Not complaining, but a little concerned...

ARDuBaie

Everybody is different. Most people do lose quickly in the first few weeks and then slow down. This is not because of anything that you are doing.

When a person is obese, it takes a lot of energy to move around. So most obese people could simply lose weight by increasing their exercise. You, my friend, not only increased your exercise, but you changed your eating habits. Thus, a nice weight lose.

Additionally, water often comes off in the first week, then you start losing the actual pounds after that week. This is because you may be eating less sodium, which causes the body to hold on to water. (sodium and water love each other)

As you lose weight, you will slow down for one main reason:

At the weight that you are at right now, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is probably around 1400. BMR is the amount of calories needed to keep a person in a coma alive. These calories keep the digestive system, lungs, brain, heart, circulatory system, and other organs going. You need the BMR calories in order to keep going. The larger the person, the more calories you need.

Now, as you lose weight, you are getting smaller. Thus, your BMR is going to get smaller as well. You will need to adjust your calorie intake for the lower BMR. If you do not, you will lose weight, but do so at a slower rate.

Your body will get used to the exercise you do. If you walk every day, your body will get use to it and will essential not respond as well with burning of calories as it did at the beginning of your program. So you need to change what you are doing from time to time. Maybe choose two different types of exercises.

Additionally, you will want to build some muscle. One pound of fat burns 5 calories an hour at rest while one pound of muscle burns 25-35 calories an hour at rest. When you are active, that one pound of fat is still burning 5 calories an hour, but the one pound of muscle is burning 125-150 calories an hour. Wouldn't you rather have muscles that will help you lose weight?

Hope this helps a bit.

BrownEyedG1rl

Like everyone else said, losing more weight in the beginning is completely normal. Feels good, doesnt' it?!?!? No worries!

Keep up the great work!!

Kalraii

Yup I lost 6lbs my first week - it's water. HOWEVER, don't forget to measure your neck, bust, arms, waist, hips and thighs. Watch your inches too because I lost a good inch all round also Lovely start and GJ xD

HartJames

Yup, water weight. Some fat too surely. The first month you could drop #20 so don't be shocked (I did!) and then get disappointed when it slows to a normal rate.

jemachharo

I'm trying to incorporate more whole natural foods into my diet, but I am a broke college student :P So I have to do things on a budget. Healthy food usually = expensive food, at least from my experience...if anyone also has any foods they enjoy that are healthy and also cheap, feel free to tell me!

Hi - our grocery bill actually dropped quite a bit when I stopped buying so many processed foods. Healthy does not always mean expensive. I have a family of 5 to feed. I stock up on chicken breasts and other meats when they are on sale. I buy fresh fruits and veggies in season. Frozen veggies are great - they keep their nutritional value and are not expensive. Sweet potatoes are very filling, great for you, taste great, and are cheap - I buy them instead of russet or other potatoes. Whole grain pastas are almost as cheap as regular pasta.

You can do it!

cerwin17

I did join that group, I'm hoping it helps!

cerwin17

Glad I made you feel better Janelle, I am looking forward to that too! I have a stash of "skinny clothes" that I want to try on soon...

cerwin17

Everybody is different. Most people do lose quickly in the first few weeks and then slow down. This is not because of anything that you are doing.

When a person is obese, it takes a lot of energy to move around. So most obese people could simply lose weight by increasing their exercise. You, my friend, not only increased your exercise, but you changed your eating habits. Thus, a nice weight lose.

Additionally, water often comes off in the first week, then you start losing the actual pounds after that week. This is because you may be eating less sodium, which causes the body to hold on to water. (sodium and water love each other)

As you lose weight, you will slow down for one main reason:

At the weight that you are at right now, your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is probably around 1400. BMR is the amount of calories needed to keep a person in a coma alive. These calories keep the digestive system, lungs, brain, heart, circulatory system, and other organs going. You need the BMR calories in order to keep going. The larger the person, the more calories you need.

Now, as you lose weight, you are getting smaller. Thus, your BMR is going to get smaller as well. You will need to adjust your calorie intake for the lower BMR. If you do not, you will lose weight, but do so at a slower rate.

Your body will get used to the exercise you do. If you walk every day, your body will get use to it and will essential not respond as well with burning of calories as it did at the beginning of your program. So you need to change what you are doing from time to time. Maybe choose two different types of exercises.

Additionally, you will want to build some muscle. One pound of fat burns 5 calories an hour at rest while one pound of muscle burns 25-35 calories an hour at rest. When you are active, that one pound of fat is still burning 5 calories an hour, but the one pound of muscle is burning 125-150 calories an hour. Wouldn't you rather have muscles that will help you lose weight?

Hope this helps a bit.

Thanks, that is helpful advice! How do you go about figuring out your BMR?

kimad

Water weight, most people lose more in the first couple weeks,then it drastically slows down...

That's my guess.

