Rapid weight loss??

FL_Hiker

Hi all,
I started my weight loss journey on Monday and I was 144.4 lbs (5'5 female), it's now Friday and I'm down to 138.8 (5.6 lb loss)?! I set my fitness pal for 2 lbs weight loss per week, I've been eating 1200 calories per day and hiking/running most of this week. I haven't been including my exercise in my diary because I don't use a tracker so I didn't want to be inaccurate. I'm happy it's coming off so fast but I'm wondering if it was just water retention or something? Or because I'm just starting off? I haven't felt hungry at all this week. I also have hashimotos disease and just started back on my medication last week... I'm just curious of "why"? And what should I expect next week? That's crazy!

janejellyroll

It's really common to drop weight quickly at the beginning of a new weight loss program. That is probably part of what you're seeing. 2 pounds a week is too aggressive for your current weight though, especially if you aren't going to be eating back your exercise calories (as MFP is designed for you to do). I'd be concerned that the plan you've picked isn't really sustainable and it's not going to ensure you meet your needs for energy and nutrition.

stanmann571

Pretty normal, if you've changed lots of stuff in your diet.

It will probably continue for another 10-14 days and you'll have a brief 7-14 day pause where your body plays a bit of catch up, and then It will be a bit more consistent from there on out.

FL_Hiker

Thanks Jane I will have to take that into account. It's weird I feel like I have a ton of energy this week too. I haven't felt tired at all. What's the best fitness tracker out there that's affordable ?

stanmann571

FL_Hiker wrote: »

Thanks Jane I will have to take that into account. It's weird I feel like I have a ton of energy this week too. I haven't felt tired at all. What's the best fitness tracker out there that's affordable ?

That's pretty normal too. Excitement/adrenaline from changing stuff up and taking charge.

What's your budget?

kshama2001

A lot of that probably was water and you'll likely not have nearly as big a drop next week.

However, do eat more. You can use the entries in the MFP exercise database and only eat 50% of them if that makes you feel more comfortable. If you don't eat back exercise calories, you are not using MFP the way it was designed.

Also, how many pounds do you want to lose? At 5'5" and 139 it can't be that large an amount. Most likely, a weekly weight loss goal of 0.5 pounds per week is more suitable for the amount of weight you want to lose.

I agree with Jane's concern "that the plan you've picked isn't really sustainable and it's not going to ensure you meet your needs for energy and nutrition."

kshama2001

Hair loss won't show up for a few months after under eating begins.

What Are the Risks of Rapid Weight Loss?

Rapid weight loss creates physical demands on the body. Possible serious risks include:

• Gallstones, which occur in 12% to 25% of people losing large amounts of weight over several months
• Dehydration, which can be avoided by drinking plenty of fluids
• Malnutrition, usually from not eating enough protein for weeks at a time
• Electrolyte imbalances, which rarely can be life threatening

Other side effects of rapid weight loss include:

• Headaches
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Constipation
• Menstrual irregularities
• Hair loss
• Muscle loss

Go_Deskercise

Hi friend!

2 lbs/week is way too aggressive for the little weight you have left to lose.

I am 5' 5" and started my weight loss at 140lbs. I was/am eating 1360 calories daily with 1/2 lbs/week loss
However, I have my activity level at sedentary as I work a desk job. I am down to 127 lbs and dropping slowly.
Please eat more than 1200 calories. That is only the bare minimum allowed by MFP and only for the vertically challenged and the older crowd.

Slowly is better because you are teaching yourself how to do this for the long term instead of crash dieting to lose weight as fast as possible just to gain it back again.

FL_Hiker

Wow thanks guys!! Didn't realize 2 lbs was too aggressive.. I just figured get it off as quick as possible lol. My goal is 115-120, just so I can fit into my old clothes again I hate shopping. My real goal is to have more endurance again, I miss being able to run and swim for miles! And I want to be healthy, I missed eating veggies and fruits (husband hates them!) We've lived off of McDonald's cheese burgers for like the past 5 years it feels like. My budget for the fitness monitor would be under $100, under $50 if something exists that cheap and still functions well.. I had a garmin but gave it away because it was too big and bothered me. Something small would be great!

stanmann571

I'm a fan of the misfit line as well as garmin. Misfit makes some great inexpensive trackers that can be gotten in NOS(New Old Stock) sales on Amazon or Ebay under $50. Just make sure it's actually new.

janejellyroll

FL_Hiker wrote: »

Thanks Jane I will have to take that into account. It's weird I feel like I have a ton of energy this week too. I haven't felt tired at all. What's the best fitness tracker out there that's affordable ?

Yeah, the energy boost of new diets is real! Enjoy it.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but I've got a Fitbit Charge HR 2 and it works really well for me. You can also use an app on your phone (if you carry one) when you're doing your walking/hiking and see if that works for you. I've used MapMyRun, it's free.

Edit: Saw you posted your budget. For $50, I think I would just use a free app to track my walks/runs and save the money.

pinggolfer96

It’s initially water weight and glycogen retention being released

DancingMoosie

I don't think you really need a fitness tracker. I started at around 150 and got down to 110 without using a tracker or food scale. I found MFP to be pretty accurate at estimating my calories burned, except for kickboxing(TurboJam) which I found to be inflated. I tried a few other sites to estimate calories burned, and it was helpful to compare perceived effort to running to get a good estimate. I think I started at 1350 calories, bumped it to 1600 for a while, and then was recommended 1800 by a doctor after going to ER for low HR and BP. I was careful to measure with cups and spoons and didn't eat much bread or spreads at the time. I mostly ate produce, tuna, chicken breast, yogurt, or bars with a label.

kshama2001

I didn't bother replacing my FitBit after I lost it because I didn't think it added much value. It was more of an interesting toy than an essential aid to weight loss.

I'm back to using the MFP database. I can't eat 100% of my exercise calories. Haven't figure out the exact # but it is somewhere in between 50 and 100%.

Beware of the MapMy* app calorie burns - those can be double the (already possibly somewhat inflated) MFP values.

I still have the pedometer I got from my doctor and use it on walks more out of curiosity than anything else. It's not "smart", but it was free for me, and under $20 on Amazon - https://smile.amazon.com/Omron-HJ-321-Tri-Axis-Alvita-Pedometer/dp/B007ZWIJR2/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1527898206&sr=8-4&keywords=omron+pedometer

Lillymoo01

janejellyroll wrote: »

FL_Hiker wrote: »

Thanks Jane I will have to take that into account. It's weird I feel like I have a ton of energy this week too. I haven't felt tired at all. What's the best fitness tracker out there that's affordable ?

Yeah, the energy boost of new diets is real! Enjoy it.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but I've got a Fitbit Charge HR 2 and it works really well for me. You can also use an app on your phone (if you carry one) when you're doing your walking/hiking and see if that works for you. I've used MapMyRun, it's free.

Edit: Saw you posted your budget. For $50, I think I would just use a free app to track my walks/runs and save the money.

I agree with this just use either MapMyRun or MapMyWalk and sync it straight into MFP. Eat back at least 50% of those calories back although I would push it to 75% if it were me.