Do bigger people lose weight faster?

KrazyInLove
KrazyInLove Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So my gf decided she would do the weight loss thing with me. I would say she weighs 250 give or take. We have been eating the same and exercising the same and we got on the scale and she was down 4lbs and i was down 0. =O.....
«1

Replies

  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
    absolutely! the more you have to lose, the easier it is. that's part of the reason why people lose so much in the beginning, then the weight lose slows down. perhaps think about percentage of weight lose when comparing yourself to your friend.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Yep, the more you have to lose, generally the easier it is!
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,722 Member
    yep
  • Kaiukas
    Kaiukas Posts: 111 Member
    The BMR is higher when people weigh more and for the same amount of exercise they use up more calories.
  • StephDuffney
    StephDuffney Posts: 51 Member
    the more you have to lose, the easier it is.

    I will call bs on this line. I am 321 right now. I work out like a mad women 5 days a week and eat well with in my cal each day. Each person body is different and will lose at it own rate.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    So my gf decided she would do the weight loss thing with me. I would say she weighs 250 give or take. We have been eating the same and exercising the same and we got on the scale and she was down 4lbs and i was down 0. =O.....

    Yes, but it's not a good idea to gauge your own progress against someone else's, regardless of starting weight. There are too many other factors that influence your scale weight. You can gain exercise related and/or TOM related water weight as you lose fat, for example, and end up weighing the same.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    So my gf decided she would do the weight loss thing with me. I would say she weighs 250 give or take. We have been eating the same and exercising the same and we got on the scale and she was down 4lbs and i was down 0. =O.....

    Yes, but it's not a good idea to gauge your own progress against someone else's, regardless of starting weight. There are too many other factors that influence your scale weight. You can gain exercise related and/or TOM related water weight as you lose fat, for example, and end up weighing the same.

    This.

    Compete only with yourself.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    Typically people with more weight to lose will lose that weight faster in the beginning of a diet/exercise regimen. The weight loss will slow down as the person gets slimmer, though. The metabolism of an obese person tends to run at a higher constant rate because her/his body is working harder to carry around the excess weight - so when there's a calorie reduction, the metabolism still burns at the higher rate for a while.
  • HolsDoinIt
    HolsDoinIt Posts: 327 Member
    So my gf decided she would do the weight loss thing with me. I would say she weighs 250 give or take. We have been eating the same and exercising the same and we got on the scale and she was down 4lbs and i was down 0. =O.....

    yeppp...i weigh significantly more than my gf we eat the same and she exercises more than me...she will only lose 1-2 lbs vs my 5 or whatever it may be..
  • ZugTheMegasaurus
    ZugTheMegasaurus Posts: 801 Member
    the more you have to lose, the easier it is.

    I will call bs on this line. I am 321 right now. I work out like a mad women 5 days a week and eat well with in my cal each day. Each person body is different and will lose at it own rate.
    That doesn't mean it isn't true; it could just mean that you'll have an even more difficult time as you lose more weight.

    To the OP question, think of it like this: you know that weight loss results from a calorie deficit. A larger body uses more calories just to exist than does a smaller body. So given the same dietary intake and exercise (which you said applies to you and your friend), the larger person will have a larger deficit, and thus, lose more weight. If you maintain the same caloric intake and burn throughout the whole weight loss process, it will slow because that deficit becomes smaller and smaller as the body requires less energy.
  • SapphireSmoke
    SapphireSmoke Posts: 13 Member
    In my experience, yes.

    When my BMI was in the "overweight" zone, the pounds just seemed to fall off of me. But now that I've reached a more healthy weight, it seems to be taking a lot longer.
  • grannygethealthy1111
    grannygethealthy1111 Posts: 422
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/406097-why-do-overweight-people-lose-weight-faster/?utm_source=undefined_R1&LS-2659
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    Someone with as much to lose as me can easily lose 2 or 3 pounds a week without a ton of effort. It becomes much more difficult the less you have to lose.
  • LeggyAmericanGirl
    LeggyAmericanGirl Posts: 285 Member
    Every human body is different.

    I am in the 200s and I lose bout 5lbs month.

    Overall weight does not ensure big losses.

    Enjoy your journey
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    I call BS. Everybody is different. I've been losing 1-2 pounds per week since I started, and I started at 357.

