I am a hundred pounds overweight, I need help......

tara7302011

I am over a hundred pounds overweight for my height/fame. I see that everyone says you should not lose more than a pound or so a week. I am wondering, I have lost 14lbs in two weeks. I have been exercising and eating right. Is it because I am so heavy that I lost the weight so quickly? And....is that why I cannot tell a difference in my body/clothes?

michellelhartwig

IDK! I just started with MFP 11 days ago, and need to lose at least 100 pounds. My first week, I lost 4.4 pounds...Just because I religiously wrote down everything that I ate and tried to drink enough water...it could just be that have lost the water weight???? I think that those of us that have more to lose can lose more/week to begin with, but that shouldn't last a long time.

spikedadawg

keep working at it. You will notice shortly that clothing will start to fit better or looser. As your body changes fat to muscle size might not drop but will do so eventually. Keep up the good work. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water.

FunandFitMom

I find that I lose faster when I have more to lose, and it get more difficult as the pounds fall off. 1-2 pounds a week is a safe bet. If you're under the care of a doctor, he or she may agree to a regimen that will take the weight off a little faster. Sounds like you're doing the right things by watching what and how much goes into your mouth, starting to exercise, and looking for a support community.

Remember that you're launching a lifestyle change and keep on keepin' on!

m16shane

The average person loses a decent amount the first couple of weeks, especially if a larger build. Than it usually starts slaking off to 1-3lbs a week depending on your eating and exercise habit. At best you want to lose no more than 2lbs a week.


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montana_girl

First - Congrats on your weight loss!

Some people will lose quite a bit of weight the first couple of weeks, but once your body becomes adjusted to your new habits, you will see less of a loss each week. And don't be discouraged if you have a "perfect" week and see a gain. This happens occasionally and it could happen for a million reasons. Just accept it and move on.

I've lost over a hundred pounds as well and did it slowly. Yes, I would have liked it to have happened quickly, but looking back I'm glad I took the slow route. I've learned not only a lot about healthy eating and exercise, but a lot of about me and why I became obese in the first place.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

RocketteHeil

I think they recommed not losing too fast because if you do you are likely not making "sustainable" lifestyle changes and will gain back the weight. Also, if you lose really quick your skin won't tighten back up nicely and you'll end up with ugly extra skin. But I say, more power to ya! Also, if you dramatically reduced the number of calories you were taking in it's reasonable that you would lose a lot in the beginning as your body adjusts. Now, I am not that lucky. I too have over 100lbs to lose but have been yo-yoing with 20-30 lbs for like 10 years and taking off even a pound is a big struggle for me. I have to eat PERFECT and exercise at least 4 times a week in order to MAINTAIN my overweight status... that's to not gain. Going out to eat or running to Starbucks is completely out of the question. I have messed with my body for too long with over eating or eating the wrong food in the wrong quantities that it's very smart to hang onto everything I put in. So, I am meticulous about counting everything I eat and if I don't make it, I don't eat it. There's no magic bullet. Just stick with it and the less you eat the less you have to burn off later.

crystal_loga

joinr our group, it's people who have lost over 100lbs, open to anyone, so they can see how we lost the weight.

Here is our main topic, has before and after pictures with a lot of advice of how we did it.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529659-our-general-advice-with-result-pics

i am going to send you an invite.

Please send me an invite as well, I have not gotten to the 100lb lost yet, but I will. I am determined to no longer be overweight! And I'm even more determined to prove that it can be done without any pills, drinks, starvation or other crazy tricks!

Meaganandcheese

It's completely normal for the first couple of weeks to show larger than normal losses, especially if you start out with more to lose. It will eventually level out to a healthy, sustainable rate. it takes time for results to show, but everyone is different in that too.

Think of your body as a roll of paper towels. You've just torn off the first few sheets - it's hard to see a difference. The closer you get to goal, the more visible the difference will be. Try to be patient!

LuckyLeprechaun

It does go very quickly in the beginning. Prepare yourself now for the fact that it will slow to a steady, reasonable pace after the initial shock to your system has set in.

I raced through the first 20 lbs, and then the pace settled down to the 1-2 lbs/week rate that MFP predicted. I didn't know to expect that, and so I got bummed out, when it was a sign that I was doing it correctly.

It's thrilling to see it drop so fast in the beginning, enjoy it while it lasts! And, congratulations on your success so far!

