a day but I am permenantly hungry, and one meal out blows the weight loss completely!

I don't know about the science Laurie but I don't think yabu - I have been trying to loose weight via exercise for last three weeks without success so dieting as well is next. oh joy - I hate not eating and could not do only 1000 calories a day. Still, if nothing changes soon I may well have to try something drastic

I go to weight watchers and using their poinys system have averaged a weight loss of 1and half pounds a week.I have now lost a sone and a half in about 12 weeks.I was about 4 stones overweight but only want to lose 3 so half way now.I eat about 1200 calories a day but WW uses a 'points' system.

bloody hard
I have lost about 2 lbs this week through total starvation....
awful

I think 1lb a week and therefore 1500 calories per day is a much more manageable target tbh.

How much was your daily calorie intake before your diet? If you are 4-5 stones overweight then I imagine your daily calorie intake is much higher than 2000 average. Are you sure you are not to reduce your normal calorie intake by 1051 instead? That makes more sense to me.

My mum is a fitness instructor and she had a calculation where you could see how much you would have to eat to maintain a certain weight, you know like the half tonne man (not saying you are anywhere near that!) saying he doesn't eat much and then the show proving he would have to eat 30,000 calories a day to maintain his weight never mind put any on!

Also I will never be 8 stone, my mum says I have a medium bone density and medium frame size, measured using elbow width i think and so the normal weight target is slightly higher with a normal body-fat ration (they don't use bmi) If you can bear going to a gym they may be able to give you better advice than a website.

ratio not ration!

Laurie i just noticed you decided not to add exercise calories - this is a mistake. As I said, if you are only consuming 1051 and also exercising, you are effectively eating 1051 minus whatever you burn off which is simply not enough. Weighloss should be healthy and sensible and starving your body of the fuel it needs to function is neither. Please eat your exercise calories - it will work better in the short and long run.

Are you extremely short? at 4-5 stone overweight you must be using more than 2051 a day. I am 'moderately sedentary' and 5'4 and at 2 stone overweight I use 2100 a day.

Please take a look at this site they do a free trial and you can see your personal calorie intake etc. It's very accurate. I and many of my friends have used it very successfully.

Why not moderate your weight loss plans aiming for a 1lb weight loss per week?

Also try slimming world - no boring weighing and points like WW, and big portions of 'free foods'. I have lost 11lbs in 3 weeks with them so far and haven't felt like I am starving.

This is all very interesting. Does anyone know how many calories weightwatchers allows you if you have a daily allowance of 21?

at the unintended truth bitchiness

er yes, I am extremely short.

Unfortunately I have never eaten more than 2000 calories a day - I have slight hypothyroidism, pcos and zero metabolism. I was eating about 1500-1700 I suppose (didn't count but I don't eat much) but maintaining being 4 stone overweight so thought I'd try and shift a bit of the extra.

I take on board the exercise calorie point and I will add it in if I find I lose more than 2lb as I really want long, sustainable weight loss (and I don't want to get hungry).

I don't think I will lose more than a pound a week at 1051 calories unfortunately. I'll be weighing myself in the morning to see if I've done it.

Exercise is the key - and remember muscle weighs more than fat, so even if you are not loosing weight you will be toning up and changing body shape so that you will look slimmer.

Try to exercise as part of your everyday activity - For instance walk to work and back 20min each way = 40 min exercise = 250 cal burned.

Muscle does not weigh more than fat obviously - a pound of fat is the same in weight as a pound of muscle

But it does look different on the body.