Cautionary tale - don't lose weight too fast!

LiminalAscendance

I think sometimes we're at such a race to get to goal we forget about everything and just focus on numbers - number on the scale, number of calories, grams of fat, sugar etc. I managed to lose a lot of weight by eating a significant amounts of rubbish (chocolate, sweets, diet fizzy drinks etc) and exercising excessively - I was walking about 14 miles a day 4 or 5 days a week or running 6 - 8 miles. I ate back few of my exercise calories as I was in a race to the finish.

I did succeed - my current weight loss is 68lbs and I started in April (getting to goal in October). But there was a price to pay - my hair fell out and is in such bad shape I couldn't get a perm (and my hair is my thing). I only have about 2 or 3 toenails - a lot fell off with running, but some just fell off. My skin which has always been good is drier than it should be and I have flaky skin on my eye lids (not attractive). I had in between bleeding that meant I had to constantly "be prepared". I felt faint often and one morning I fainted at the top of my stairs and ended up with cactus spikes in my arm (knocking the cactus off). Although I didn't feel tired I didn't feel great. I have saggy skin in places which will never "bounce back". My sleep started getting affected as well - tired insomnia!

So now I am at goal - would I have lost weight at an average of 3lbs per week if I knew all this? No I wouldn't, because now I need to change my diet totally to nourish my poor body and get it back to health...

Don't be in such a hurry - it's a marathon and not a sprint....

Of course your hair will fall out if you don't understand the importance of basic nutrition.

Your hair will also fall out on 5,000 calories a day if you don't know how to eat properly.

rosemary98

Because there are so many people on this site spouting a lot of hooey about how losing that fast is not harmful.

All this demonstrates that a diet of crap is a bad idea. It doesn't say anything about rate of loss per se.

I agree with this statement. If you are going to embark on a high loss diet (assuming you were signficiantly overweight to begin with), nutrition is key. Every calorie counts--in terms of geting the most out of those calories, nutrition-wise. It sounds like you were malnourished prior to starting...and that never changed.

However, It does sound like you have an eating disorder at this point (maybe you did before). a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that a particular bmi=eating disorder. It is much more about the way you think about your body and obsession to be thin (even if it is harming you).

I hope you find some help and start to nourish your body.

Thank you for posting this.

hazeljordan1974

This is terrifying. Please go to your doctor. Thank you for posting this warning.

I've been to her already - she told me to take in electrolytes after exercise which I did. She checked for anemia which I don't have. I went for an internal to search for polyps - which I don't have. I'll go again but I know it is all diet related - you can't lose a stone a month for 4 1/2 months without impacting on health.

suzyfj8

Thank you for sharing your story, I did not realise that losing weight that fast could cause those problems

902sexxi

Thank you for being so upfront and honest about what you went through. It's certainly put things into perspective for me because sometimes I get so obsessed at the numbers and wanting to lose the weight that I forget that slow and steady is the best way to go. Your post has help me realize that this is a lifelong marathon.

Dancing_Laeti

Thank you very much for this post!
I've been playing around with my daily calorie goal all day, thinking of increasing it, but I still have a bit to lose before Christmas, but reading this, I will go up to 1400 per day. The deficit will still be big enough and I should be able to eat more happily!
Thank you again.

MyFriendLinn

Hazel, I am soooooooooo very sorry to hear your story. I hope your health is improving!

But 3 lbs a week, is just one lb over the recommended 2 lb average. May I ask what you ate? Were you eating nutritional food-fruits and veggies? Were you eating processed food? Were you taking vitamins?

Every week, we watch people on The Biggest Loser and other weight loss shows. People who go to Drs programs are loosing 3 to 5 lbs on metafast and other supervised programs and don't experience this type of reaction to a fast weight loss.

Have you been to see a Doctor? I sense something else is going on in your body and I urge you to visit your doctor.

With heart felt concern, please see your Doctor. Take care!!! Linn

lynn_glenmont

Why would you continue that for 6 months?

Because there are so many people on this site spouting a lot of hooey about how losing that fast is not harmful. These things may not happen to everyone, but it does happen to a lot of people. The sad thing is some of the damage to your body may not be discovered until much later.

But the OP indicated she was experiencing symptoms all along. Fainting, hair loss, nail loss. I guess it's just denial? Thinking it would reverse once at goal? Or that something else was the cause?

My question wasn't meant to be rude.

Denial, or perceptual filters (only paying attention to evidence and messages that support your existing opinions, like people who latch on to the one or two people who support them when they post about their VLC diet, and ignore the hundreds who warn them that it's dangerous and could lead to the physical repercussions the OP experienced, as well as putting them on the path to an ED). Or (not saying this about the OP necessarily, but in general) someone might ignore these physical signs because they do have the disordered perceptions about their body that often go along with an ED. What does hair falling out and toe nails falling off matter to you if you see yourself as being obese, even if your BMI says you're underweight?

