Your challenge is coinciding with my goal to lose a few more pounds, but 2 lbs a week is a bit too much, too fast for some of us, especially females with a small frame. I guess it also depends on how much we have to lose, but typically, men have a faster metabolism than women, perhaps because of more muscle mass and larger frame. But I've heard there may be other factors, as well.
I'll be happy with .5 lbs/week, if I can sustain it, long term. But junk food is already a rarity for me, as is desert. My focus is on reducing non-complex carbs, portion control, and moving more. (I also need to start some kind of work with weights to build muscle mass.) I've learned that one thing we need to be careful of is losing muscle mass when we diet, as muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. So once a person gets to their weight goal, if they've lost muscle mass and then go back to what was 'normal' eating before the diet, the weight comes back in a hurry because what was previously a 'maintenance' caloric intake is now excessive. (That's usually the reason for Yo-Yo dieting.)
Once we've lost the weight we want, it may actually take several months for our bodies to create a new set point and equalize our metabolism. So, FWIW, a plan for an adjustment period after the weight loss period, can be just as important as the weight loss plan itself.
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