How do people lose weight SO FAST?

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motown13
motown13 Posts: 688 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have seen people say they have lost 68 pounds in 6 weeks.... even 100+ pounds in 3 months, and I wonder how that is even possible. I actually don't want that for myself, but I would LOVE to get to a solid 3 - 3.5 pounds a week after this quick weight loss beginning is over.

I would think that someone who can lose weigh THAT fast has a pretty good metabolism...... maybe too good, if that is possible?

Granted it is easier to lose faster if you are super heavy, but even at that, some people's weight loss is STAGGERING.

I wonder how they do it, or how / why it can happen that way. I'm not doubting them, as the proof is in the pictures.
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Replies

  • Textmessage
    Textmessage Posts: 387 Member
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    You start by not eating sugary foods, fast food, sodas, etc. anymore. Then you become elite.
  • josiereside
    josiereside Posts: 720 Member
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    I don't think it is a smart move to try and lose more than a pound or so per week... it is a journey not a race... I think you would need too much of a calorie deficit to do that...
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
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    You start by not eating sugary foods, fast food, sodas, etc. anymore. Then you become elite.

    ^Lame troll is lame.

    Sometimes people lose a lot at first because of water weight or they might even be doing it unhealthy. When weight loss happens that fast it can be difficult to keep off. Sure there are some that can keep it off, but it is usually not sustainable. Just eat at a moderate calorie deficit and exercise smart. You will lose by doing this. You don't have to take any drastic measures, unless you have a medical condition that deems it necessary. Good luck!
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
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    ^ what she said. I lost like 25lbs the first month but I made a huge change in what I was eating and had a lot to lose, but then I settled into 2lbs a week for the rest and luckily only hit 2 small plateaus in the meantime
  • amyvacek
    amyvacek Posts: 4 Member
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    Most likely those people are taking weight loss supplements or "diet pills" that are NOT good for you. In the beginning it will come off quickly but you shouldn't shoot for any more than 1-2 lbs a week. It's all about creating healthy habits - not trying to beat the clock. It's tough and can be tedious but well worth the wait! Good luck!
  • SGocka
    SGocka Posts: 33 Member
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    I lost 171 pounds in a little over 8 months.

    It took a big deficit and a lot of exercise.
  • motown13
    motown13 Posts: 688 Member
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    You start by not eating sugary foods, fast food, sodas, etc. anymore. Then you become elite.

    ^Lame troll is lame.

    Sometimes people lose a lot at first because of water weight or they might even be doing it unhealthy. When weight loss happens that fast it can be difficult to keep off. Sure there are some that can keep it off, but it is usually not sustainable. Just eat at a moderate calorie deficit and exercise smart. You will lose by doing this. You don't have to take any drastic measures, unless you have a medical condition that deems it necessary. Good luck!

    Oh, I DON'T want to lose like that, trust me. I'm doing fine.... I'm down 13 pounds in 10 days already ( and not water weight because I was already down 40 pounds before MFP )..... but I FULLY expect that I will start leveling off to maybe 2 pounds a week in the next week or so. My weight loss always stalls at the 270 pound mark, and I am at 272 today.

    But 10 pounds a week, every week, must be way more than water loss, I would think.
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    I think that once those people 1) change their diets the weight starts to just fall off. and 2) When they exercise the weight comes off abecause of the fact that it takes more energy to exercise a 300 LB body than a 150 LB body, the weight is easily lost.
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
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    To start you cannot control where and how the weight comes off. It just does. I started on MFP eating only about 400 calories because I literally found it difficult to eat more. That is why I have it written on my profile that I aim to eat 500 calories per day. Added to that I exercised 240 mins per day. Initially, the morning workouts were for exercise and the PM, to clear my head before I slept.

    Reading the likes of SideSteel, Sarauk and Acg67 alerted me to the fact that I was not eating enough. You have to understand motown, that I was completely unaware that my intake was low. When I felt hungry - I ate. If I was not hungry - I did not. Simple!! With their posts in mind and directly posting them for assistance, I made a concerted effort to eat more. I can average around 2500 +/- now, which has slowed my losses a great deal. Lost only 4 lbs last week vs 7 the week before.

    My exercising time slot has not altered much either@240 mins per day, but for when I have the time to run 3hr slots now. My only change is that I now run for the duration, covering distances which had taken me 30 mins to walk, I run in 6 mins or less, depending on my mood - angry /happy- really fast and if I'm just chatty - normal fast paced jog. I also do other forms of strength training (resistance bands and weighted machines) workouts which I do not log here. It just adds up to too many calories for me to eat back. Additionally, I personally feel that it's a personal deduction to ascertain what you believe is exercise or burn worthy. Sculpting and working on my muscles to me is preventative, so that I do not deplete my muscles from so much cardio. Cardio that I will need to increase to help me with my training (24 Peaks in the UK and the Great Wall of China) plus I want to be fit enough to do Everest with my brother.

