How do they lose so much weight

maggiemay22467
maggiemay22467 Posts: 214 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I see people on MFP who have lost 45-65 pound in just around 3 to 3 and half months. I have been on here for 40 days and I am only down 12 pounds. I have been doing very well counting every calorie that goes into my mouth and trying to walk every day. Should I be doing more I want my weight to come off that fast. The only time I ever lost weight that fast I was doing a diet pill.
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Replies

  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    12 pounds in 40 days is a healthy amount. When I first started, I was doing about 2lbs/week. I've been at this since February and I'm down 27lbs.

    Diet pills are not a solution for permanent weight loss. What happens when you stop taking them...? The weight comes back.

    Do it the healthy way. Sounds like you're right on track.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I see people on MFP who have lost 45-65 pound in just around 3 to 3 and half months. I have been on here for 40 days and I am only down 12 pounds. I have been doing very well counting every calorie that goes into my mouth and trying to walk every day. Should I be doing more I want my weight to come off that fast. The only time I ever lost weight that fast I was doing a diet pill.

    Generally speaking the more you have to lose, the faster you can lose. Someone who is 400lbs can lose weight at a much faster pace than someone who just needs to drop 20lbs. I have no idea what your stats are, but keep this in mind.
  • Curvimami
    Curvimami Posts: 1,851 Member
    Thats a good question. I'd like to know the answer to this as well... I know for many ppl the more that they weigh, and the more sedentary they were before starting their weightloss program the more they tend to lose once they start out. But for everyone else, Im not so sure :ohwell:
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    I see people on MFP who have lost 45-65 pound in just around 3 to 3 and half months. I have been on here for 40 days and I am only down 12 pounds. I have been doing very well counting every calorie that goes into my mouth and trying to walk every day. Should I be doing more I want my weight to come off that fast. The only time I ever lost weight that fast I was doing a diet pill.

    Generally speaking the more you have to lose, the faster you can lose. Someone who is 400lbs can lose weight at a much faster pace than someone who just needs to drop 20lbs. I have no idea what your stats are, but keep this in mind.



    SO RIGHT!!!! my friend was like 350 and lost 100lbs in a small amount of time (60 just by dieting a lone the first 3 months). Then when he started the Insanity workouts he lost the other 40
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
    12 pounds in 40 days is 2 pounds a week; that is a significant loss and probably the highest rate you should aim for. Don't think so much about losing fast, think about keeping it off long term. Build habits that you can keep for a lifetime. Pills, starvation tactics, and fad diets might lead to a quick loss, but it most likely won't be sustainable.

    Be sure to look at people's starting height/weight when making comparisons. If someone is 200 pounds overweight, those initial pounds might come off pretty fast. If they are 20 pounds over, it will likely be a slower rate of loss. I started out losing around 1.5 pounds a week, but I had 100 pounds to lose. Now it's been a consistent 1 pound a week. Probably it will slow to less than that pretty soon. So what. I am still losing and, most importantly, I am living a healthy lifestyle right now -- no pills, just healthy eating and exercise.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    Also keep in mind that a lot of people have lost weight before using MFP. In your ticker you can put total pounds lost (even before MFP).
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You are doing great! 2 pounds a week is a lot more than a lot of people can do. Just be patient and keep at it. You didn't put it on in 40 days and it won't come off in 40 days.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    A lot of really overweight people just starting out will drop a lot of weight quickly. I lost 15 lbs in the first 2 weeks. After that it slowed to 2 lb/wk and stayed there until I was slim. I lost about 45 lbs in th first 3 1/2 months.
  • smb0506
    smb0506 Posts: 10
    I see people on MFP who have lost 45-65 pound in just around 3 to 3 and half months. I have been on here for 40 days and I am only down 12 pounds. I have been doing very well counting every calorie that goes into my mouth and trying to walk every day. Should I be doing more I want my weight to come off that fast. The only time I ever lost weight that fast I was doing a diet pill.

