Losing weight too quickly...?

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acdiercks
acdiercks Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I have only been using MFP for a week, with a goal of losing 1 pound per week, and I have dropped 4 pounds. Of course it's nice, but a little alarming. Is this likely just water weight? I don't want to be horrified if I gain all of it back this week. If I expect it, I won't feel so discouraged.

My intake is 1240 calories, as I'm sedentary, and I don't work out. (Yeah, yeah, I know.) I am starting a much more active job in 2 weeks, and giving myself a little bit of time to ease into calorie restriction. I battle cravings and feeling hungry, and am having TERRIBLE sugar withdrawal headaches.

Any advice? I don't want to get excited if losing 4 pounds is too good to be true, and I also don't want to put myself in danger.

Replies

  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    It's a glycogen dump. When we start losing weight, we often have a quick dump of liquid. It can last a couple of weeks.

    The real danger is that you'll expect it to continue at that rate and be disappointed when it doesn't. It won't.
  • Ariyuni
    Ariyuni Posts: 7
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    No idea what your current weight is, but 4 pounds does sound awfully fast for weight loss. I strongly suggest doing some exercise, even if it's just a twenty minute walk to the bus stop. Make sure you're not losing muscle, because the listlessness from your sugar crash may cause you to move less than you normally would, and your body likes nom nomming on muscle much more than on fat.

    It could also be that you just shocked the holy bejeezus out of your metabolism though, and that most of this weight may stay off. Whichever it is, good luck and stay strong! It'll be worth it in the long run, just keep going~
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
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    It's a glycogen dump. When we start losing weight, we often have a quick dump of liquid. It can last a couple of weeks.

    The real danger is that you'll expect it to continue at that rate and be disappointed when it doesn't. It won't.

    This. The glycogen stored in your liver is bound to water. When you start eating at a deficit, your body uses the glycofen and dumps the water in the process. This effect is especially exaggerated with low carb diets, but t happens with low cal diets in general.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
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    Many people lose weight much faster at the very beginning after changing their diet. It'll level off within a couple months, tops.
  • supermoo2
    supermoo2 Posts: 77
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    In most cases you usually lose a fair bit in the first week. It tends to steady after a few weeks

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