    My sense of motivation is also different. Some days my workouts are fueled by laughter. Others by anger. And most of the time it's peaceful and liberating. I like feeling like me. Running makes me feel like me.

    The difference may also be that I was never FAT, but for 3 years ago. A lot changes a person when your father is murdered and your long distance boyfriend whose deployed, impregnates someone and he had asked you to wait. Who really knows why my weight chooses to come off at the rate that it does?


    @aestading. I do not take diet supplements or weight loss aids of any type. Assumptions can be damaging and misleading.

    EDIT: Upper case corrections.
    ETA: I also log one set of exercises as a walk because there was some debate over the efficacy of the doled burns on MFP. I certainly did not want to eat back too many calories.
  • verdancyhime
    verdancyhime Posts: 237 Member
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    I've lost 11lbs in about 3 weeks. This did not seem right to me when I saw my ticker.

    I'm not taking weird pills or eating like 500 cals a day or anything. Some of it is probably water, but I eat a decent amount of carbs and am not watching sodium.

    I've made "lighter" versions of stuff I make for my bf and me to split a lot. I appear to have been eating around 1k of calories in an average dinner and about 500 in the average morning, maybe with a 3-5 hundred calorie snack. So... my body is used to getting WAY more food than even what my total daily energy expenditure calculates out to based on the calculations I was able to make. Plus, I walk to work, and recently went from working 1-3 shifts in the average week and walking the 2 miles there that often to working nearly every day.

    I suppose if you suddenly change something a lot, things like this can happen. I doubt it will continue at this rate, and I'm okay with it. Even if I'd lost 3 lbs in 3 weeks I'd still be proud. I am very much about not comparing myself to others.
  • sandobr1
    sandobr1 Posts: 319 Member
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    Could it be they are counting all weight loss, they may have been working on it before joining MFP?
  • missashleybeth
    missashleybeth Posts: 23
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    Most people who have dramatic weight loss make dramatic changes. I.e. going from 0 mins cardio/week to 150 minutes high intensity cardio/week...swapping high calorie bad quality foods for lower calorie higher quality foods. it's about finding what works for your body. Also, those who have more to lose, will lose it more quickly.
  • Chibea
    Chibea Posts: 363 Member
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    Where are you finding these people?? I'm happy to get 2 lbs per week. If I eat everything I am suppose to, I lose even less...
  • pudadough
    pudadough Posts: 1,271 Member
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    I think maybe the more you have to lose, the faster it comes off. At first.

    People who need to lose 100+ pounds might lose very quickly in the beginning. People like me who are battling vanity pounds will probably not see that kind of dramatic drop. Possibly because we are very close to our body's "happy weight" in the first place. That's what I'm hoping the problem is. :grumble:
  • motown13
    motown13 Posts: 688 Member
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    Where are you finding these people?? I'm happy to get 2 lbs per week. If I eat everything I am suppose to, I lose even less...

    I spend lots of time reading success stories....... They are so inspiring, quite often.
  • JosieJo2000
    JosieJo2000 Posts: 162 Member
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    Took me 6-7 months to lose 20lbs

    No speed loss here!
  • missashleybeth
    missashleybeth Posts: 23
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    Most likely those people are taking weight loss supplements or "diet pills" that are NOT good for you. In the beginning it will come off quickly but you shouldn't shoot for any more than 1-2 lbs a week. It's all about creating healthy habits - not trying to beat the clock. It's tough and can be tedious but well worth the wait! Good luck!

    This is an extremely ignorant assumption. A couple years ago, I dropped 45lbs in 3 1/2 months, WITHOUT diet pills. Most "diet pills" don't even contribute towards major weight loss anyways. Losing weight is hard work. If someone loses weight faster, good for them, just means they are putting in the work required.
  • RepsnSets
    RepsnSets Posts: 805 Member
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    I loss my weight far too quickly and guess what? I piled it all back on after I hit a plateau. Didnt think about stepping outside my comfort zone, oh noooooo so the old habits crept back in not exercising or eating right.

    Im back at doing it slowly this year. One year of hard work and beyond.
  • sassytoadegree
    sassytoadegree Posts: 20
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    all i can say is EXERCISE EXERCISE AND MORE EXERCISE!!!! Im actually going for about 3bls a week myself this time, i have lost 120 lbs in a 4 month period so it can be done, wouldnt say what i did was real healthy tho. Im trying to do it right this time and maybe the results will last longer.
  • sassytoadegree
    sassytoadegree Posts: 20
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    Ive so been there girl, Your right it comes back if your not careful, what i need to remember is that im going to have off days where im gonna eat what i shouldnt. I cant let that be it tho. just cause i mess up i need to keep going. everyone is going to mess up from time to time were only human, just remember not to let that define your whole diet. you binge one day its ok , go back to the right way the next day and youll be fine.

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