Weight Loss Slower the Second Time Around

So I started the Fat Flush Diet originally last year in October. I met with great success, going from 250 lbs to 190 lbs in 4 months. Unfortunately, I went way off the wagon, eating pints of haagen dazs at a time, and not paying attention to what I was putting in my body. I gained back 40 of the 60 lbs over a period of 7 months. At the beginning of this month I started the diet again.

My first week I lost 10 pounds, but weight loss since then has been so slow. The second week I added a lot of cardio (about an hour a day) and moderate weight lifting ever day, but I didn't loose any weight that week. Not even an ounce!

I lost a friend and mentor to cancer at the beginning of that week, but I staid on my diet and exercise program. I assumed that emotional stress may have been the reason that I didn't lose any weight, but again this week, I've only lost 1 pound. I haven't been exercising in 5 days (low energy), but I'm still eating really clean, eating about 1200 calories a day as per the first phase of the Fat Flush.

Does anyone know why weight loss is so slow this time around?



Fat Flush Diet by Anne Louise Gittleman

Replies

  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    What do you mean by slow? 10lb in a week is a crazy amount! You should be losing 1-2lb a week, that's a steady healthy amount.

    I know nothing about 'fat flush' but 1200 calories sounds very low for someone with as much weight to lose as your ticker says. I eat 1360 ish and steadily lose 1-2lb a week.
  • What do you mean by slow? 10lb in a week is a crazy amount! You should be losing 1-2lb a week, that's a steady healthy amount.

    I know nothing about 'fat flush' but 1200 calories sounds very low for someone with as much weight to lose as your ticker says. I eat 1360 ish and steadily lose 1-2lb a week.

    :D Thank you for commenting.

    The Fat Flush is a low sodium diet, that mainly focuses on eating unprocessed foods. It's a lot of making food from scratch, and no bread, salt, or butter. So the first 10 pounds that I lost is water weight most likely, and not actually fat.

    1-2 pounds a week sounds incredibly slow! Is that how weight loss usually happens? Last time I did the Fat Flush diet, I was dropping at least 4 pounds a week. At 2 pounds a week it would take me 40 weeks, or 10 months to lose the rest of the weight. That's August of next year!

    The 1200 calories is only for the initial "cleansing phase" then it goes to 1300-1500 until all the weight is lost, and then 1500+ for Fat Flush and Beyond. The maximum that I can do phase 1 is one month, so I have until the end of next week before I start increasing calories.

    And congratulations on your weight loss! You are half way there! *high five*
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    Yes, 1-2lb a week is right, I started July and worked out it would take me until March of next year at a slow steady rate. That's fine by me, losing too quick is likely to mean more saggy skin and it took me longer than that to gain it so I'm prepared for it to take almost a year to come off.

    If it takes you a year but along the way you learn healthy eating habits and portion sizes then so what? It's something you're going to have to continue for life in any case, take the time to make the changes.

    Good luck :smile:
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    What do you mean by slow? 10lb in a week is a crazy amount! You should be losing 1-2lb a week, that's a steady healthy amount.

    I know nothing about 'fat flush' but 1200 calories sounds very low for someone with as much weight to lose as your ticker says. I eat 1360 ish and steadily lose 1-2lb a week.

    :D Thank you for commenting.

    The Fat Flush is a low sodium diet, that mainly focuses on eating unprocessed foods. It's a lot of making food from scratch, and no bread, salt, or butter. So the first 10 pounds that I lost is water weight most likely, and not actually fat.

    1-2 pounds a week sounds incredibly slow! Is that how weight loss usually happens? Last time I did the Fat Flush diet, I was dropping at least 4 pounds a week. At 2 pounds a week it would take me 40 weeks, or 10 months to lose the rest of the weight. That's August of next year!

    The 1200 calories is only for the initial "cleansing phase" then it goes to 1300-1500 until all the weight is lost, and then 1500+ for Fat Flush and Beyond. The maximum that I can do phase 1 is one month, so I have until the end of next week before I start increasing calories.

