Should i be sedentary or lightly active? Am i losing too quickly?

LaurenMT96
LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
edited April 2018 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
I have been on my weight loss journey for exactly 10 weeks. In this 10 weeks (10 weigh ins) I have lost 30lbs, 3lb a week almost every week. I didn't have a big loss at the start like most people do, i have lost 3lb every week consistently for 10 weeks. I do have PCOS so after many tries, what i'm doing seems to be finally working!

I have 70-80lbs to lose, i have set MFP to lose 2lb a week. and this has given me 1300 Calories/day.

So my question is, I have set myself to sedentary due to having an 8:30 - 5pm Desk job Monday - Friday.
I do also have horses which I tend to every night for well over an hour, Stable jobs mucking out, doing haynets, carrying 30L buckets etc etc. I stick to my calories Monday - Friday but do usually go slightly over at the weekend (by a couple of hundred but never over maintenance level), but i do spend a lot of time at the farm/out riding and walking etc on Sat & Sun.

I am also doing Stationary bike cardio twice a week and weights 2-3 times a week. Aswell as riding my horse 4-5 times per week. I always log my exercises and only eat them back on Saturdays & Sundays.

I am worried that I am losing weight too quickly, has anyone had a similar experience? When did it slow down? Should i be doing anything differently?


Replies

  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    If you're consistently losing 3lb per week, then yes you are losing too quickly. Your exercise has nothing to do with your activity level but the stable work will definitely put you way ahead of Sedentary.

    To lose 2lbs per week you need a 1000 calorie deficit daily, to lose 3lbs per week it's around 1500 calorie deficit daily, so you need to get around another 500 calories per day in (1lb of fat is equivalent to around 3500 calories).

    You would be wise to set yourself to at least Lightly Active or manually adjusting you calorie goal to just increase it by 500 cals per day.

    Thanks for this, i was wondering whether to let it continue until i hit 50lbs lost and then increase my calories, i have alot to lose :(
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,129 Member
    LaurenMT96 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    If you're consistently losing 3lb per week, then yes you are losing too quickly. Your exercise has nothing to do with your activity level but the stable work will definitely put you way ahead of Sedentary.

    To lose 2lbs per week you need a 1000 calorie deficit daily, to lose 3lbs per week it's around 1500 calorie deficit daily, so you need to get around another 500 calories per day in (1lb of fat is equivalent to around 3500 calories).

    You would be wise to set yourself to at least Lightly Active or manually adjusting you calorie goal to just increase it by 500 cals per day.

    Thanks for this, i was wondering whether to let it continue until i hit 50lbs lost and then increase my calories, i have alot to lose :(

    The problem with losing quicker is that you will likely lose muscle along the way too which will increase the possibility of loose skin, being in too high of a deficit can also mess with your hormones and it may not be sustainable long term.

    You may want to take a read through this thread, to understand the challenges that come with under-eating which is essentially what you'll be doing if you continue at as high a deficit http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    If you're consistently losing 3lb per week, then yes you are losing too quickly. Your exercise has nothing to do with your activity level but the stable work will definitely put you way ahead of Sedentary.

    To lose 2lbs per week you need a 1000 calorie deficit daily, to lose 3lbs per week it's around 1500 calorie deficit daily, so you need to get around another 500 calories per day in (1lb of fat is equivalent to around 3500 calories).

    You would be wise to set yourself to at least Lightly Active or manually adjusting you calorie goal to just increase it by 500 cals per day.

    Could not have said it better myself.
  • ap1972
    ap1972 Posts: 214 Member
    Why aren't you eating back exercise calories Mon-Fri?
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    That is a LOT of weight to lose, so quickly. In not even three months you have dropped 30 lbs. Definitely you should be eating back your exercise calories during the week. I would change the activity level to lightly active (at least) and then eat back the exercise calories.

  • SteamPug
    SteamPug Posts: 262 Member
    Yard work is hard work, definitely log and eat that back.
  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
    @SteamPug @lucerorojo @ap1972 @tinkerbellang83 Thanks guys!