Bobby_Clerici

Your diary is not open.

I suggest you wait a couple more weeks before you draw any conclusions. You could have lost a lot of water weight; your body naturally fluctuates by a few pounds either way. If you continue to lose 6 pounds a week you will need to take a look at what you're doing, but I'm guessing that won't happen.

^^^^^^
THIS
Do not be worried.
Sometimes the weight comes off fast those first weeks.
GOOD FOR YOU!

Heather_Rider

"Water weight" is your body swelling because of the salt in your body. The more water you drink, (and the less salt you take in) the more it flushes out your system, so you will lose a lot more weight the first week or two!

I lost 7 my first week, after that, i lost between 1-2 pounds a week. You are doing well! Keep it up!

MtnKat

Yes. That happened to me. I was shocked at losing 6 lbs my second week.

All all my MFP friends were congratulating me (love you guys!) and all I kept saying was: That's just water weight....that is just water weight lol

Well, I didn't gain a pound of it back and am still losing so I guess it was more than water weight after all.

Don't be worried...be happy about it :-)

And Congrats!!!!

Shrinking_Moody

Concerning your question - I would guess that it's water weight as well.

Now - if you want to change up your eating - find what works for you. I'm a carb junkie and haven't actually had issues losing in the past - but if I do this time I may need to switch that up. I watch what I eat and measure everything - and work out constantly. That's what is working for my body at this moment. If you really want to modify what you are eating with more fresh fruits/veggies - then the below is super advice. We've recently started hitting up local produce stands and our farmer's market - and the prices are so good it's almost stealing - and the stuff seems so much fresher. Best of luck to you and congrats on your loss!

***edit *** - and I log everything. Even gum. If I eat it - I log it. I think that's really been key for my personal efforts.

right now fresh fruits and veggies are cheap! See if there is a farmers market or stand in your area. That is usually a pretty good deal. Reap the benefits of summer.

basillowe66

I think people do too much thinking! If you have a fairly large amount of weight to lose just keep in mind. If you eat less than you did and you increase your activity, you are going to start to lose weight. If you keep acurate record of your calories and limit to1200 or so a week, you will start to lose. I've told a few others, that my sister in law works in a hospital and they put her on 1200 calories a day and 80 grams of protein a day and she has lost 75 lbs in about 5 months. The protein is important because it helps get rid of fat. Other than walking at work she said she really doesn't excersize. No fast foods, no sugar, no white bread. If you are going to cheat then there isn't much hope for a program to work.

Best of luck!!

Basil

kevin3344

Thanks, that is helpful advice! How do you go about figuring out your BMR?

There are calculators on the Internet but my sis-in-law used the MFP defaults....I think it was 1,450 calories. At any rate, she lost 17 lbs in about 3 months.

Keep in mind you will have ups and downs...it won't be a linear straight line but over time you should see positive results.

amy1612

Theres a really useful BMR and TDEE calculator on the EMTWL group you can work it out there.

Lentils are a great cheap filler food. I personally have stopped eating them, as they tend to upset my IBS, but I went through a period of living on thai red lentil soup....red lentils, thai red curry paste and water, cook, and then add a spoonful of coconut cream at the last min. You can also add sweet potatos to it, etc. Soup is a great cheap filling meal.

I also go and buy things when they've been reduced, i.e. meat, and throw it in the freezer to use later. Try things like cooking a whole chicken/thighs and stripping the meat off instead of buying chicken breasts. You can also use the bones to make stocks for soup etc. You can also grow your own rocket (a leaf, amaericans call it arugala I think) in pots outside or on a window, soooo easy to grow and you've got your own salad for the price of a pack of seeds and a pot

DietandVlogsense

Hi everyone! I just started using this site two weeks ago. In my first week I only lost 1 lb, but I just weighed in this morning and my scale said I had lost 6! This was kind of unexpected for me, since I've only been trying to lose 1-2 lbs per week. I am thrilled that I've lost so much in such a short time, but I'm also a little concerned. The last time I was following a "diet" instead of a lifestyle change, I lost 7 lbs in the first week, and lost more weight relatively quickly, but I gained it all back later. My food diary is open, I'm not following a strict "diet;" I'm still eating what I want, just monitoring quantities and calorie intake. I'm also trying to exercise as often as possible. In my eating habits, I'm trying to adhere to the "eat more weight less" philosophy, so I've been eating 5 to 6 small meals a day. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else (particularly females who are around 5'4 and started out at 220-230 lbs) has had a similar experience when first starting weight loss? Will my weight loss slow down after a while, or should I change up what I'm doing? I hesitate to increase my calorie intake because I don't want to gain back what I've just lost. Any input is appreciated!

My wieghtloss went thus.

Week 1: 10lbs
Week 2: 0lbs
Week 3: 4lbs
Week 4: 2.5lbs
Week 5: 3.5lbs

It WILL vary. Do not panic.