    And congratulations on your weight loss! You are half way there! *high five*

    Hm I'll try to say this gently. It seems your first go around with weight loss was unsustainable for the long term. You followed a strict, structured diet and when the structured plan was done you put the weight back on.

    In order to lose the weight, and keep it off, you need a sustainable, long term approach to diet and fitness. 1-2lbs a week is sustainable, 10lbs (or 5, or 8) is not. This needs to be a lifestyle change, not a diet, not a program. It needs to be created by you, for you, help from others is always appreciated as is support, but you need to sit down and think hard about what you want from a lifestyle change and what you want out of this whole weight loss process. You're in for the long haul, not for six months until the program is over!
  • JLindze07
    JLindze07 Posts: 6 Member
    1 pound a week very normal and suggested. As far as how long it takes you, how long did it take you put the the weight on? You did not put it on overnight, why woud you assume you would lose it overnight. It is a hard process, if it was easy and you could do it quickly we all would be skinny!
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,262 Member
    I had that book....bought it years ago when it first came out. I read the first couple chapters and realize I wasted my money. Now I am not saying YOU did...but it wasn't for me.

    One thing I have learned though is that no "diet" works long term. I know...I think I have done enough of them. :D But when it came down to it, eating better and less and exercising....the way our bodies want us to live...is the right way to go. No diet...just eating the way human beings SHOULD eat. I eat 1200 calories (give or take depending on exercise) and I am losing about a pound a week and odds are it will stay off because I figure its going to take a year to get to my goal. And that's fine because I am in this for life.

    Good luck with your program!
  • jilleebean777
    jilleebean777 Posts: 219 Member
    I know your feelings and thoughts exactly, "well the last time I lost weight I lost 30lns in 6 weeks" and so on. I did a weightloss program and the results were similar. I TOO have gained it ALL back. I have come to realize that it's not the getting to the finish line that is most important (yes it IS important) however it's the TOOLS and the LESSONS you learn to get there that help keep it off in the long run.

    You can't expect to lose 60 in 4 months and know all that there is to keep that weight off for good. Also, with these programs they teach you how to eat better, but for only a short amount of time, get you in the mind sest that losing weight is all about how fast it happens and Unless you want to be eating like that for the REST of your life, but that is not how life is. It's full of celebrations, weddings, birthdays, etc. that all involve food, and LOTS of it. And you need to figure out something afterward (which no one does and a lot of the places don't assist in "REAL LIFE" eating), so Instead of NOT being included in these exciting things, or shunning them, and the people they are about, you learn and use the tools you acquire and perfect over TIME to get you through them.

    I am back to square one, I am with you, right here. I gained 70+ lbs back. I am starting at the START line again. This time I am not going to rush it. I will take it one day at a time, one pound at a time, one step at a time. And learn from EVERYTHING I do, eat, try, fail at, and so on. I WILL make this change, and make it work for my LIFE, and the LIFE I want to spend with my family and friends. I am DONE with FAD DIETS! There is NO quick fix. It's all trial and error and fixing what is not working and always moving forward. Any loss is a good loss. Good luck on your journey!!
  • Alpina483
    Alpina483 Posts: 246 Member
    1-2 pounds a week sounds incredibly slow! Is that how weight loss usually happens? Last time I did the Fat Flush diet, I was dropping at least 4 pounds a week.

    ahem... so you've done it this way, and did it stick?
  • ahem... so you've done it this way, and did it stick?

    No it didn't stick, but that's not because the diet itself is bad; it's because I sabotaged myself by eating a large amount of unhealthy food. I do see your point though. I guess progress is progress no matter how slow. *shrug*
  • I know your feelings and thoughts exactly, "well the last time I lost weight I lost 30lns in 6 weeks" and so on. I did a weightloss program and the results were similar. I TOO have gained it ALL back. I have come to realize that it's not the getting to the finish line that is most important (yes it IS important) however it's the TOOLS and the LESSONS you learn to get there that help keep it off in the long run.

