Why is (carefully planned) rapid weight loss bad?

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  • michaelwyatt8262
    michaelwyatt8262 Posts: 17 Member
    Generally, you want to learn how to eat properly during and change the way you are eating to sustain a better more healthy weight. While I'm sure your way will work (if you have the will power to stick to it - I don't think I would) it's because when you are at matience you'll still have to adhere to portion control ect... this is a goal weight orientated way of eating. And while it's good to have a goal weight. Diets are not effective in weight management. Lifestyle changes are.
  • abbynormal52
    abbynormal52 Posts: 151 Member
    Just for me, it took a long time to store the fat I had going on 3 years ago. It took "not as long" to take it off, but for it to be fat-loss (stored fat) I had to follow a plan. That plan worked for me, as I lost almost on the dot, 1 lb per week, never got hungry, and did walk at least 4 times a week. I lost down to 118 which I think is a good amount, but with my added weight-training, the scale may go up which is ok with me. Muscle good, "too" much fat, bad.

    I didn't have a lot to lose I admit. I am 5'2", and "was" 144 which put me in the shape of a potato, with toothpicks for for legs sticking out. So maybe in some people, different skeletal structure, muscle-mass, this isn't heavy. But I am small-boned, and had little muscle to speak of.

    I started the em2wl, even though I wasn't into weight-training (and that has changed now, I love it, but light weights and building enough so no, more toothpicks :D )

    I gained back 10 because I got lazy, and started eating too much of the wrong things. Now I'm back on MFP to get rid of the 10 or so lbs, and strength-trainining/weight-training. None of this is easy, for anyone, but once I get it on track, I look better (the best I can) feel better, and can continue to eat the way I've eaten while losing the weight.

    I love following the TDEE number, it works for me, and I know so many others it is working for, and they had a lot more to take off than I had/have. Here's my fave link to calculate TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and find how much food I need to consume, according to "whatever" activities I do for exercise: https://damnripped.com/tdee-calculator/
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    1BlueAurora wrote: »
    My life is not an evidence-based study, but a personal example you can consider or not. I decided to lose weight quickly. I followed MFP, but set my rate of loss at 2 pounds per week. I actually lost 2 to 2.5 pounds per week, I was so enthusiastic about counting calories and exercising (more walks, starting to run, Zumba, yoga). I was a maniac. Here was the long-term result: I lost muscle. There was still plenty of fat to burn, and to me I don't need to understand the science completely because I can look at my body and see the results. My body chose to burn muscle, too. My bicep/tricep areas are relatively limp and pocked with holes where the muscle used to be. Not exactly the look I was going for. I'm still trying to regain what muscle I used to have. Sometimes it's just a few pushups using the kitchen counter while I'm waiting for water to boil.

    Here's another surprise: I started to lose my hair. I was eating "properly" - eggs, cheese, avocados, tons of vegetables, chicken, lean meats, fish, all that good stuff. BUT something wasn't apparently right nutrition-wise. Even months after I increased my calorie intake, my hair continued to fall out.

    Here's another example involving my good friend. She is extremely thin after years of dieting but no exercising. Four days ago she tripped on a crack in a sidewalk and fell. She fractured and dislocated one shoulder, and fractured her knee cap. She had surgery yesterday on the knee. She was told that she has osteoporosis, which made everything about her bone breakage worse. She was told that her lack of bone density could be related to not doing weight-bearing exercise.

    So, for a recap: (1) rapid weight loss is not everything one might hope. There are real drawbacks. (2) It would make some sense to do some exercise while you lose weight to retain muscle and increase bone strength. As overweight people have more weight to push around, you will definitely get some benefit by starting now with pushups, bicep curls, etc. etc. Don't wait to reach your goal weight to exercise!! Start it now.

    There is a good link I posted on page one or two that you should check out. You don't need to understand the science, but if you follow a structured lifting routine, eat adequate protein, and eat around maintenance, you can work on gaining some muscle. The key is consistency with training and diet. As you get stronger, you will have a greater chance of seeing muscle gains. At the very least, you will see improvements to your body.
  • abbynormal52
    abbynormal52 Posts: 151 Member
    1BlueAurora wrote: »
    My life is not an evidence-based study, but a personal example you can consider or not. I decided to lose weight quickly. I followed MFP, but set my rate of loss at 2 pounds per week. I actually lost 2 to 2.5 pounds per week, I was so enthusiastic about counting calories and exercising (more walks, starting to run, Zumba, yoga). I was a maniac. Here was the long-term result: I lost muscle. There was still plenty of fat to burn, and to me I don't need to understand the science completely because I can look at my body and see the results. My body chose to burn muscle, too. My bicep/tricep areas are relatively limp and pocked with holes where the muscle used to be. Not exactly the look I was going for. I'm still trying to regain what muscle I used to have. Sometimes it's just a few pushups using the kitchen counter while I'm waiting for water to boil.