RocketteHeil

Thanks for saying the thing about "the perfect week and gaining". It's so true! There's no explaination. But I just try to see it as motivation to stay on course and stick to the plan. I blame the uneven floor or the scale having a bad day. It's really hard but I do try to limit the number of times a week I weigh myself. I can become obsessed. But I like to have some "evidence" that all this work is having some result. And being so heavy it's not always visible. It is really nice when clothes are looser but lots of time people don't notice that.

AbiNichole

Congrats!!! That's awesome success!

Yep- most people lose more in the beginning then taper out to 1-3 lbs. a week. When you have a substantial amount of weight to lose you may lose more than 3 lbs. a week that's not a big deal.

The big difference is that you have to change your mentality. Change the way you look at food. Focus on eating healthy- not just losing weight. If you do that- truly change how you approach food- it doesn't matter how fast or slow you lose.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Helenatrandom

First of all, GREAT JOB! :flowerforyou:

The first couple of weeks we lose water weight, which goes MUCH more quickly than fat. It seems that is also what we gain when we have too much sodium and are bloated the next day, and perhaps a couple of pounds heavier than the day before (though it is recommended by many that we weigh ourselves only once per week, some people believe daily is more helpful to them, and since everyone's minds work differently, I assume that for them they are correct..). The weight loss will slow down to 1 to 2 pounds per week, and that is good. If it happened too quickly, we may not have enough time to make our new food plans habits, and fluctuate again.

Also, it will take a while for YOU to see the difference. I have lost 41 pounds, and while my clothes are loose, and my friends notice and compliment me, I see myself in the mirror getting dressed and see the same me I saw six months ago. Is that because I didn't see how bad I had gotten six months ago, or because I don't see my progress now? I don't know. But there IS a difference in how my knees feel, and I can alternate legs going up and down the stairs now (or, as I call it, progress for the pathetic.. :laugh: ). But seriously, feeling better is a great difference, and you MUST feel at least a bit lighter carrying around 14 pounds less, even if I'm right and it is water weight. Fourteen pounds is fourteen pounds whether we are talking about bricks or feathers!

Best wishes to you. Feel free to add me as a friend!

TriTigress

I just wanted to say, I have more than a hundred pounds to lose, and no matter what weight loss program I have ever followed, and that includes weight watchers, I always lose about 14 lbs in the first 2 weeks. On weight watchers I hadn't even started exercising by that point, it was just following the points. So there is nothing unhealthy or unusual about when you have the kind of weight we have to lose. You are going to do great!!

tara7302011

Thank you so much everyone..... Its deffinately been challenging, but I am starting to get used to my new life. I never realized how overweight I was until I started to make a change. I met a wonderful man about 4 years ago and during that time gained over 80lbs. I just figured I was fat and happy, turned out I was fat and terribly out of shape.. MFP helps me everyday to stick with it... Thanks again....:flowerforyou:

Slice1

Just accept it and move on.

Words to live by right here!

tara7302011

I will.. LOL

Acherona

Same here, you can add me if you like as i know its hard xx

iremat

I just wanted to say congratulations on your marvelous weight loss!! Great, fantastic job! I also am on a quest to lose 100 lbs!

Just wanted to kind of repeat, I guess what some already said. It's perfectly normal for you to lose much more than you'd normally expect in the first few weeks. It is due to the fact that your body that is not used to the new routine goes through somewhat of a panic mode, trying to give your muscles the energy they need to survive this new routine. It's a great thing, unfortunately it doesn't last very long. Your body will finally figure out that you're doing this EVERY day and it will start trying to get sneaky. This is also the reason why trainers will tell you to change up your routine.

It is also, as previously said, not uncommon to gain weight. It's due to the fact that muscles weigh more than fat and if you're doing heavy work outs you will grow muscle mass. That is a great thing, because we really lose the majority of our fat while we're sleeping to support our muscles. The more of them you have, the larger amount it'll burn. So don't forget to sleep well!

As long as you keep it up, it will eventually even itself out and grow into a good pace. Also, everyone is different. You might lose 3 lbs a week, or you might lose only 1. Don't get discouraged! Keep at it, the rewards will be fantastic!!

As far as other people noticing and whatnot I have lost 23 lbs so far, and no one really noticed except for mr. man. I don't mind though because *I* have noticed tremendous changes in my body and my health! I'm sure you have too and you will more and more until you reach your desired goal! So, good luck, keep at it, and congratulations again!!

laneybird

I started off well over 100 lbs overweight and lost close to 20lbs the first month... lost 60lbs the first 6 months. I treated it as my body was in shock for being so good to it lol. Since then my loss has slowed down, which I expected, but I was very strict about logging all of my food and exercise. This is very doable and this site is an AWESOME tool! Congrats on your loss!

