really quick weight loss

annegirl

I started on MFP on Thursday (April 15) I have already lost 3 pounds and most days I have been reaching my calorie goal. Is it bad to lose that much weight so quickly? I've never lost weight so fast before and I'm enjoying it, but I don't know if it's good or not.

weaklink109

I looked at your profile and it looks like you have about 100 lbs. or just under that you are trying to lose. When you make changes in your calories and activity, and you have a lot to lose, your body will initially respond with fairly rapid weight loss, but this will level off. There is no harm in getting a fast start. Some of it is likely water you are losing.

I lost 18 lbs in my first two months on MFP and another 12 in the next two months. I averaged about 1.5 lbs per week, during the time I was losing. I have more to lose, but my life lately has been about maintaining. But, because I am following a long term plan in changing what I eat, maintaining has been easy. I go up and down by a couple of pounds, but I am not "yo yo-ing."

Good luck to you.

jhoyett

I agree that it's probably mostly water weight. If it keeps up, however, let me know cause I want to be on THAT plan!

Good luck

cpalaura

Hi Anne,

We are only about to lose 2 lbs. of body fat per week. Any weight loss on the scale above that will be coming from water and muscle. This is not what you want to do. When you body loses weight from muscle, your metabolism decreases and therefore burn less calories per day. You will also not be able to eat as much so you will be left eating less and less each day in order to prevent weight gain.

Hope this helps.

Laura Henry
Certified Personal Trainer
Specialist in Performance Nutrition
www.thefitcpa.com

MacMadame

It's pretty common to lose a lot of water the first week. Some people then don't lose anything the second week as the water comes back to some extent. So don't get discouraged if that happens.

javamom

My first two weeks I've dropped a lot, too. I think it is mostly water weight. Now it is slowing down to a more moderate pace. I wouldn't worry unless it continues beyond week 2. If so, you may be underestimating your activity level in your profile and need to adjust.

Enjoy the quick start, but brace yourself for slower weight loss after the first 2 weeks!

robin52077

I lost 4 pounds the first week, but I used to feel bloated all the time, and then I didn't, so it was mostly water.
Probably something similar happened to you. When you eat healthier and drink more water, you're less bloated.

Upcoming weeks won't show such a loss but that is what you want to see, more than 2 pounds a week is TOO much, aside from the initial water weight.

Aim for 1 or 2 a week from here on out.

annegirl

Even if I'm drinking 8-12 cups of water a day? Could I still be losing just water weight? and I've been walking at least 4 miles a day,so I don't think I'm losing muscle. I definitely do not want to do that.

cpalaura

Initially if you are JUST starting out, bigger weight loss sometimes occurs due to water weight as typically the foods we eat are healthier and have less sodium and therefore our bodies release that. Just make sure you are eating enough calories and do not go below as this is when you will be in danger of pulling from muscle as well. The first week or two of starting a new program, there might be more scale weight lost but it doesn't mean you have fat loss - it most likely is water and then not more than 2 lbs. of fat. Scientifically your body cannot lose more than 2 lbs. of fat per week.

Laura

mromnek

I looked at your profile and it looks like you have about 100 lbs. or just under that you are trying to lose. When you make changes in your calories and activity, and you have a lot to lose, your body will initially respond with fairly rapid weight loss, but this will level off. There is no harm in getting a fast start. Some of it is likely water you are losing.

I did the exact same thing and came to the exact same conclusion.

Did you weigh at the same time of day? If you weighed initially at night, and then again in the morning, you could have 4 or 5 lbs difference there, just because you are "filled up" at night, and in the morning, after relieving yourself, you are empty.

Additionally, TOM is HUGE for women and weight loss. From a guys perspective... bloating seems to be one of the major complaints women have toward TOM issues. So, IF it was your TOM last week, that could also skew the numbers significantly.

Finally, if you suddenly changed your eating habits, your body got shocked and started drawing off the energy reserves, causing a jump in your weight. As your body gets accustomed to a lower caloric intake, that "shock" will wear off and the decrease will slow down.

kiffypooh

I've done Weight Watchers about 4 times now, the first week I always drop 5-8 lbs and the second is a good week and then I slowly start going down to the recommended 1-2 lbs a week. Some weeks are higher, some are lower, it all depends what I eat. A month or so ago my husband and I decided to see what happened if we didn't eat out for a week and I lost about 8 lbs that week (all the sodium in the food, even though I was making healthy choices). I agree that if you keep seeing huge numbers for longer then 2-3 weeks then you may want to worry, but other then that I think it's normal.

kimmrdodge

Yup it is water weight mostly. And yes, drinking water helps you loose water stores, kinda weird but that is how it works. I lost 11lbs my first week oh MFP and I haven't even started exercising yet. It slowed down week two I quit for a few weeks and came back and now I have lost 3-4 lbs a week since. It's perfectly normal to loose that much the first week or two especially if like me you didn't drink a lot of water before or again like me you consumed a lot of soda. I hope that the 3-4 lbs a week continues for a while since I still have 113 lbs to lose to hit my goal.

acakeforawife

I think you're okay for now! The first couple of weeks normally see a big change in your eating and activity levels, and your body will respond by dropping a few pounds quite quickly (and yes, you can be losing water weight even if you're drinking 8-12 cups a day ... in fact, you are quite likely! Your body holds on to water when it thinks it may not get more any time soon (to put it simply) ... now that you've increased your water intake, your body is like "ok, guess I don't have to hang on to all this old water since I know I'm getting some more every hour or so!)

I know that, at least with Weight Watchers, they say you are supposed to lose an AVERAGE of 0.5 to 2lbs per week ... an AVERAGE ... and when you calculate your overall average, they usually say not to include the first two weeks (b/c those are always higher and will distort your average.) So as long as your weight loss averages out to a reasonable amount, I think you're fine! Some weeks you might not lose but other weeks you'll lose three of four, and that's just the way this crazy rollercoaster seems to work! :happy:

Great job so far and keep up the good work!

annegirl

Thanks guys! That was very helpful.