lost 12lbs in 4 weeks, is this correct/normal/average?

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bethcamp
bethcamp Posts: 37
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been eating 1200 cals average per day and exercised on average 6times a week for 4 weeks, I've gone from 13,8 to 12,11, is this good? Bad? Average? Do I need it increase/ decrease cals or increase/decrease change exercise? Help, advice and experience from this point wanted? :) thanks!

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  • magsxx
    magsxx Posts: 46 Member
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    I have also lost 12lbs in 4 weeks and have been doing the same food wise and exercise as you :) I'm thinking it'll probably start to slow up soon but it has def gave me the motivation to stick at it. Well done and goodluck
  • bethcamp
    bethcamp Posts: 37
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    Yeah I still have a long way to go, was just wanting to know I'm on the right track, thanks and good luck to you too
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    I've been averaging 12 lbs/ month for 3 months. Seems right to me (also my LBM has gone up 2 lbs, so I know it is fat I'm losing not muscle.)

    I have about 12 lbs to my healthy weight range and about 12-22 lbs to my goal weight.... I figure maybe I'll get there in the next few months.
  • BGM325
    BGM325 Posts: 78
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    I'm like you girls! This Saturday makes a month that I started reducing my calorie intake and I've been exercising every day for 3 weeks. I've lost 10lbs and I've definitely lost inches. My advice is if it's working for you, keep at it, make minor/major changes when you feel the time is right. I play mind games with myself and try to out do what I've done. "I walked 3 miles yesterday in an hour, let me try to do it in 45 minutes today" etc, etc. WHATEVER works for you!
  • LadyBirdGo
    LadyBirdGo Posts: 39 Member
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    it's typical for a healthy 18 yr old. When I was that age I could lose around 3 pounds per wk in a month.

    Enjoy it while you can, hun! because when you get into your later twenties (like me) it will become increasingly harder. I now lose 2 Ibs a week when I get past the 3 week hurdle! lol
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    The first several weeks is very common to lose high amounts of weight. A lot of it is water. Generally outside of that, you should aim to 1-2 lbs a week as noted in the below chart. The issue with aggressive weight loss is you don't just lose fat, you lose muscle. Muscle is what gives a body a tight and lean look. The more you have, the less weight you will have to lose. The perfect example is if you look at the link below. The first one is weight loss, the second one would be fat loss. In fact, the girl in the picture had to go through a bulk phase, followed by another cut phase to get that kind of body. The thought is, why cause yourself muscle loss from under eating to only have to gain some weight back. For an active women who is NOT morbidly obese, 1200 calories will not be enough to sustain your metabolic rate nor your muscle mass. The question is, what is your goal? Do you just want skinny or fit?

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat


    The best advice I can give you, have a good weight training or resistance program and get a lot of protein (30-40% of your diet) and aim for 1 lb per week since you have about 40 lbs to lose. If you make it a race, you have to make up for it when you reach your goal and realize you aren't were you thought you would be.
  • bethcamp
    bethcamp Posts: 37
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    Haha I'll make the most of the results while I can then :) and I'll keep doing what Im doing, thanks ladies! And 1lb a week sounds very slow even just for fat loss? Is it possible to lose more than that in a week?
  • ashleyShades
    ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
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    I'm the opposite I've only lost 4 but have been doing the same haha
  • bethcamp
    bethcamp Posts: 37
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    Maybe look at what you're eating? Are you counting all calories correctly? And how intense/ long are your workouts?
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    Haha I'll make the most of the results while I can then :) and I'll keep doing what Im doing, thanks ladies! And 1lb a week sounds very slow even just for fat loss? Is it possible to lose more than that in a week?

    Yes. If you add in strength training and keep your proteins at the right level, you can continue to lose 3 lbs/week and not experience muscle loss. There are a lot of myths around this site but all the research shows that you can lose quite a bit of "fat only" and keep your muscle intact. The key really is strength training and protein. I've been losing 3 lbs/wk for 3 months and had my bodyfat checked when I started and again recently (just to make sure I'm not losing muscle) and my lean body mass is actually just slightly higher now than it was when I started (so no muscle loss).