Music_is_my_soul

joinr our group, it's people who have lost over 100lbs, open to anyone, so they can see how we lost the weight.

Here is our main topic, has before and after pictures with a lot of advice of how we did it.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529659-our-general-advice-with-result-pics

i am going to send you an invite.

Can you send me an invite too please!

thrld

[/quote]
I have lost 41 pounds, and while my clothes are loose, and my friends notice and compliment me, I see myself in the mirror getting dressed and see the same me I saw six months ago. Is that because I didn't see how bad I had gotten six months ago, or because I don't see my progress now? I don't know. But there IS a difference in how my knees feel, and I can alternate legs going up and down the stairs now (or, as I call it, progress for the pathetic.. :laugh: ). But seriously, feeling better is a great difference, and you MUST feel at least a bit lighter carrying around 14 pounds less, even if I'm right and it is water weight. Fourteen pounds is fourteen pounds whether we are talking about bricks or feathers!

Best wishes to you. Feel free to add me as a friend!
[/quote]



You should call it "progress for the determined"

Congratulations on your achievements, but kudos for your commitment!

mmw1978

joinr our group, it's people who have lost over 100lbs, open to anyone, so they can see how we lost the weight.

Here is our main topic, has before and after pictures with a lot of advice of how we did it.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529659-our-general-advice-with-result-pics

i am going to send you an invite.

I would love to join this group, too. I have 130 lbs to lose and I gave myself a goal of 10lbs a month for the entire year of 2012 (here's hoping). I would love to be able to talk to people who have been there and get real life advice. I'm on track for my goal so far, but it's getting harder and harder (I'm finding what folks say about interval training seems to apply to me) and I'm sure in another month or so, that 10 will be hard won every month.

tmpayton

could you send me the invite as well. I have over 100 to lose and am just beginning.....tks!

jllisi15

you will find that when you are heavy you lose weight faster for the first tow months and then it will slow. The first couple weeks you lose water, around the 1 month mark you will start seeing the pounds coming off slower. keep up the excerise, that will show you the largest improvements when the scale numbers will not move. I lost over 130lbs a few years ago. my advise is not to concentrate so much on the number but how your clothes feel. When I was 170 lbs people thought I was 150 because I was so toned from all the excerise. Good Luck!

rydin_high17

Use a tape measurer instead of a scale. This helps you to track inches and can keep you motivated. I am 170+ yet in size 10/12 and some 8.

TammyR4

WOW...congrats! I have 100 lbs to lose as well. So motivating, and I wish you great success!

rbear713

Ive been here at MFP for about 5 months - losing your weight quickly is not safe....if you are not paying attention. I'm almost done losing now (about 15lbs to go) and have slowed way down with my loss due to the fact that I'm trying to build lean muscle these days instead of lose fat...

However - When I was losing as much as I could as fast as I could, I dropped about 80 pounds in 14 weeks, or about 5.5 a week, on average. a lot of people told me i was going too fast - I didn't listen to them - i listened to my body instead.

If you feel good, if you are getting enough good food to not starve, if you are staying healthy, why are you worried about losing weight too fast? I say go get some!!

I do not regret losing so fast - my stomach is a little bit loose and soft, but that is what the lean muscle I'm workin on is for. And as far as a rebound (putting it all back on) that will not happen - I wont let it happen - I'm done with being the big fat guy with one foot in the grave...
and it was all as simple as working HARD at the gym every day, eating good foods at suggested portion sizes, and LISTENING to my body....
If I feel exhausted, I take a day off from the gym
If I feel hungry, I eat! (but good stuff only)
If I feel sick, I put the brakes on everything and focus on trying to get well again....

Weight loss and your health is about commitment - if you want it bad enough, you won't give up....and it doesn't really matter how you get there (fast or slow) as long as you listen to what your body is telling you!!

Good Luck!! You can do it!

And oh yeah - lbs always come off quickly at first - there a lot of excess fat and water that will come off quickly and easily when you first get serious about losing weight - it will slow down some, but you can lose more than 2lbs a week safely - as long as you listen!

tara7302011

Thanks for the advice.... I am actually concerned that I might be losing muscle instead of fat.. Its really hard getting trying to understand all the do's and don't's especially when everyone has there own opinion of what is right or wrong... I am apple shaped and so I still have a lot of muscle in my legs and do not want to lose that.....one thing I have going for me.. LOl... I work out on the elliptical machine for about 45 minutes a day, sometimes I skip a day due to it just not working out for me to get the time that day... I am only going to rely on the way my clothes fit....