    Reasons it may be "easier" are because an overweight person will burn more calories when working out. It isn't easy, though. Stop making it sound like a walk in the park. You do Turbo Jam with 100 pounds of extra weight on you and tell me how easy it is.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    The heavier person will burn calories easier by the sheer amount of fat they are carrying. However, that is countered by the fact that they are habituated to eat a larger amount of calories and may find it hard to cut down on eating. They also will find it harder to exercise. So in the end it is not guaranteed to be easier.
  • LeggyAmericanGirl
    LeggyAmericanGirl Posts: 285 Member
    they are habituated to eat a larger amount of calories and may find it hard to cut down on eating. They also will find it harder to exercise.

    what the hell does that mean. Im overweight I have never binged and work out every day, cutting back now. Just b/c your fat doesnt mean you overeat constanly or dont exercise.
  • jcraig1980
    jcraig1980 Posts: 34
    For me I lost weight a lot faster in the beginning, at most 5 pounds in a week. But now after losing a bunch of weight, it has slowed down a lot - like a pound a month now. I burned a lot more calories running when I was 38 pounds heavier, unfortunately I do not have the time to double up my workouts and unwilling to drop any more calories from my diet. So slow it is from here on out. Just keep at it - slow and steady wins the race! I
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    Yes they do, and there's a simple explanation. Pounds are a constant measure. For example: 4lbs is 1.3% of a 300lb person, whereas 1.3lbs is 1.3% of a 100lb person. So, the 100lb person losing 1lb is the same as the 300lb person losing 4lbs.

    What this means is that lighter people should not be comparing their progress in terms of pounds lost to someone who weighs a great deal more.
  • Eisey127
    Eisey127 Posts: 15
    Agreed, doing exercises, eating less, still at 6lbs lost in the last 2 weeks, guess I better lay off the evening glasses of wine :(
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    definitely... I used to lose several pounds a week before (once i started), now im lucky if i lose once a week, im getting so close to my goal weight but it sure is harder.
  • LesleyGillan
    LesleyGillan Posts: 164
    In the first week we do, I just lost 10lbs :noway: Being so overweight usually includes extra fluid retention because of the really bad food choices that got me this way! It remains to be seen what my next week loss will be.
  • SeekingKarma
    SeekingKarma Posts: 61 Member
    Also, it takes calories to maintain a certain weight. When there is a deficit, until the body gets used to it, it'll use whatever available storage.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    I think past eating habits are more to "blame" than overall weight to lose.

    I started at 220, and I didn't realize how crappy I was eating. Ice cream, chips, biiiiiiiiig meals with no regard.

    I've been at this for just over a month and I've lost 15lbs so far. No complaints, I'll take all I can until it slows down and I really have to work at it!
  • Raina27
    Raina27 Posts: 133
    the more you have to lose, the easier it is.

    I will call bs on this line. I am 321 right now. I work out like a mad women 5 days a week and eat well with in my cal each day. Each person body is different and will lose at it own rate.


    I'm with you!! This has NOT been easy for me AT ALL!! I am also very heavy and the lbs do NOT come off ANY faster!! I struggle just to lose 1 pound!! So I would say NO just because someone is bigger doesnt mean they lose any faster because everyone is different!!
  • anewlife4me8610
    anewlife4me8610 Posts: 91 Member
    the more you have to lose, the easier it is.

    I will call bs on this line. I am 321 right now. I work out like a mad women 5 days a week and eat well with in my cal each day. Each person body is different and will lose at it own rate.

    I LOVE IT!!! SO SO SO TRUE...I have weeks where I am just working like mad and I actually gain! so It all depends on your body, your metabolizem and if your taking medications etc.
    But generally the bigger you are, you will see big losses...check out the show Biggest Loser...they get on and one person will lose 35 lbs the first week, the other will only lose 3....and you think REALLY???? lol Fact is if you are burning 3500 more calories more than you take in, you will generally lose 1 lb. Since larger people use more calories to exist, they will burn at a faster rate, and your friend may have lost a lot of water weight too.....try increasing your water intake that might help speed things up...the more you drink the more you expel. Its awesome you have someone to keep you motivated...Keep up the awesome work!
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,733 Member
    the question was whether heavier people lose weight faster, not whether they lose weight easier.

    it's been an established scientific fact for nearly 100 years that heavier people have a higher BMR.

    if i fed 1500 calories to a 150lb person daily and 1500 calories to a 300lb person, and they do IDENTICAL exercise daily and everything else is equal (same age, gender, height, overall health, body composition, etc.), the 300lb person will shed weight more quickly than the 150lb person.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris-Benedict_equation

    however, as you lose weight, your BMR decreases. this is why large people can drop large amounts of weight early on, but as they near their goal weight, it becomes harder and slower to see similar losses.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    I always figures that a heavier person would have a higher TDEE. So if you have a lower TDEE but have both been eating the same then her defecit will be higher, resulting in faster weight loss, at least initially.

    Might be rubbish but it's what I always thought lol
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    You do Turbo Jam with 100 pounds of extra weight on you and tell me how easy it is.
    I'll bet I find it easier to lose weight if I do that and keep eating the same :).

    Rode my push bike home with maybe 35lb extra shopping in the bags - was hard work and I've lost over 50lb, so was carrying that around all the time. Definitely found it easier to lose initially.

    Haven't got the link to hand, but I believe it's been shown that you can also lose more fat per week the more you've got - as common sense would also suggest really.

    Certainly the lower I've got the more I've had to make an effort about getting everything right - thus using MFP rather than generally not eating much and doing a fair bit of exercise.

Categories