    I am just confused as to what I should log Mon-Fri for my Stable work. i am there about an hour and i log it as 20 minutes of gardening, (closest i could think)? any other suggestions would be welcome!
    So as i'm not really sure of what i'm burning I don't like to eat them back.

    I have read alot of forums online with people saying that when they have alot of weight to lose like i do (70lb+)
    It comes off rapidly at first and then slows down, I was presuming this is what will happen to me, I read of people with 100lb + to lose, losing 4/5lbs every week.

    I am also not starving myself, i feel full and stronger than ever actually, I am sleeping so much better and having 4Litres of water every day.

    I might also add i have lost 21 inches from all over my body, waist hips bust etc, i feel and look alot better.

    Perhaps I will change my activity to Lightly Active. During the week i am struggling to meet my 1300 Calorie goal as it is.

    Does anyone else have a similar weight loss as mine? when did yours slow down? What did you change?

  • rezart
    rezart Posts: 12 Member
    Do not stop moving, do not even think about it...Just increase your protein and fat intake(maybe even carbs)...also, consult with your physician and do blood work, just to make sure everything is OK.
  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    LaurenMT96 wrote: »
    @SteamPug @lucerorojo @ap1972 @tinkerbellang83 Thanks guys!

    I am just confused as to what I should log Mon-Fri for my Stable work. i am there about an hour and i log it as 20 minutes of gardening, (closest i could think)? any other suggestions would be welcome!
    So as i'm not really sure of what i'm burning I don't like to eat them back.

    I have read alot of forums online with people saying that when they have alot of weight to lose like i do (70lb+)
    It comes off rapidly at first and then slows down, I was presuming this is what will happen to me, I read of people with 100lb + to lose, losing 4/5lbs every week.

    I am also not starving myself, i feel full and stronger than ever actually, I am sleeping so much better and having 4Litres of water every day.

    I might also add i have lost 21 inches from all over my body, waist hips bust etc, i feel and look alot better.

    Perhaps I will change my activity to Lightly Active. During the week i am struggling to meet my 1300 Calorie goal as it is.

    Does anyone else have a similar weight loss as mine? when did yours slow down? What did you change?

    I have as much to lose as you, I'm halfway there at the moment, but I prefer to lose at a much slower rate of 1lb per week because I want to lose it and learn how to keep it off, not just lose it and regain it.

    Why do you feel you are struggling to get in 1300 calories? that isn't really a lot of food, and you would have been eating far more than that to get to the point where you're needing to lose 70lbs. Eat some higher calorie foods, use a full fat version of something, add a little oil to something you're eating or have a calorie dense snack.

    I have basically swapped all of the processed food from our house to fresh meat and vegetables, My partner is also with me on this and I do feel like this is a lifestyle change and not just a diet.

    Mon-Fri we eat meat/Fish with veggies and rice and have a treat on the weekend e.g curry or spaghetti etc.

    Thanks for the tips i will try some full fat cheese, i love cheese lol.
  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
    rezart wrote: »
    Do not stop moving, do not even think about it...Just increase your protein and fat intake(maybe even carbs)...also, consult with your physician and do blood work, just to make sure everything is OK.

    I am eating alot of protein at the min, around 120g a day, but not alot of fat (around 25g during the week.)
    I may have to up the fat and see if that makes a difference. I had my bloods done before i started and everything was good for my age (22) the doctor said. I will ask for them again to see if anything has changed. Thanks!
  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
    veganbaum wrote: »
    LaurenMT96 wrote: »
    @SteamPug @lucerorojo @ap1972 @tinkerbellang83 Thanks guys!

    I am just confused as to what I should log Mon-Fri for my Stable work. i am there about an hour and i log it as 20 minutes of gardening, (closest i could think)? any other suggestions would be welcome!
    So as i'm not really sure of what i'm burning I don't like to eat them back.