    Here's another surprise: I started to lose my hair. I was eating "properly" - eggs, cheese, avocados, tons of vegetables, chicken, lean meats, fish, all that good stuff. BUT something wasn't apparently right nutrition-wise. Even months after I increased my calorie intake, my hair continued to fall out.

    Here's another example involving my good friend. She is extremely thin after years of dieting but no exercising. Four days ago she tripped on a crack in a sidewalk and fell. She fractured and dislocated one shoulder, and fractured her knee cap. She had surgery yesterday on the knee. She was told that she has osteoporosis, which made everything about her bone breakage worse. She was told that her lack of bone density could be related to not doing weight-bearing exercise.

    So, for a recap: (1) rapid weight loss is not everything one might hope. There are real drawbacks. (2) It would make some sense to do some exercise while you lose weight to retain muscle and increase bone strength. As overweight people have more weight to push around, you will definitely get some benefit by starting now with pushups, bicep curls, etc. etc. Don't wait to reach your goal weight to exercise!! Start it now.

    Thanks for telling your story on this Bluearora, I so hope many read it, and heed the dangers of rapid, weight-loss. I suppose there are exceptions, I just don't know of them;)
  • abbynormal52
    abbynormal52 Posts: 151 Member
    One important thing I've also learned, is whatever "plan" I have to lose fat, the calories I choose to eat, to lose, will go up 20%, for my plan. Am I willing to eat that amount the rest of my life, oh yeah, since mine will be just below 1700. I also plan to keep my macros the same.

    That's what I'll share with others is that important question, "are you willing to eat that way the rest of your life"? Something I had to think about before I got hold of the TDEE information.
  • abbynormal52
    abbynormal52 Posts: 151 Member
    try2again wrote: »
    candistyx wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    walk for exercise

    I don't know if walking counts as exercise really, it's not exactly hard work. Since having the kids I am only averaging 6000 steps a day (when carrying my phone - so outside, I don't carry it round in the house - when I used to have a wrist tracker I got 10-15k average, usually with one 30-35k day in there, in a hilly area, but that was before kids - my son can't walk far and carrying him is - as I mentioned - quite difficult).

    I am trying to get out more in the evenings when the kids are in bed but I feel super guilty because it means my husband is stuck alone at home feeling lonely. Like last night I went out for a walk but I rushed home because I felt bad for him.

    I really miss it though, my husband and I loved walking before we had kids, but the cost/logistics of getting childcare or the difficulty of carrying children for miles is hard to work with. I'd really like to build up to going mountaineering one day, I am genuinely sad at how trapped in the local area having kids makes us - you add in having to be home for nap time (so no whole days out just walking around anymore) - a bus or train to anywhere interesting to walk is an hour in itself so it's 2hrs round trip, getting him and the baby fed, dressed, ready etc is another 2hrs, at best you get a measly hour walk. We used to go for 6hrs or so. It's the one thing I regret about having kids - but I know once they're older and we build up some stamina we'll be able to get back into it (although I plan to have more so who knows when everything will fall into place...)

    Wow... because you can't go for a 6 hour walk, you won't walk at all? Just wow...

    I guess all of us with kids are just doomed :/

    Walking is my main form of cardio. I only walk 2 miles lately, but it's working none-the-less. I do longer periods of body-weight exercise, but it's not a lot right now. I'm still losing inches and lbs (1 inch is all, 2 lbs so far). But if I weren't doing something right, I wouldn't have lost the weight, and felt so energetic. I exercise every-other-day, and sometimes I take 2 days off, but stick with my "goal" of calories and still lost 2 lbs.

    On weighing, I weigh first thing in the a.m. before I "break my fast" (breakfast). Naked, and even before water, and I get my bottom number. After I lose a lb or two, I measure my areas I chose like my waist which makes me most aware of fat-gain. That's something to remember too. We are "fasting" when we sleep, that why the first thing I do is drink about 8 ounces of water, because that gets my organs ready to start their work. I heard that somewhere, can't recall where but I practice it.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    I did not read all the comments, so here is my 2 cents. Lyle McDonald talks about intermittent caloric restriction. People diet 2 days a week, high deficits around 25% of maintenance, then eat maintenance the other 5. So much like 5/2 fasting I guess.
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