Losing 3 lbs a week?

candyroberts93

This is my first post here. I'm 23, 5'10", and at my heaviest I weighed in at 300. I'm down to 286.6 now and fairly rapidly losing weight.

I've read that you should lose your weight slowly, about 1-2 pounds a week. I eat 1400 calories a day right now. Yet I continue to lose weight somewhat quickly.

My metabolism is very slow. My A1C is 6, which is the motivating factor behind my weight loss goals. 6.5 is the type 2 diabetes mark. My mom is a type 1 diabetic so my chances of ending up diabetic myself are very high.

I guess my main question is, should this be something to worry about? The weight seems to come off easily, which is good, but it comes off quicker than the recommended amount per week. A friend of mine lost weight very quickly and ended up with gall stones and had to have surgery. She mentioned that the doctor said it was due to her rapid weight loss.

size102b

I'd up your calories simply as you at goal won't be able to eat many as your body will get used to low calories
I eat 1400-1500 I'm 202 lbs I lose 1-2 lbs a week but I know I can eat probably 1800 at goal

Well done for your loss

I lost 63lbs last year 45 of them 3 months I got really ill gained it back in 4 months well 38 lbs of it

girlinahat

Being very overweight means you are more likely to lose initial weight quickly. If it's your first couple of weeks at this, much of it will be waterweight.

However, you would be better off increasing your calories to a level where you are still losing (up to 2lbs a week but slow that down as you get closer to goal). Increasing calories means you are more likely to stick to a diet, and won't start getting fatigued. A good rule of thumb might be to work out what calories you need at your GOAL weight, and eat those. You'll lose slowly, but you'll get used to a 'normal' amount of food.

jemhh

1% of bodyweight is a safe maximum rate of loss. Your rate doesn't alarm me (and FWIW, I'm a huge proponent of eating as much as possible while losing.) As you lose more, you will find your losses slowing and likely at some point way down the line the rate will decrease greatly.

heiliskrimsli

I lost quickly like that early on, and the absolute pounds per week loss has dropped off as I've gotten closer to my goal, but what hasn't changed much has been the rate of weight loss as a percentage of body weight.

If your energy level is good and you're getting the nutrients you need, there's nothing wrong with losing 1% of your overall body weight per week.

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fitmom4lifemfp

A the others said, the heavier you are, the faster the rate of weight loss can happen. And of course the first week, it;s pretty much water weight that goes first. I think you are doing fine. You rate will eventually slow, so be prepared for that.

JeromeBarry1

Your metabolism is not slow, and you're not doing anything that will make your NEAT become slow. The simple fact is that you've got 150+ pounds to lose and it's easy to lose them on 1400 calories/day. Keep losing weight, but be aware that you are at risk of developing loose skin. Search this site for discussions about "loose skin".
You could, if you chose, raise your calorie intake to 2400/day and continue losing for a while, but eventually your weight would fall to the point at which 2400 is maintenance and you'd have to drop it down to 1900 to continue losing. I lack knowledge if that way prevents loose skin.

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Tacklewasher

I was ~ 330 when I started in December and, unintentionally, lost pretty quick as well. ~ 15 lbs a month for the first 3 months. It slowed down to 10 per month and now I seem to be hitting the 2 lb per week (except this week, it's been a *kitten*).

I'm also worried about gallstones. Never had them, don't have family history of them but sure as hell don't want them. After readin that they are a concern with weight loss, I'm making sure not to go too fast.

A rule of thumb that gets posted here is

2 lb for over 75 to lose
1.5 will be good for between 75-50lbs to lose.
Move to 1 lbs a week once you are down to the last 50lbs to lose.
Once you hit the last 20 look at changing to .5.

Another rule of thumb is 1% of your bodyweight.

I guess the question is what does MFP give you for a calorie goal and to lose 2 lb per week. I'd hit that plus 50-75% of your exercise calories and see how close you come to the 2 lb loss. 1400 does seem low, but I'm a guy so my cals won't be comparable.

jemhh

The only connection between fast losses and loose skin is the skin's shrinkage rate not keeping up with fat loss. In the end, once a couple of years have passed, it makes no difference. Plus, it still happens with slower losses. I lost 52 lbs over the course of a full year and experienced it.

Furthermore, at a certain point you have to expect loose skin when greatly overweight. That should absolutely NOT be a deterrent to losing weight though.

isabellapanzica9387

Dont worry about it. The weight loss will slow down with the more you lose.

medic2038

At 286 you COULD go higher calorie wise, and still have a decent deficit. If you're happy with your results, and you're OK eating what you're eating though, no need to change anything.

As others have said the larger you are, the more you can lose at the start. It will slow down as you get leaner, and you'll have to adjust your diet at some point. 2% per week seems to be about the standard maximum most people use, and at your weight you're looking at 5-6lbs/week max.