    I have read alot of forums online with people saying that when they have alot of weight to lose like i do (70lb+)
    It comes off rapidly at first and then slows down, I was presuming this is what will happen to me, I read of people with 100lb + to lose, losing 4/5lbs every week.

    I am also not starving myself, i feel full and stronger than ever actually, I am sleeping so much better and having 4Litres of water every day.

    I might also add i have lost 21 inches from all over my body, waist hips bust etc, i feel and look alot better.

    Perhaps I will change my activity to Lightly Active. During the week i am struggling to meet my 1300 Calorie goal as it is.

    Does anyone else have a similar weight loss as mine? when did yours slow down? What did you change?

    Did you read the link tinkerbellang83 provided?

    The effects of undereating don't necessarily show up right away. Additionally, losing very quickly means more muscle mass lost, which nobody wants - you may just end up a squishier, smaller version of your current self.

    I am always a little confused by those who advise listening to your body, or when people say they feel great eating under their goal - if those of us who need to lose weight were good at listening to our bodies, we likely wouldn't be overweight. It might be a skill that can be developed through trying to practice intuitive eating, but I don't think it's something that just happens. While you may feel you can't accurately measure your stable work, you are clearly losing more that your goal per week. All of these numbers are estimates, use your data to adjust your calories to meet your goal. Losing weight quickly sounds great because everyone wants instant results, but there can be negative effects. You are not 100+ pounds overweight and really shouldn't be aiming for such a high rate of loss.

    ETA: I'm 5'8" and my highest weight was 212. Highest recommended weight for my height based on BMI is, I think, 165 or 168. I am now around 140 (been weighing in at 139.5 the past week). I lost too quickly in the beginning. I wish I knew then what I know now. My body fat percentage is higher than I would like, and probably higher than it would have been if I had slower weightloss throughout and either lifted weights or did bodyweight workouts throughout. I changed my goal to .5 lb/week a long time ago and over the past year I have lost about 25 pounds (or 24 or 27 or something, 25 for ease of reference), so pretty much right on track. That might seem slow to some, but I am 25 pounds lighter than I was a year ago. I weigh far less than I expected to. A small deficit has allowed me to lose that weight and I have built confidence that I will be able to maintain the loss, because I've had a good period of time to develop habits for my current weight.

    I did, it was very insightful. I think i will have to make some definite changes to the way I am viewing things.

    I have failed miserably at any attempt to lose weight before, but that's because i was sucked into fad dieting.
    I'm not doing this now, just old fashioned eating veggies and moving more, i do still allow myself a treat and if i want something then i will definitely have it.
    I'm not being super strict on myself or anything like that which is why i have been shocked at losing 3lb every week. I dread to think if i didn't have my weekend treats how much i would have lost! I will definitely up my activity level and start incorporating some higher calorie foods to my weekday meals.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    edited April 2018
    Well. Not much to add.

    What to add for food: healthy fats. 25g falls far short of a 0.35 to 0.45g per lb of healthy range target weight minimum.

    What to add for number of calories. Slightly more complicated.

    Based on rate of loss so far... about 500 or a tad more

    Based on mechanism of how... either increase activity level so that your average 500 Cal more while continuing to log exercise as you have. Or, log and EAT exercise so that on average per week you're eating 3 to 4k calories more on average than you have been.

    Use a trending weight app to gauge your weight change over time, especially when things start slowing down when you have less fat to lose in the future.

    In the meanwhile instead of pushing the rate of loss start thinking of long term sustainable ways of eating!

    Of course eating a protein and veggies will usually leave you more satiated than eating other things; but, over time, you may want to ensure you're accommodating some of these other items in your food repertoire!

    Great job so far. Now optimise instead of rush.

    And yes, if we were that good at listening to our bodies we probably would not have found out way here! :lol:
  • LaurenMT96
    LaurenMT96 Posts: 184 Member
    Thanks everyone! and @AnnPT77 I am 5"7 and my goal weight is around 160-170 but will re-evaluate when i get there.

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