HealthDoctor's comments

Fact versus Fiction in Weight Loss - Blog Entry

08 Feb 2007 03:23 PM

I'd like to make a comment about Heather's estimate of 2 pounds per week of weight loss. In my experience, that is difficult to attain and hold for most women. Men are more likely to achieve that goal as fat lost, given that they consume ~1,000 more calories per day than women do - so cutting a thousand calories still leaves men with enough food to feel satisfied.

To lose 2 pounds in a week, assuming it is fat, requires a reduction in food consumption of 7,000 calories - or 1,000 less calories per day. For a woman who is only eating 1500 calories per day, that doesn't leave much for her to eat. If she also increases her caloric expenditure through exercise, then that's certainly a more likely goal. That thousand calories per day, even when both reduced intake and increased exercise are combine, is difficult to sustain for long periods of time - and may be more than most people can manage.

For women, a more realistic goal is 1/2 to 1 pound per week, with plateaus built in. It doesn't sound as exciting as 'fast, easy' weight loss, but it will be fat lost (not muscle) and it will be sustainable across time.