More than 2 pounds?
 

My weight goal makes it necessary to lose about 3 pounds a week, and Fitday is telling me that I should have a smaller goal because it's not healthy to lose more than 2 pounds a week. I'm not exactly new here, and I've been losing an average of 3 pounds for several weeks now. On occasion if I'm really good about not cheating I lose up to 5 pounds, but not typically.

Is my average weight loss of 3 pounds per week, unhealthy? I'm in my senior year of high school and I'd like to be at a healthy weight by Graduation.

I'd also like to add that I do eat a regularly healthy amount. I just drink more water than usual, and live a very active life-style.

Well, your rate of loss is really up to you. Of course, talking to your doctor is the safest thing to do. I'm sure FitDay's lawyers had something to do with that warning, although there are benefits to losing relatively slowly.

If you are comfortable with your calorie intake, not dizzy and are getting your vitamins/nutriotional needs met (either through your food and/or supplements) I don't see a problem with 3 lbs. a week.

Regards,
Michael

It depends on a lot of factors of course (what you are eating, how often, exercise, etc). I've also read the more overweight you are the faster you can safely lose weight. Someone with a bmi of 35 can probably lose 3lbs a week in a relatively healthy way, but someone with a bmi of 25, not so much.

I can't say if it's good or not for you but my first 20 pounds came off fast... in 42 days. That worked out to an average of 3.33 pounds a week. It was a lot easier when I was bigger to do it.

Spence, it is usually a bad idea to lose weight that quickly because at that rate a person is usually burning more than fat. The body is not well equipped for sudden and dramatic changes in weight. If you're losing weight that fast, it is likely your body is turning to burning your muscle tissue as an energy source in addition to your fat. This can cause your organs to function at a reduced capacity and make you weaker physically.

However, if you don't mind losing some muscle tissue, you may still be safe. For starters it is generally easier to lose weight when you have more of it. For example, a 400 pound man himself losing 2 lbs much faster than a 170 pound man. So I don't know how much you weigh, but if it's a lot, you may still be safe. Secondly, an active lifestyle can contribute immensely to the burning of fat stores. What exactly are you doing on a daily basis? And last, if you're consuming enough protein (1g for every pound of lean body mass), it will help to ensure your muscles have enough building blocks to stay in tip top shape.

But even if you were 400 pounds, preformed fat burning activities for several hours every day, and were eating plenty of protein, 3 pounds a week is still a pretty big number. If improving your health is your goal, please consider eating more so that you only lose 2 pounds every weak. But you seem to implying that you are more concerned with losing a certain amount of weight by a certain time. If you don't care about your health then go for it.