The rate at which you lose weight?

When I first started here, I decided that I wanted to lose wieght at a slow, steady pace of 1 pound per week. Now I am reconsidering. I am eating 1500 calories a day except for the 1800 I eat on Sundays. I exercise a lot -- ballet 6 out of 7 days of the week, HIIT twice a week, working out with workout videos every morning, possibly adding in some walks or swimming if I have time; I don't know how my body will lose weight yet because, although I am eating just about the 1500 or 1800 calories I planned on eating (sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less, right now I'm working on really getting it down to be accurate!) all of this ballet and exercise regime starts on September 7th. That is when I start ballet, and until then my exercise is different (take out the ballet, add in different types of workouts in the afternoons, and btw I am so much less likely to do all the exercise I plan when I am not dancing. I guess I work better under pressure; ballet = less time = pressure = good results.)

I figure if i end up losing more than 1 lbs a week, great, I'll keep going. I do have a feeling that with all that exercise I'll end up losing more than 1lb a week...although 1500-1800 calories isn't a very small amount.

My main question and the purpose of this thread? Ok:

1. How many people have lost 1lb per week steadily? It's hard to be patient.

2. Is 2lbs per week alright? I can't decide whether that's too fast or just right.

So if I do end up losing more than a pound per week (because of exercise, not because of a lowered calorie intake), would it be ok to keep losing at that rate?

Just to give you a better idea of what that would look like...

If I lost 1 lb a week, I would be down to 108 lb from 155 lb in 47 weeks; if I assume this only counts starting september 7, that would be about around August 2 (about a year from now!)

If i lost 2 lbs a week, I would be down from 155 to 108 in 23.5 weeks, or 24 weeks; that's about around February 22.

That's a BIG difference. Of course I know I won't lose every week and I will have platues and maintainence weeks and higher calorie days and the thinner I get the less weight I lose; I know all this. And yet, I will still lose the weight quicker doing 2lbs rather than 1lb a week. Circumstances push me in the direction of "lose those suckers by twos! You can do it and if you might lose that quickly anyway, why not?" Circumstances like I am a ballet dancer, and auditions are in January-February and sometime March. Circumstances like I have shows to perform in and look good in. Circumstances like Senior prom and pictures with friends and enjoying myself.

So is it doable, is it safe, is it better, if it wer to happen anyway? Why would I want to increas my cals to lose one, not two pounds a week?

You look very thin/toned in your picture!! I don't think you need to lose weight!

But I'll give you my two cents anyhow. I'm not sure how tall you are or what your BMI is, but it's difficult to lose even 1lb a week if you're already at a healthy weight. I started my "diet" per se back in January, and since then I've lost 12 solid pounds. I'm 5'6" - SW was about 144lb and CW is about 132lb. I don't think I lost 1lb a week - it was more like 1/2lb per week. I've been maintaining for a while, but if I decide to lose a little bit more, I know it will be a very slow process (like a pound a month, even). 

Also, rule of thumb: don't lose more than 10% of your CW per week. Since you weigh 155lbs, then you shouldn't lose more than 1.5lbs in a week. I think it would be safe to aim for 1.5lbs, but only if you're in a big rush. Research shows that the slower you lose weight, the more likely it is to stay off. So if you can be patient enough to only lose 1lb a week (or even .5 lb/week), then I think that would be better. 

Anyway, good luck with your goals!!!! :)

Oh, no!! The picture is of me at my lowest weight, which is around my goal weight now. I was at 111.4 lbs then and right now my first goal weight is to get down to 110-108. After that, I would ultimately like to get down to 98 as long as I keep with my healthy habits (and by that I mean healthy eating, eating enough but not too much, exercising often, not depriving myself, being happy, etc.)

I gained a lot of weight over the last 3 years (and I lost it, too, and gained it back.)

I really do have to lose weight and this is my last chance; a year from now I will either be dancing post-grad at a pre-professional school in order to get me ready to audition for professional ballet companies, or I will somehow miraculously already have a position in a company, or something like that.

In January I start auditioning for all types of summer programs and I won't get into any if I don't lose weight. I'm ok with not reaching my goal weight by -- even if I wasn't, there's no way I could do that while retaining my sanity :) As long as I am at a lower weight than I am now (around 127 I start looking really good) it'll all be good. After all, 108-98 is my final goal, the lowest weight I dare go. I might not even go that low, I'll see when I get closer. I guess it will all depend on how I feel, and how I look, and I'll definitely consider what my ballet teacher and parents opinions are.

That's exactly why I was asking -- I really appreciate your reply -- because after 3 years I've finally got a grasp on what is GOOD for me and what isn't, and a slow and steady, MAINTAINABLE weight loss is fantastic for me. I just wonder if 2 lbs a week counts as slow and steady.

You're right...and I would be totally ok with 1.5 a week, too. Really, as long as I lose I should be happy and proud of myself because I'm going in the right direction!

This is what I'll do: I will keep my calories at 1500 and 1800 on Sundays, and I'll do exactly as I planned, and I'll see how it goes.

If in four week's time I see that I am losing too quickly, I'll add some more calories -- IF and only IF I feel like my body is not getting enough and I feel worn out. If I feel fine, I see no reason to hinder my weight loss by .5-1 lb every week.

I also plan on taking some maintainence weeks every so often...btw.

I'm excited woohoo!

 

unless you are 5 feet tall or less 98lbs is underweight.  Its awfully close to underweight for a 5 footer too.  why do you want to go there?