    I'm 29 by the way so it is not restricted by age...
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    I think it's phenomenal!
  • 1brokegal44
    1brokegal44 Posts: 562 Member
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    I think that's fantastic! If I could do that I'd be done in 2 months....alas not to be for me. Keep up the great work!
  • SakuraRose13
    SakuraRose13 Posts: 621 Member
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    Im 29 with two daughters 19 months apart youngest turns a year old march 9th ,shes 11 months at the moment I went from 150 on Jan 1st to 136 today so seems fine to me and I exercise 3 days a week or 4 for 30 to 45 mins .I take in 1200 cals a day too.Im 4ft 10 in so my previous wieght considered me with a BMI of obese and now im just considered overwieght,Im looking to be a healthy range again which is 120 and 105 is my ultimate goal. I have been steady all throughout.I have mine set to lose 2lbs per week.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Haha I'll make the most of the results while I can then :) and I'll keep doing what Im doing, thanks ladies! And 1lb a week sounds very slow even just for fat loss? Is it possible to lose more than that in a week?

    Yes. If you add in strength training and keep your proteins at the right level, you can continue to lose 3 lbs/week and not experience muscle loss. There are a lot of myths around this site but all the research shows that you can lose quite a bit of "fat only" and keep your muscle intact. The key really is strength training and protein. I've been losing 3 lbs/wk for 3 months and had my bodyfat checked when I started and again recently (just to make sure I'm not losing muscle) and my lean body mass is actually just slightly higher now than it was when I started (so no muscle loss).

    I'm 29 by the way so it is not restricted by age...

    I would love to see these studies that you suggest. The only time a person can generally lose that much weight is if they are morbidly obese. And as you approach a normal/healthy weight, the harder it becomes to maintain lean body mass.
  • ashleyShades
    ashleyShades Posts: 375 Member
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    Maybe look at what you're eating? Are you counting all calories correctly? And how intense/ long are your workouts?

    I'm eating a little more at 1330 but I've been working out 5 to 6 days a week. 10 minute warm up on the treadmill then strength training alternating days between upper and lower body followed by abs on some days and then 35-45 minutes of cardio. For cardio I'll do the elliptical or treadmill or the 30 minute circuit at Planet Fitness.
  • hiyomi
    hiyomi Posts: 906 Member
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    I've lost 10-12 pounds in 4 weeks also. Seems pretty normal to me. I eat 1400-1800 calories a day and exercise/weightlift 5 days a week ^^
  • hiyomi
    hiyomi Posts: 906 Member
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    I lost around the same amount eating more calories, maybe this is too little and you can add sometihng? Depending on your height and activity level. See previous post for my cals/exercise
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
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    http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/smd/2006/00000036/00000003/art00005
    Exercise training is associated with an increase in energy expenditure, thus promoting changes in body composition and bodyweight while keeping dietary intake constant. The advantages of strength training may have greater implications than initially proposed with respect to decreasing percentage body fat and sustaining FFM.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6654571
    In this study the patients only lost appx 1.5 lbs per week but were on a 1000 cal/day diet and lost no muscle mass.

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/47/1/19.short
    It was concluded that weight training results in comparable gains in muscle area and strength for DPE and EO. Adding weight training exercise to a caloric restriction program results in maintenance of LBW compared with DO.
    ...
    The increase of 0.43 kg in LBW for the DPE group is comparable to the largest increases reported in other dietplus-exercise studies. Zuti and Golding (5) and Lewis et al (27) report LBW increases of 0.5 and 1. 1 kg over 16and 17 wk, respectively.
    Here DPE is diet with exercise, EO is exercise without diet and DO is diet without exercise.

    http://jap.physiology.org/content/79/3/818.short
    RT increases strength with and without weight loss. Furthermore, RT and RTWL increase fat-free mass and RMR and decrease percent fat in postmenopausal women.
    This study was specific to postmenopausal women but there is no reason that the results don't carry over.

    http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/70038
    This study is actually just about lap bands and has nothing to do with exercise or protein but it does show that even in a VLCD (like the one that accompanies a lap band) fat free mass is mostly maintained.

    http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/2613421
    There is no evidence to suggest that the rate of weight loss achieved by VLCD is associated with any detriment to body composition or metabolic rate.
    Again, this once doesn't even have a group that exercises but instead studies people losing weight on a VLCD whereby they lost 4.24 pounds per week and came to the above conclusion.

    There are tons more. When I first read all the studies, I spent a couple days combing through all the journal articles and was able to find a bunch more involving exercise and diet that I read through. I have no intention of doing that this time. But the information is out there.

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