Am I losing weight to fast?

lfrazier2482

I started with Weight Watchers about four months ago. I have been logging here for 30* days. I am down a total of 59 lbs. I have been losing an average of 4-5 lbs a week since I started here. I am male 5'8 and after my weigh in today I weigh 280 lbs. I have my calorie calculator set to 2 lbs a week and sedentary. This set my calorie goal to 1700 a day (dropping to 1630 after weigh in today). Other than exercise I sit behind a desk for the most part. Six days a week I walk on my treadmill for 1:40 (my treadmill timer stops after 99 minutes) at around 3.3 mph. That usually nets me about 5.25 miles. I have a Fitbit set to negative adjustment and my exercise usually nets me about 375-400 calories a day. I always eat to as close as I can get to the 1700 I get from food, but I never try and eat any of my exercise calories. I recently started looking into macros. An average week for me is 40% Carbs 35% Protein 25% fats.
I know the literature says that you shouldn't lose over two pounds a week. My question is do you think I am doing myself harm by this? I am a big guy with a lot to lose. I know I won't be able to lose like this when I get closer to my ideal weight. But for now I feel better than I have in a long time. I don't feel like I am starving all the time. The weight loss is very motivating. Is it ok to just ride this out?
My diary is open if anyone wants to look.

Liftng4Lis

You lost 59 pounds in 4 months? Thats fantastic! Because you have so much to lose, I wouldn't be alarmed, as your rate will slow down. MFP is designed so you eat your exercise calories back and most people eat half (allows room for miscalculations). I would definitely do this, as you want to practice a sustainable, lifestyle change.

arrrrjt

If you don't ever eat over 1700 cal (aka not eating back your exercise or fitbit calories) then yes, you will lose more than the 2 lbs/week (as you are not sedentary). Creepin' your diary you are very consistent in eating under 1700 (congrats!) so yeah, the rapid weight loss is definitely not unexpected.

Amanda4change

As long as you aren't eating under your BMR (which if you are you should see side effects from after 30 days, which it doesn't sound like you are). You should be fine even though the loss is higher than (optimal for health). Keep in mind that as you lose weight the amount required to fuel your body will also decrease, so your calorie deficit will naturally reduce, thus reducing the amount lost per week. I say ride out the higher loss, and enjoy the benefits.

lfrazier2482

Thanks for the responses. I mostly wanted to make sure I wasn't doing my body serious harm. I am not going to worry about it and keep moving forward then.

Amanda4change

The biggest reasons large deficits are recommended against is because if you go below your BMR yes you will do damage to your body (the chance that your calorie intake is less than your BMR at 1630 is pretty much nonexistent. Secondly large deficits are very hard (in most cases) to maintain, because of the restriction. In your cases because you are a larger size you get a bigger deficit with out feeling overly restricted. On the other hand later down the line (since its easier for you now, and your getting a higher loss rate) it maybe harder when you are closer to your goal (as your size goes down so does your TDEE), which to get a deficit obviously decrease your daily intake limits.

segovm

So I did a half a pound a day loss for six months from 275 to 175 as a 5'8 42 year old guy without any issue.

In my experience it's actually easier to eat less / lose more when you are heavier because your body has all the extra fat to burn as fuel. I didn't really start getting hungry until I dropped down below 200 pounds.

For whatever it's worth, I started at about 1600-1900 a day for the first little bit before upping it to 2000-2200 a day as I got more exercise in (I rode my bike around for 4.5 hours a day most days).

As you get lighter you will need to eat less (harder for me) or move more (easier in my mind) to keep up the weight loss.

TimothyFish

The biggest problem with large calorie deficits is not getting enough nutrients. Fat tends to take up space rather than increase nutrient requirements, so the 1,500 minimum calorie requirement is about the same for all men, no matter how much fat they are carrying. (Though the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 1800 for men and 1200 for women.) But it isn't as simple as saying to keep your calories above 1500 and create as large of a deficit as you can with exercise. Exercise uses nutrients, so there's a point at which you must eat more in order to safely create a larger calorie deficit.

lfrazier2482

TimothyFish wrote: »

The biggest problem with large calorie deficits is not getting enough nutrients. Fat tends to take up space rather than increase nutrient requirements, so the 1,500 minimum calorie requirement is about the same for all men, no matter how much fat they are carrying. (Though the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 1800 for men and 1200 for women.) But it isn't as simple as saying to keep your calories above 1500 and create as large of a deficit as you can with exercise. Exercise uses nutrients, so there's a point at which you must eat more in order to safely create a larger calorie deficit.

Is there a way of determining when I should look into that? I am at 280 right now. I am working on slowly increasing my exercise. Is it something I am going to know because my body is telling me to eat more? Or is it something I should look into when my BMI decreases? Are there any kind of guidelines out there? I have searched and can't seem to find any.
Thanks,
Larry

katherine_startrek_fan

I think you may be losing too fast and may be losing lots of muscle, rather than just fat.