    You can't expect to lose 60 in 4 months and know all that there is to keep that weight off for good. Also, with these programs they teach you how to eat better, but for only a short amount of time, get you in the mind sest that losing weight is all about how fast it happens and Unless you want to be eating like that for the REST of your life, but that is not how life is. It's full of celebrations, weddings, birthdays, etc. that all involve food, and LOTS of it. And you need to figure out something afterward (which no one does and a lot of the places don't assist in "REAL LIFE" eating), so Instead of NOT being included in these exciting things, or shunning them, and the people they are about, you learn and use the tools you acquire and perfect over TIME to get you through them.

    I am back to square one, I am with you, right here. I gained 70+ lbs back. I am starting at the START line again. This time I am not going to rush it. I will take it one day at a time, one pound at a time, one step at a time. And learn from EVERYTHING I do, eat, try, fail at, and so on. I WILL make this change, and make it work for my LIFE, and the LIFE I want to spend with my family and friends. I am DONE with FAD DIETS! There is NO quick fix. It's all trial and error and fixing what is not working and always moving forward. Any loss is a good loss. Good luck on your journey!!

    I know what you mean! It's so frustrating to think that if I'd stayed eating healthy and exercising, that I would be at my goal weight NOW. This time around I'm going to stick with eating healthy. For me, the fat flush isn't a fad diet, it's a way of eating healthy for life (eating whole, nutritious foods). I'm tired of starting over, so I'm going to stop giving up! :D I've readjusted my goals to be more realistic. (Though I am going on a vacation to Vegas soon, and I'd really love to be back in my size 12 slacks!)

    Thank you for your thoughtful response, and good luck with your weight loss!
  • I had that book....bought it years ago when it first came out. I read the first couple chapters and realize I wasted my money. Now I am not saying YOU did...but it wasn't for me.

    One thing I have learned though is that no "diet" works long term. I know...I think I have done enough of them. :D But when it came down to it, eating better and less and exercising....the way our bodies want us to live...is the right way to go. No diet...just eating the way human beings SHOULD eat. I eat 1200 calories (give or take depending on exercise) and I am losing about a pound a week and odds are it will stay off because I figure its going to take a year to get to my goal. And that's fine because I am in this for life.

    Good luck with your program!

    Thank you, I'm approaching this with more longterm goals in mind, as a lot of people have advised. I'm using the Fat Flush diet to teach me how to cook, make healthy choices when eating out, and learning about how my body reacts to certain foods.
  • 1 pound a week very normal and suggested. As far as how long it takes you, how long did it take you put the the weight on? You did not put it on overnight, why woud you assume you would lose it overnight. It is a hard process, if it was easy and you could do it quickly we all would be skinny!

    I've always been heavy, so I guess it's taken my whole life to put on this weight. I certainly hope that it doesn't take 24 years to lose it. XD
    Just kidding, I have to look at the big picture here. Those pounds will add up, slowly but surely, and I'll reach my goal weight stronger and healthier for it.

    Thank you for the advice!
  • Hm I'll try to say this gently. It seems your first go around with weight loss was unsustainable for the long term. You followed a strict, structured diet and when the structured plan was done you put the weight back on.

    In order to lose the weight, and keep it off, you need a sustainable, long term approach to diet and fitness. 1-2lbs a week is sustainable, 10lbs (or 5, or 8) is not. This needs to be a lifestyle change, not a diet, not a program. It needs to be created by you, for you, help from others is always appreciated as is support, but you need to sit down and think hard about what you want from a lifestyle change and what you want out of this whole weight loss process. You're in for the long haul, not for six months until the program is over!

    Thank you for the advice. I had a few days of doubt, but I've stayed on the diet and realized that I feel better, so even if the scale doesn't show it, I know that I am improving.
  • Yes, 1-2lb a week is right, I started July and worked out it would take me until March of next year at a slow steady rate. That's fine by me, losing too quick is likely to mean more saggy skin and it took me longer than that to gain it so I'm prepared for it to take almost a year to come off.

    If it takes you a year but along the way you learn healthy eating habits and portion sizes then so what? It's something you're going to have to continue for life in any case, take the time to make the changes.

    Good luck :smile:

    Thank you, good luck to you too!