I love that you have such a great plan of action.  I wish I would be so focused and be able to make a plan like that for myself.  Great JOb and Good luck...

aj -- thanks :) I've always been the kind of person that just has to make a schedule and a million lists to stay on track!

madamq -- I am 5'2" and 98 lbs which is a BMI of 17.9, which CC classifies as at a healthy weight. I do know that CC is not accurate for teens, but I also know that I don't bother paying that much attention to BMI. As a ballet dancer with a larger body frame than most other ballet dancers, if I want any chance I must lose weight and in order to look decent I will have to lose more weight (fat) than a person that was born with The Ballet Body would have to. Like I said, 98 lbs is my last goal, and I will try to get there. But if I can't get there without drastically cuting my calories or whatnot (basically, without staying healthy), then I won't. If I can, and if I feel good and look good and get a job because of that -- of course I will!

So why do I want to go there? It's a requirement. It's what will allow me to acheive my dreams. It's what I need to do in order to succeed (and it really is.)

Trust me, I have thought long and hard and have had many years of weight trouble. I know what my limits are and what is expected of me. Fact is, ballet dancers on average have a lower body fat % and BMI than most other people. I think it was around 15% less than the average body weight. I appreciate your concern but I made this post to inquire about weight loss rate, not if my goal weight is appropriate :) It most definitely is.

/sigh

Yet another "job" that requires people to be unhealthy :(

I only hope it doesn't do you too much harm in the long run.

Hmm...that was rude!

I'm not sure what you mean by "job" with the quotations and all, but a professional ballet career is most definitely a job, and a very competitive one at that.

It absolutely does not require people to be unhealthy. Someone unhealthy can't dance. I can back that up with the entire dance world and my own personal experience.

No where did I say I was planning on reaching an unhealthy weight or getting there in an unhealthy manner -- in fact, I recall saying exactly the opposite: that my goal weight is perfectly acceptable by my age and height (cleared by my endocrinologist, dietician, and pediatrician,) and that if I found that I was having a really hard time getting to my goal weight without sacrificing my health, then I would not attempt to get to that weight.  

If you're going to make assumptions, at least read everything first. Otherwise it means nothing. "I only hope it doesn't do you too much harm in the long run" -- thanks for your "concern", but if you read my post you would have known that I know by now what is healthy and what isn't. Don't talk like you know everything, please don't. You have NO IDEA what is healthy for me and what isn't, and frankly it really pisses me off that you're talking to me like a poor little girl who doesn't understand that she's really harming herself and oh, she'll understand when she's older...I am being the HEALTHIEST I have EVER been. So cut the crap please and thank you.

And please reconsider your claim that being a professional ballerina is not a job -- not to sound bitchy, but it's a job that most people would never be able to do.

One last thing; ballet requires you to be at your HEALTHIEST, in regards to weight but more than anything in regards to your muscles, bones, tendons, all the organs, everything must be in tip-top shape. A job that requires sitting at a desk all day promotes a far unhealthier message.

As a fellow ballerina and dancer, I can relate. While I have no professional interests in dancing I think if I was as passionate as you to make it into a dance company I would certainly be looking to get my BMI on the low/healthy border (preferably the healthy side). How viable this is in the long-run...? Not sure. But I guess everything's a learning experience.

There's more than just the 'looking good' motivation for a ballerina to get in shape. Just look at pointe work! Think what losing 20kg/45lbs will mean for your toes/ankles. There are a lot of beneifts in preventing injury.

I've already lost 17kgs since earlier in the year, and I can tell you it certainly feels better! At the start I lost 1kg/2lbs a week... but now it varies. Last week it was 1kg, the week before it was none... But as long as you're still focused it's all good! 2lbs per week is a good rate, certainly, but don't always expect it.

Since you do a fair amount of ballet/exercise, might I recommend that you evaluate your schedule when looking at daily calories. Sometimes when I dance we spend all our time focusing on technique, pointe, etc. which may be good in a toning sense... but do little jumping. On those days I end up eating a little less because I know we didn't 'burn it off' in class. Also, you want to keep your energy high for when you are doing jumps etc. You don't want your dancing to suffer due to your diet!

So, you know, don't get stressed if you're not lossing 2lbs a week. Just get into it; make a plan and see where it takes you. Adjust your intake and be flexible... Make sure to get lots of protein and calcium! : ) And remember that any loss in the long term is as good acheivement as any!

Good luck~

2 pounds per week is much too fast for someone of your size.  You shouldn't aim to lose any more than 1% of your weight in a week.  So, for now, that'll be 1.5 pounds per week - but when you get down to 120, it'll be down to 1.2 pounds per week.  Also, once you get into the healthy weight range it will be very difficult to lose weight even that fast.  Once people get to healthy BMIs, it tends to be healthier to lose about 0.5 to 1 pounds per week.

(I think you must be misreading when you say that CC considers a BMI of 17.9 to be okay.  18.5 is the bottom end of the 'underweight/healthy' borderline category.  CC usually tells people not to go below a BMI of 20 - though there are certain body types than can handle the upper 18s and 19s.  It sounds as though you're young, though, and I know that teen-targetted sites show different BMI ranges as okay given that most teenage bodies have not fully matured yet.)

I really didn't mean it as an attack on you personally... but anything on a professional level that requires you to be extra small, I personally, have a problem with.  Whether it's dancing, modeling, professional wrestling (the real kind not WWE), etc.

You're 16 years old and you're restricting your calories which is not healthy.  Period.  ESPECIALLY if you're as active as you listed.  Not healthy.

I'm not judging you as a person. I'm judging the profession.  It's my opinion, and it won't change.  And I was sincere in saying I hope you don't do more harm to yourself than good.  I really do hope that.

Good luck.