Also, is your excercize level sustainable? At the rate you are going, you may get burned out or mess up your metabolism by eating too little.

wkwebby

katherine_startrek_fan wrote: »

I think you may be losing too fast and may be losing lots of muscle, rather than just fat.

Also, is your excercize level sustainable? At the rate you are going, you may get burned out or mess up your metabolism by eating too little.

I agree with this. The exercise level (time - wise) may not be sustainable when you try and increase it. You sound like you already do quite a bit. Your best option would be to start researching other types of workouts when your loss begins to slow. The High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and weight lifting are both great ways to start to maintain the muscle you have while you're losing the fat.

Amanda4change

Here are a couple of links you may find useful:
Signs you are overtraining:
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/12-signs-youre-overtraining
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fawnia33.htm
http://www.muscleforlife.com/8-signs-of-overtraining/

Signs you aren't getting enough calories:
http://www.thereallife-rd.com/2013/11/4-signs-youre-not-eating-enough.html
http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/can-more-calories-equal-more-weight-loss.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/503094-risks-of-not-enough-calories/

Signs you aren't getting enough nutrients:
http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/malnutrition/overview.html
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malnutrition/Pages/Symptoms.aspxhttp://www.livestrong.com/article/18046-signs-symptoms-malnutrition/

lfrazier2482

aribeiro659 wrote: »

Here are a couple of links you may find useful:
Signs you are overtraining:
http://www.mensfitness.com/training/build-muscle/12-signs-youre-overtraining
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fawnia33.htm
http://www.muscleforlife.com/8-signs-of-overtraining/

Signs you aren't getting enough calories:
http://www.thereallife-rd.com/2013/11/4-signs-youre-not-eating-enough.html
http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/can-more-calories-equal-more-weight-loss.aspx
http://www.livestrong.com/article/503094-risks-of-not-enough-calories/

Signs you aren't getting enough nutrients:
http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/malnutrition/overview.html
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Malnutrition/Pages/Symptoms.aspxhttp://www.livestrong.com/article/18046-signs-symptoms-malnutrition/

Good stuff. Thank you. For now I think I am going to keep it about where it is. Maybe eating a bit more of my exercise calories. Try and focus a bit more on my macros. Look into making my exercise routine a bit more diverse. Thanks all for the responses.

Kalikel

Too much, too fast can be a problem, but usually isn't. That's one (of many) reasons to have a doctor oversee your weight loss.

There is also a theory that if you lose slower, your skin has more time to keep up, so you won't be left with as much loose skin. I know that when you start losing, loose skin doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you lose weight and still have bunches of gross, loose skin, you may feel differently (I do, lol.)

Congratulations on your awesome work! Good job!!

cw106

Kalikel wrote: »

Too much, too fast can be a problem, but usually isn't. That's one (of many) reasons to have a doctor oversee your weight loss.

There is also a theory that if you lose slower, your skin has more time to keep up, so you won't be left with as much loose skin. I know that when you start losing, loose skin doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you lose weight and still have bunches of gross, loose skin, you may feel differently (I do, lol.)

Congratulations on your awesome work! Good job!!

agree wholeheartedly.
i get 8 weekly review from doc,and added strength training for body shape/ loose skin.
lost 3-4 lbs weekly for two months,then 2lbs next month,now cut it to 1/2 lb as i approach goal.
you will also find as you reduce weight your daily calorie goal will reduce significantly too,so learn its ok to eat back up to 50% of exercise cals.your body will need that soon.
well done so far,and good luck down the line.

PeterSedesse

The other thing to keep in mind is how you feel mentally. One of the first signs of too big of a calorie deficit are things like headaches, problems concentrating, memory issues, confusion and irritability.

if you go see a doctor, one of the first things he is going to ask you is about your boss and wife. Those two people will usually be the first to give you hints that your weight loss (calorie deficit) is too much.

WalkingAlong

1% of your weight per week is a better max loss target than 2 lbs. for someone your size, I think. You're losing more than that but it'll most likely taper off soon.

Eating below BMR is not dangerous and I personally don't think an obese body is in a lot of danger of losing needed lean body mass before fat mass.

TheVirgoddess

aribeiro659 wrote: »

As long as you aren't eating under your BMR (which if you are you should see side effects from after 30 days, which it doesn't sound like you are). You should be fine even though the loss is higher than (optimal for health). Keep in mind that as you lose weight the amount required to fuel your body will also decrease, so your calorie deficit will naturally reduce, thus reducing the amount lost per week. I say ride out the higher loss, and enjoy the benefits.

I've been eating under my BMR for over 7 months now. Please tell me what side effects I should have started feeling 6 months ago. I'm dying to know.