Why does weight come off faster and easier on obese people then others who are not as big?

Jonestiarra2013

Why is that very obese people (like myself who is about 100lbs overweight ) lose weight easier and faster then someone who is say only 50lbs or less overweight? My friend and I started our diet and fitness plan at the same time and both eating clean foods and smaller portions but im losing weight alot faster then she is and she has less fat then I do!

DeguelloTex

A lot of it is because heavy people burn more calories just being alive. Part of it is calorie partitioning.

NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner

I'd assume that the amount of fat available to burn would have something to do with it too.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

The more body mass you have, the more calories you have to eat to maintain that mass. If someone who is 100 lbs overweight can eat 2500 calories a day to maintain all the extra body mass, then cutting to 1400-1500 calories is a 1,000-calorie deficit, and the weight comes off faster. The less you weigh, the less calories your body needs to maintain. If you lose 50 lbs, and your maintenance level drops to 2,000 calories, then eating 1400-1500 calories a day puts you closer to a 500-calorie deficit, and the weight comes off more slowly.

SianOdell

The heavier u r the more calories u burn in resting mode and when u do activity. (carrying more weight around burns more calories). That is why when on a diet your calorie intake in order to lose weight reduces as u lose weight. However muscle weighs more than fat and in resting mode the more muscles u have built the more calories u burn in resting mode too (ie doing nothing). Men have more muscle than women so it is also easier for most men to lose weight than it is for women simply cos their bodies have more muscle than women.As u lose weight your weight loss will slow down.

Jonestiarra2013

I just always assumed the more fat you have the longer and harder it would be to come off....im definitely not complaining tho lol im Just very curious

ACyclingAdmin

So I dropped down 2.5 lbs recently, now I have to eat 20 or so calories less per day. As the weight goes down, so does your intake of calories. When your BMR is already pretty low it's harder to eat even less accurately.

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DeguelloTex

Jonestiarra2013 wrote: »

I just always assumed the more fat you have the longer and harder it would be to come off....im definitely not complaining tho lol im Just very curious

Longer, probably so, because you have more of it. Harder, probably not, at least until you get down to the weight of the person to whom you're comparing yourself, because you burn more just being alive.

CaitlinW19

Jonestiarra2013 wrote: »

I just always assumed the more fat you have the longer and harder it would be to come off....im definitely not complaining tho lol im Just very curious

It varries greatly. Some people can workout hard, eat right and not lose for months...most people will tell you the last 10 or 15 are the hardest and slowest to lose, which can be pretty frustrating/disheartening as I'm sure you can imagine. In general though, people with more to lose "should" be at it longer.

_cdaley

Jonestiarra2013 wrote: »

I just always assumed the more fat you have the longer and harder it would be to come off....im definitely not complaining tho lol im Just very curious

It will most likely come off significantly faster at first but then slow down. I had less to lose, 20-25 lbs, but it came off faster in the beginning for me too. Now that I'm down to my last 4 lbs (or 9, if I don't like how I look when I lose the 4) it is coming off much more slowly. But, I'm either maintaining or losing each week, so it's all good! When it slows down for you as you get closer to your goal, don't give up! And, if you stop losing, tighten up your logging or know that it is because you are not in a deficit anymore. Weeks that I don't lose are not a mystery- I ate at maintainence that week! Good luck

cwolfman13

Jonestiarra2013 wrote: »

I just always assumed the more fat you have the longer and harder it would be to come off....im definitely not complaining tho lol im Just very curious

it will be longer because you have more actual weight to lose. It will slow down as you lose weight.

rainbowbow

Because they have a higher BMR and burn significantly more calories just at rest. It takes much more energy just to keep them alive at that size.

VioletLemon

well its not for me- Im 340 and I have lost only 10lbs in 35 days. Im eating 1600-1800 cals a day, and swimming every day for an hour- burning loads of calories. I know people who are my size that have lost three times as much as me doing the same. Metabolism, age and genetics at work I guess

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rainbowbow

VioletLemon wrote: »

well its not for me- Im 340 and I have lost only 10lbs in 35 days. Im eating 1600-1800 cals a day, and swimming every day for an hour- burning loads of calories. I know people who are my size that have lost three times as much as me doing the same. Metabolism, age and genetics at work I guess

Inaccurate calorie counting would be my guess.

holly55555

rainbowbow wrote: »

It takes much more energy just to keep them alive at that size.

^^

I'm thin and just trying to build muscle/lose fat and while I'm down 10 lbs since January, I'm basically at a standstill weight-wise now. It's barely changed in the last month or two. But my measurements are getting smaller so there's that. But it's an excruciatingly slow process at the end!

stealthq

Jonestiarra2013 wrote: »

I just always assumed the more fat you have the longer and harder it would be to come off....im definitely not complaining tho lol im Just very curious

The rate of loss is more comparable if you think of it in percentages. The time it takes you to lose 10% vs the time it takes her to lose 10%.

But yes, it will be longer and harder for you to get it all off. Your friend is starting ahead of you. You still need to catch up, lol.

RHachicho

The more fat you have the more calories that fat can mobilize. Think of fat as a farm. If the field is bigger it can produce a bigger crop. Because each lb of fat can potentially produce the same amount of energy. This is also why when you get down to very low body fat percentages losing fat weight becomes so hard. Because no matter what you do your bodies capacity to burn calories from fat becomes limited.

This is why people who are already slim and try and desperately lower their intake to get rid of fat sometimes end up looking emaciated. They do lose the weight but the body is forced to burn muscle and fat to sustain itself. This is a definite trap some people fall into. If you want a really good looking body you need to be patient keep your deficit modest. And probably exercise a lot. Exercise has a huge impact on whether you look athletic and toned or stick thin. Remember being overweight or obese is bad for your body. But but being underweight or emaciated is actually worse for your body than either of those. One should of course aim to be healthy. But over nourished is always healthier than undernourished at comparable severity. I'm not saying being a land whale is healthier than being a little under weight.

This also means that obese people can get away with far higher deficits. People aren't generally advised to carry a deficit larger than 500 calories. But someone who is morbidly obese could generate 1200 - 1500 calories a day just from their fat. Meaning they could carry that deficit and lose no lean tissue.