    Unfortunately some people lose weight faster than others. My friend Jess loses weight like crazy, but I am not so lucky. When I've lost weight that fast with pills, etc., I gain it back a lot faster and gain more. My suggestion: listen to your body, it probably doesn't want to lose weight that fast. But remember working out is the best way to lose weight. I started with the 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels. It's a 20 minute workout that is easy to fit into busy schedules. You can do it!
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    I've lost 25 lbs in 70ish days. I'm overweight, and ate REALLY badly before I started. I believe that my loss will slow down eventually, so I'm taking what I can! lol

    Congrats on your loss thus far!! Keep at it, you'll be seeing the big numbers on your ticker before you know it!!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    I see people on MFP who have lost 45-65 pound in just around 3 to 3 and half months. I have been on here for 40 days and I am only down 12 pounds. I have been doing very well counting every calorie that goes into my mouth and trying to walk every day. Should I be doing more I want my weight to come off that fast. The only time I ever lost weight that fast I was doing a diet pill.

    They have more to lose. In essense, you don't want to be there in the first place. 12 lbs in 40 days is 9 lbs a month, and better than 2 lbs a week. That's excellent progress, a lot of people would be really happy with that. Which brings me to my point. We are each unique in how our bodies react to things. There are some general biological premises. But for the most part how one person gets healthy is their own. You can't compare your weight loss to other people, you'll just get frustrated. Also, you'll see some huge calorie burns on here too, you should ignore that also.
  • ksnegirl
    ksnegirl Posts: 85 Member
    12lbs in 40 days is great! I've lost 10 since July!! But remember it's not how fast you get there. Sure, everyone would like the lbs to magically disappear. But, just isn't going to happen that way. I think you're doing fine.
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    I've seen a few diaries around where intake is down around 600-800 calories.
  • Juliann4k9
    Juliann4k9 Posts: 36 Member
    I think you are doing awesome. 12pds in 40 days is amazing. Just keep doing what your doing. :flowerforyou:
  • deb3129
    deb3129 Posts: 1,294 Member
    I have lost a lot of weight (105 pounds) in 8 months. I was really overweight (338 pounds) when I started though. I lost the first 50 in about 3 months simply through diet changes, and then after that I started exercising. But I went from eating nothing but garbage to eating as healthy as possible pretty much overnight, and have tracked every calorie. I think some peoples bodies just lose faster. But you are losing at a good rate, do not be discouraged!
  • crazyellybean
    crazyellybean Posts: 999 Member
    Keep in mind that there are all DIFFERENT body types and people here... there are people who weigh 300lbs and can drop a lot of weight at the initial start of weight loss, there are people with lapband surgery, or gastric bypass, there are weight loss pill poppers, there are medically supervised dieters.... and there are people who will stick 100% to their diet never eating anything that resembles putting on a pound until they have lose the weight they want.. (dedication)

    you cannot compare your weight loss to someone else's as they are completely different then you are... so just keep at doing what you are doing and don't stop the fight!
  • Jkmumma
    Jkmumma Posts: 254
    I lost a lot, fast at first, then it slowed down dramatically after the first 3-4 months.
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
    2 pounds a week is great.

    Them losing weight quickly can have many reasons. Maybe they have more to lose, then the first weight comes off quicker.
    Maybe they are doing some kind of crazy hypermotivated workout routine. Maybe they are a man (seriously, it's not fair).