JaydedMiss

medic2038 wrote: »

At 286 you COULD go higher calorie wise, and still have a decent deficit. If you're happy with your results, and you're OK eating what you're eating though, no need to change anything.

As others have said the larger you are, the more you can lose at the start. It will slow down as you get leaner, and you'll have to adjust your diet at some point. 2% per week seems to be about the standard maximum most people use, and at your weight you're looking at 5-6lbs/week max.

I dont think its okay to tell her she can lose 5-6 pounds a week if i were the OP and heard that id likely try for it...

3 a week is fine Your doing good i wont bother repeating what all the above have said but theyve said good stuff, Listen to em

amyepdx

Recalculate your calorie goal at your current weight and use that - 1400 is too low and you are correct that losing too fast can lead to gallstones and other problems. Eat back about half your exercise calories and if you are weighing your food and logging correctly, you'll continue to lose 2 lbs a week. It's so much more sustainable for the long run and you will miss those calories later! I started at 267 eating 1760 plus exercise and lost 2 lbs a week for quite awhile. As you lose, your calories will drop and you'll need to adjust down to 1 lb a week. I've been able to keep losing for 2 years now because of a sustainable deficit. 93 lbs and counting!
You are off yo a great start so give yourself the best opportunity to keep at it!

TheCupcakeCounter

I think it is somewhat normal to lose that much early on. It will start to slow down and that is when it tends to get discouraging for some. Looks like you won't be in that group so best of luck to you and keep up the good work!

rachelr1116

I'm 5'11" and weigh 100 lbs less than you. I've lost 51 lbs and don't think I ever had a goal of less than 1500 calories. I'd recommend using MFP to set your goal to lose 2 lbs per week and eat that amount of calories. Yes, some of the initial loss is most likely water weight but really at your height and weight there's no reason to be eating so little.

earlnabby

How long have you been losing? The first few weeks are going to be fast, then it slows down a bit. You may even have a small gain 3-5 weeks in because your body tends to drop too much water weight at the beginning, then it regulates itself again.

I am 5'7", currently 274 lb and I eat 1800 calories to lose 1 lb a week. If you are concerned or the weight keeps dropping at this rate I would up your calories a bit but at our weight, fast loss at the beginning is not concerning as long as you are not hungry and you feel good. Weight loss should give us very obese people more energy, not less.

MichelleLaree13

Many things can affect weight loss in the beginning of dieting. Are you eating lower sodium? I can lose 5 lbs overnight by eating a lower sodium diet for a day (think homemade food vs salty take out). Having less food in your body at a time will also weigh less. These types of numbers do affect the scale but arent considered bad types of weight loss, even if it happens overnight

candyroberts93

earlnabby wrote: »

How long have you been losing? The first few weeks are going to be fast, then it slows down a bit. You may even have a small gain 3-5 weeks in because your body tends to drop too much water weight at the beginning, then it regulates itself again.

I am 5'7", currently 274 lb and I eat 1800 calories to lose 1 lb a week. If you are concerned or the weight keeps dropping at this rate I would up your calories a bit but at our weight, fast loss at the beginning is not concerning as long as you are not hungry and you feel good. Weight loss should give us very obese people more energy, not less.

It's been about 2 weeks now since I started. I do feel hungry at 1400 calories a day right now, I may have to up my caloric intake.

size102b

Be really careful eating exercise calories it so hard to know the honest amount we are burning off

candyroberts93

rachelr1116 wrote: »

I'm 5'11" and weigh 100 lbs less than you. I've lost 51 lbs and don't think I ever had a goal of less than 1500 calories. I'd recommend using MFP to set your goal to lose 2 lbs per week and eat that amount of calories. Yes, some of the initial loss is most likely water weight but really at your height and weight there's no reason to be eating so little.

That makes sense...right now MFP has me at 1670 according to my current weight, my height and how active I am. I might try that and see how it works out.

TimothyFish

It is unlikely that your metabolism is anything but normal. If you are losing more than 1% of your weight per week, you should eat more.

earlnabby

candyroberts93 wrote: »

rachelr1116 wrote: »

I'm 5'11" and weigh 100 lbs less than you. I've lost 51 lbs and don't think I ever had a goal of less than 1500 calories. I'd recommend using MFP to set your goal to lose 2 lbs per week and eat that amount of calories. Yes, some of the initial loss is most likely water weight but really at your height and weight there's no reason to be eating so little.

That makes sense...right now MFP has me at 1670 according to my current weight, my height and how active I am. I might try that and see how it works out.

You have a long road ahead of you (as do I) so starting off conservative and figuring it out as you progress is the better way to do it.

nutmegoreo

The majority of my thoughts have been covered. One comment though. You are losing at a rate that is not surprising considering your target calories. I suggest doing away with the "my metabolism is slow" soundtrack in your head. First, that doesn't appear to be the case, and second, it doesn't serve you any good. Really it's a back up excuse in case this doesn't work. Let go of the excuse, enjoy the sense of power in knowing it's in your hands.