Can you lose weight "too fast"?
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73CL350
Posts: 259 Member
What's the real risk ? Is it the loss of muscle? Anything else?
I'm down 16 lbs in 32 days and wondering what the potential issues are. Obviously starter water weight is a big chunk.
5' 8" male
SW 186
CW169.2
GW ~149 (acrual goal is 12.5% BF)
I'm down 16 lbs in 32 days and wondering what the potential issues are. Obviously starter water weight is a big chunk.
5' 8" male
SW 186
CW169.2
GW ~149 (acrual goal is 12.5% BF)
4
Replies
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https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/rapid-weight-loss#1Rapid 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
11 -
Yes, you can. You will likely lose more muscle than necessary. A lot of what you've lost has been water. Once you start to eat at maintenance, you will gain it back. If your focus is on losing weight, you're doing a great job. If your focus is on losing fat, you need to change what you're doing.9
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I lost that quickly for about twice that long. I regret it. It took a lot of work when I got down to goal to get fit again. I had to build back some of the muscle I lost. That was the fist half of my loss and I slowed down for the last half after joining mfp. Besides it being physically better, it made it easier to go into maintenance when I came into it slowly already eating the fod I continue to eat; I was just eating a little less of it.7
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Did you go low carb? If so, then yeah, a good chunk of that will be glycogen and water. Figure 8-10 lbs of water lost, 6-8 lbs of other weight (fat and muscle) and it doesn't look as bad.6
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@jemhh ...I love this! I tell ppl at my office to stop obsessing over weight loss and start talking about fat reduction.
... but it's hard to directly measure : / it's easy to see scale changes.
I'm guessing I just lost a larger than expected amount if water weight. I havent been THAT deficit.
And I'll focus on nutritious foods and wont sweat it too much.
I TRY to go "lower" carbs. Aiming for 50g carbs a day but not worrying if I have a day that's 100.
I'm trying to just keep it simple, and wait until I'm hungry to eat.
I started working out yesterday and my November goal is establish a workout routine so hopefully I can preserve muscle as best as possible and I'll probably hold some extra water for a while.
Thank you all for the thoughtful replies2 -
I lost the first twenty pounds really fast--almost a pound a day at first. I am not patient with the slower losses now, but I'm getting used to it. I really feel my body needs this time to adjust. My balance is changing, along with my energy, illnesses I was dealing with, and even how I regulate my temperature. I don't ever want to go back, and I've still got a lot of weight to lose. I'm counting calories, and it's working wonders. I have such a tiny allowance I have to be careful with my choices. I've had people warn me about losing too fast, but I needed that at first. Psychologically I needed to know the effort was worth it.
Now that it's slowing down, I'm looking at other things to get me where I want to be. I just started riding my bicycle again. I'm more conscious of my body, and if I'm hungry I eat--regardless of the calories. It's a marathon, not a sprint.2 -
I have been associate with TWO individuals who both had fatal heart attacks after losing a tremendous amount of weight. working out very very hard and eating not quite enough in a very short time frame. WITH THE SAME TRAINER...I think that trainer should have his business license pulled.13
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I guess I need to say "yes its 17 lbs in 33 days ... but its 10 lbs of water"
So more like 7 lbs in 33 days which is what I could expect if I just kept everything the same. And is reasonable.0 -
Most of it should be water and will begin to regulate as you get into a more set routine that you body is used to. As long as you are doing it safely and making sure you are hitting your calories and macros each day then all should be good. Well done though, sounds like you are on track to reach you goal wait if you keep working!1
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Reasonable, but I would check your overall goals first as you may be sacrificing a larger goal for short term success in a smaller goal. If you intend to retain or develop muscle this may hurt you.
Implementing a progressive resistance program will minimize muscle loss during deficit.
Slow down and ensure your plan suits your goals.7 -
I had a friend in college on a very low calorie diet lose 68 pounds in 3 months. At that point she lost her menstrual cycle and her body shape changed to have less curves and look more prepubescent. Her parents pulled her out of school and she was treated for several months for malnutrition and an eating disorder. I saw her a year later back at school. She and I chatted about how she was doing. She said looking back at what she did felt a bit crazy. However she ended up changing her major to Nutrition and had a new found desire to help others avoid her path.13
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What's the real risk ? Is it the loss of muscle? Anything else?
I'm down 16 lbs in 32 days and wondering what the potential issues are. Obviously starter water weight is a big chunk.
5' 8" male
SW 186
CW169.2
GW ~149 (acrual goal is 12.5% BF)
See bolded....I hit 12% (or below) at 172 and I'm 2" shorter than you. You may lose weight fast, but BF% change may not be as drastic as you hope.5 -
https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/rapid-weight-loss#1Rapid 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
Decreased sex drive and inability to get the little guy to salute.12 -
The real risk is the malnourishment that come from not eating enough. I'm not sure about the problems that may be caused by the actual weight coming off of your body, but being malnourished, even when overweight, can cause all kinds of problems.2
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I guess I need to say "yes its 17 lbs in 33 days ... but its 10 lbs of water"
So more like 7 lbs in 33 days which is what I could expect if I just kept everything the same. And is reasonable.
How much of the loss was in the first two weeks, and how much since? If it wasn't heavily front-loaded, you might want to rethink your assumption that it's mostly water.5 -
The thing is I'm eating a 500 cal deficit so I dont know why it's such a stark loss.
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I think you must be eating more than a 500 calorie deficit. You stated in another thread that you're eating 1300-1600 calories a day.
What are your activity levels like?8 -
With your rate of loss, you are not eating at a 500 calorie deficit. There is something wrong in the way you entered your data into MFP. Unless you are very short? And the nutritional minimum for a male is 1500 calories.7
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The thing is I'm eating a 500 cal deficit so I dont know why it's such a stark loss.
Why are all the dates on the horizontal axis the same? Over what period did you lose that weight? If that's 33 days, that really doesn't look like it's water-weight driven.
How did you calculate your maintenance level to decide that you're at a 500 cal deficit?5 -
Only thing i can figure is i put not active but I am active. I do not eat my exercise calories back.
Here is the chart in a 2 month axis:
2
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