    I have been on here 101 days and I have lost 18 pounds. But I actually quite like going nice and slow, because this means that I will have less trouble keeping it off and I won't get saggy skin so much.
  • cbmcphillips
    cbmcphillips Posts: 801 Member
    sidesteel is right... the more you have to lose the easier... i lost easier when i first started.... now standing still... ugh.. water and skim milk will be your best friends.....
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    12 pounds in 40 days is really good. I didn't have much to lose and was losing less than a pound a week. People with a lot to lose will likely lose faster (though not always), and people with less to lose are going to lose slowest.
  • MandaPaigeSparkles88
    MandaPaigeSparkles88 Posts: 1,289 Member
    I have been at this since May of this year, and I have lost a total of 21 pounds. Some people loose weight faster than other. Loosing weight is not gonna happen over night it's gonna take time and patience and a whole lot of effort. Just keep doing what you are doing and the weight will fall off.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    I lost 45 lbs in about 4 months, honestly just busting *kitten* and I really didnt research how to properly lose weight so i had a huge caloric deficit lol, but now I really dont care what I weigh - and im starting to believe the calories in< calories out. I'm just addicted to LIFTING and its addicted to making me stronger and more muscular (ie. skinnier)
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Also keep in mind that fast weight loss isn't good for your body. A lot of the time, you end up losing muscle, your skin's elasticity won't compensate as much so you will be saggy, your joints won't have as much protection as you lost muscle as well, and as a women your boobs can become more saggy. Keep in mind fat loss > muscle and fat loss.
  • kooltray87
    kooltray87 Posts: 501 Member
    Not to be a light weight whiner but the real kicker is people who started out obese then lose 100 lbs and pass me up in the same amount of time I've been trying to lose weight. :-( Congrats to all you ex +200 pounders who are now 125, but I started out at 155 and now I'd give my baby to just to be 135 lol
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    I've lost an average of 1.75 lbs a week since starting and I'm thrilled :flowerforyou: especially since I've been able to do it with net calories at 1600 - 1800 per day. Seems like the only way I could go faster would be to either work out twice as long or eat less and I'm not willing at this point to do that. What I'm doing is almost...easy! I could do this indefinitely. Works for me.
  • LucyT4dieting
    LucyT4dieting Posts: 284 Member
    I wondered the same thing. I started MFP in August. It is now November, and I am down only 12 pounds. I guess it all depends on a lot of things....age, weight, gender, metabolism, exercise...well, you get the picture. Anyway, I'm sure you didn't gain all the weight in a week (at least I didn't), so you can't expect to lose it that quickly either. Just keep at it and you WILL lose. You could probably lose faster by cutting your calories to an unhealthy amount, but you couldn't keep doing that for long, and would probably gain it all back again when you stopped. So make this a lifestyle change you can live with forever and the weight may come off slower, but it will stay off permanently, and that's the important thing! Good work on your weight loss so far...you can do this!!!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Don't be so quick to compare yourself with others....everyone is different, and I'm sure they didn't gain weight the same as you did either. They aren't all the same age, sex and don't have the same genetic makeup. Be happy for what you have lost and keep up the good work!

    As long as you're eating right and exercising, it will come off.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I see people on MFP who have lost 45-65 pound in just around 3 to 3 and half months. I have been on here for 40 days and I am only down 12 pounds. I have been doing very well counting every calorie that goes into my mouth and trying to walk every day. Should I be doing more I want my weight to come off that fast. The only time I ever lost weight that fast I was doing a diet pill.

    I wonder if maybe the strong desire for the weight to come off fast is actually hindering your goals? Personally, I have been eating 20% fewer calories than my TDEE and exercising 3 times a week. I think there is such a thing as trying too hard.
  • PamelaKuz
    PamelaKuz Posts: 191 Member
    I think we're losing around the same rate. I've been on 60 days and lost 14 lbs. I would love to lose faster as well, but everyone seems to say that slower is better. At least we're going in the right direction!
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    I lost 42lbs in about 4 months, but was eating too low of cals for my needs and working out 2 hours a day everyday. I didn't have energy, kinda felt like crap, but the weight came off. And there was no way it was sustainable for me, I had to push myself hard for those 2 hours lol I have been stuck on the scale now going on 3 months. But I upped my cals to where they should be, and I have lost inches and bf even if I haven't lost lbs. Don't just go by the scale, the inches tell a way bigger story!!

    I just starting heavy lifting and lowered my cardio days and seeing if this will get me moving. I agree with everyone else, the bigger you are, the quicker you will drop weight, but those people usually even out too and start to lose slower the smaller they get.

    Hang in there, it will come off and even if the scale isn't moving, take pics and measurements and you will be pleasantly surprised at how much your body is actually changing!! :happy:

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