3dogsrunning

Hazel, I am soooooooooo very sorry to hear your story. I hope your health is improving!

But 3 lbs a week, is just one lb over the recommended 2 lb average. May I ask what you ate? Were you eating nutritional food-fruits and veggies? Were you eating processed food? Were you taking vitamins?

Every week, we watch people on The Biggest Loser and other weight loss shows. People who go to Drs programs are loosing 3 to 5 lbs on metafast and other supervised programs and don't experience this type of reaction to a fast weight loss.

Have you been to see a Doctor? I sense something else is going on in your body and I urge you to visit your doctor.

With heart felt concern, please see your Doctor. Take care!!! Linn

It isn't "just over", it the difference of 500 calories per day fewer.

Aside from the fact the Biggest Loser is an edited tv show for meant to draw ratings, it is hardly the picture of the ideal healthy weight loss. Plus, their "week" isn't a week, and they manipulate weight loss in other ways, like do things to drop water weight. And I suspect that side effects like losing hair, dry skin, low energy, dizziness doesn't make for good tv, I doubt they would show that.

How much weight you have to lose plays a huge factor in how much of a calorie deficit you can manage. Some people may be able to lose 3lbs a week with fewer issues, but they likely have more to lose than the OP did.


OP like others have said, thanks for sharing your story. I've had my own issues with eating too few calories, not near as extreme as yours but enough to make me realize.

brookielaw

I think this warning was braver and harder to write than any number of success stories. I hope that your health improves. I also think it demonstrates the importance of medical supervision.

lynn_glenmont

Hazel, I am soooooooooo very sorry to hear your story. I hope your health is improving!

But 3 lbs a week, is just one lb over the recommended 2 lb average. May I ask what you ate? Were you eating nutritional food-fruits and veggies? Were you eating processed food? Were you taking vitamins?

Every week, we watch people on The Biggest Loser and other weight loss shows. People who go to Drs programs are loosing 3 to 5 lbs on metafast and other supervised programs and don't experience this type of reaction to a fast weight loss.

Have you been to see a Doctor? I sense something else is going on in your body and I urge you to visit your doctor.

With heart felt concern, please see your Doctor. Take care!!! Linn

It may be "just one lb over the recommended 2 lb average," but if you're someone whose maintenance is around 2000 calories or a little more (which I think is fairly typical for a woman who is not unusually tall, obese, or training like an athlete), it's going from a 50% reduction in calories from maintenance (2000 - 1000 for 2 lbs a week) to a 75% reduction in calories (2000 - 1500 for 3 lbs a week) and leaving the dieter with around 500 calories a day.

(And where are you seeing a "recommended 2 lb average" anyway? MFP offers 2 lb a week loss as the max, and most people on MFP will tell that that is for people who have a lot of weight to lose.)

And I think you've answered your own question about the Biggest Loser and "Drs programs" -- those are _medically supervised_ weight loss programs. I'm pretty confident that when you see Jillian screaming at a contestant who has just vomited or nearly passed out, they've edited out the part where medical personnel examined the contestant and cleared them for further activity. Even if they make these contestants sign complete liability waivers, the program and the network don't want to be hauled up for congressional hearings or criminal prosecutions if they kill a contestant.

mikeruz

Why would you continue that for 6 months?

^^^ THIS ^^^ I have lost 66 pounds in a little over 95 days and did not have any of these symptoms but I ate clean and drank a lot of water.

daisyf123

Thanks for your post. It helped me to realize that I must eat to lose weight not starve myself.

I am sorry you had to come to this point before you noticed something was wrong, You are a very brave person and I am sure you will get back on track with this new knowledge you have gained, Good luck!

RunHardBeStrong

Hazel, I am soooooooooo very sorry to hear your story. I hope your health is improving!

But 3 lbs a week, is just one lb over the recommended 2 lb average. May I ask what you ate? Were you eating nutritional food-fruits and veggies? Were you eating processed food? Were you taking vitamins?

Every week, we watch people on The Biggest Loser and other weight loss shows. People who go to Drs programs are loosing 3 to 5 lbs on metafast and other supervised programs and don't experience this type of reaction to a fast weight loss.

Have you been to see a Doctor? I sense something else is going on in your body and I urge you to visit your doctor.

With heart felt concern, please see your Doctor. Take care!!! Linn

It isn't "just over", it the difference of 500 calories per day fewer.

Aside from the fact the Biggest Loser is an edited tv show for meant to draw ratings, it is hardly the picture of the ideal healthy weight loss. Plus, their "week" isn't a week, and they manipulate weight loss in other ways, like do things to drop water weight. And I suspect that side effects like losing hair, dry skin, low energy, dizziness doesn't make for good tv, I doubt they would show that.

How much weight you have to lose plays a huge factor in how much of a calorie deficit you can manage. Some people may be able to lose 3lbs a week with fewer issues, but they likely have more to lose than the OP did.


