What is a safe amount of weight to lose

[JanetRose]

each month? Thanks.

[Rhonda]

That's a hard question to answer, and you will get a lot of different opinions about this! Everyone's body is different and reacts differently to diets, exercise, etc.

When I first started Atkins, I lost 22 pounds my first month and my doctor was thrilled! After that initial loss, it evened out to about 10 pounds per month, and that was very comfortable for me.

Some people may say that's too much, too fast. But, if you're healthy, feeling good, sleeping good, and have energy, you will be fine! If you find yourself tired and/or not feeling good, then you need to slow down a little.

Be sure that before starting any diet program that you check with your doctor first for a physical and to get his/her approval. :)

[QT Pooh]

Yeah, this is a hard question. It all depends how much you weigh to start with and the condition you are in. This is really a question you should ask a physician.

[Tiger Lily 03]

I lifted this info from a medical source:

Set a realistic goal
When you're considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. To do this, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories a day through a low-calorie diet and regular exercise. Losing weight more rapidly means losing water weight or muscle tissue, rather than fat.
Set weekly or monthly goals, and then track your progress. Remember that you're in this for the long haul. Anything you undertake too intensely or too vigorously may quickly become too onerous, so you're more likely to give up.
In addition, make your goals "process goals," such as eating judiciously and exercising regularly, rather than "outcome goals," such as losing 50 pounds. Changing your process — your habits — is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable — you'll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Work out a strategy that gradually changes the habits and attitudes that may have undermined your past efforts to lose weight. Choose a definite start date. Consider where, how often and how long you'll exercise. Develop a realistic eating plan that factors in plenty of water, fruits and vegetables. Write everything down. Find the potential roadblocks, and make plans to deal with them.
Ask your doctor how much weight you can safely lose. Your doctor may refer you to a dietitian or someone else who specializes in weight loss.

Hope it helped.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/HQ01625

[JanetRose]

Thank you!

[never_enough_pooh]

In order to gain (or lose) 1 pound, you need to add (or subtract) 3500 calories.

Thus, to lose 1 lb per week, you would need to subtract 500 calories per day from your diet. This can be from eliminating 500 calories from your diet daily, or, eliminate 250 calories from the food you eat and burn off the remaining 250 calories from exercise.

It is best to lose about 1.5-2 lbs per week max. Initially, you may find that you lose more weight than that (water weight, usually), but a steady, realistic weight loss is 1.5-2 lbs. If you lose more weight than that, it generally is harder to keep off in the long run, as most likely you are really restricting yourself too much.