Your plan
Choosing a rate of change
What a sustainable weekly rate looks like, and why it depends on where you're starting.
A sustainable rate of weight loss depends on how much you have to lose. Roughly two pounds a week is reasonable if you're carrying a lot of excess weight, about one pound a week if you're moderately overweight, and half a pound a week or less once you're already lean.
Why leaner means slower
The further into a deficit you go with less fat to draw on, the more of the loss comes from muscle rather than fat. Slowing down as you get leaner is what protects the muscle you're presumably trying to keep.
Gaining weight
Muscle gain is much slower than fat loss, and the ceiling is training age, not calories. Roughly two to three pounds a month is realistic in the first couple of years of consistent training, one to two pounds a month for intermediates, and about half a pound a month for advanced lifters. Eating past that adds fat, not muscle.
The app won't stop you choosing an aggressive rate, but it will warn you if the resulting target falls below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men.
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