OP like others have said, thanks for sharing your story. I've had my own issues with eating too few calories, not near as extreme as yours but enough to make me realize.

Agreed. My mother is a prime example also, she did do a Dr. supervised, extremely low calorie program. Which I begged her not to do. I've talked to her over the past few years about just starting with logging intake, she'd do it for a couple days then stop. Beginning of this year she decided to do this supervised "diet" that she paid hundreds of dollars for. It was very nutritious, she did not stray, she made every calorie count, she took multi's. Sure she lost 60 lbs in just under 6 months but now she looks awful, saggy, her hair is falling out in clumps, her nails are brittle and she now needs her gallbladder removed. To top it off she is slowly gaining back everything she lost despite still eating healthy, exercising and calorie counting. Not worth it.

mrsgrimsdale

To OP thanks for a very interesting post and I hope you have sorted your health issues.
To those that say its ok to lose quickly, risk your own health not other people's.
To those that wish to lose fat not healthy muscle and hair or body condition, take note 1-2 lb per week is the recommended speed of weight loss for very good reason ignore it at your peril.

bobbydlt

I think the combination did it. Had she kept a balanced diet and the excercise, she would have been fine. No where does it even mention going to the doctor for recomendations. Also, no supplements to make up for the lost calories and lack of nutrition. The body was not getting any kind of nourishment. She is fortunate it did not lead up to anything worse.

castlerobber

I managed to lose a lot of weight by eating a significant amounts of rubbish (chocolate, sweets, diet fizzy drinks etc) and exercising excessively

But you're blaming the _speed_ of the weight loss for the bad side effects, and not the fact that you ate a very low-fat, high-sugar, processed-food diet...

I looked at a month's worth of your diary. A great many of the problems you're experiencing--bad hair, flaky skin, fatigue--are from the lack of dietary fat, and the generally poor quality of the fat you did eat, much of which came from junk food. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, so fat intake is necessary for you to absorb those vitamins from your diet. Fat and cholesterol are required for your body to make hormones, which might be related to your having to "be prepared" all the time. You're basically malnourished after six months of eating rubbish.

Three pounds a week isn't necessarily excessive, but the nutrition has to be there.

Please do get some medical advice.

JewelsinBigD

Thank you for posting - I am always amazed yet frightened at how quickly people drop significant amounts of weight. Instinctually I know it is not good, but often they are young and I know it is easier to lose when you are younger.
I am taking it slow. I workout 5 times per week for an hour or so - I eat generally within my calorie limits and I am averaging a couple pounds a month - some more, some less. I will not give up birthday cake, Friday evening cocktail with my husband or chicken nachos once a week. I will not give up dinner with my college room mates 6-7 times per year and my Pokeno group once a month which includes a yummy dinner and dessert. I will not give up life for weight loss, but yet I am sure that I will achieve my goal - even if it takes 5 years. Because the day after I achieve my goal I will be doing the same thing I did the day before I achieved it!

1princesswarrior

I managed to lose a lot of weight by eating a significant amounts of rubbish (chocolate, sweets, diet fizzy drinks etc) and exercising excessively

But you're blaming the _speed_ of the weight loss for the bad side effects, and not the fact that you ate a very low-fat, high-sugar, processed-food diet...

I looked at a month's worth of your diary. A great many of the problems you're experiencing--bad hair, flaky skin, fatigue--are from the lack of dietary fat, and the generally poor quality of the fat you did eat, much of which came from junk food. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, so fat intake is necessary for you to absorb those vitamins from your diet. Fat and cholesterol are required for your body to make hormones, which might be related to your having to "be prepared" all the time. You're basically malnourished after six months of eating rubbish.

Three pounds a week isn't necessarily excessive, but the nutrition has to be there.

Please do get some medical advice.

First of all, OP, I am so sorry for what you are going through right now and what you might have to go through to get healthy.

Second, I lost a lot of weight quickly eating the right nutrition on 1200 calories a day and not eating back my exercise calories. I would net around 300-600 calories a day because I did not understand the process. It only took my body a month to rebel by my hair falling out in clumps, I still have bald spots. My nails are still recovering. Thankfully my skin, mood, and energy recovered quickly but my other female issues are still quite prominent maybe to the point of surgery. When you starve the body bad things happen. I'm not saying that nutrition did not play a role in this but I do believe that starving the body was the biggest factor here. I am now losing at a steady rate on 2200 calories a day.

JewelsinBigD

To OP thanks for a very interesting post and I hope you have sorted your health issues.
To those that say its ok to lose quickly, risk your own health not other people's.
To those that wish to lose fat not healthy muscle and hair or body condition, take note 1-2 lb per week is the recommended speed of weight loss for very good reason ignore it at your peril.

THIS! Unless you are a guy- 3 pounds a week is too fast to lose.