When is weight loss too fast?

x1v16
x1v16 Posts: 66
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi there, I'm a 28 year old guy who started his diet around Jan 17/2013 at 275 pounds and am 5 foot 9. For 3 of those weeks I was aiming at 1900-2000 net calories a day, and the other week of it I was aiming at 1700 but that felt too restrictive. I have been exercising with low to moderate intensity cardio burning roughly 400 calories a day on average. I exercise so I can eat more so I almost always eat those extra calories, and almost always eat every calorie I have left. I should be losing 1.5 pounds a week but my weight loss so far has been as follows.

Jan 17 - Jan 24 (7 days) 7 pounds lost
Jan 24 - Feb 7 (14 days) 11 pounds lost
Feb 7 - Feb 17 (10 days) 5 pounds lost

Now I am at 252 pounds. Considering I should be losing 1.5 pounds a week why am I still beating that? I am still losing an average of 3.5 pounds a week in my 4th week.

Replies

  • Careygirl1968
    Careygirl1968 Posts: 58 Member
    I had a similar experience when I first starting losing - it's like I was melting! How are you figuring your calories burned? I'd bet you are actually burning more than that 400. The heavier you are, the more effort it takes for your body to move to do anything. The more effort, the more calories burned. I hate to say it, but you will likely taper off the fast loss in a few weeks, because you body won't be working so hard.

    I started at 330, and would lose an average of 5-7 pounds per week for about the first three months. 110 pounds later, I'm fighting to lose 1-2 per week.

    So, my advice, enjoy it while you can, and don't let it get you down when it slows down - as long as that scale is moving down, you are doing great!!
  • ashleey1000
    ashleey1000 Posts: 256 Member
    I wish.
  • imtrinat
    imtrinat Posts: 153 Member
    I think this is normal for someone of your initial starting weight. You can easily lose 10+ lbs of water weight once you adjust your carb and sodium intake during those first couple of weeks. It looks like you are on point for right now, but I'm glad to see someone is actually concerned about doing it right :) Congrats! Good luck!
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Count your blessings! As long as you feel good and keep track of calories in vs. calories out, you should be fine. Congratulations!
  • flatblade
    flatblade Posts: 224 Member
    I started at almost exactly the same size as you. My weight loss was pretty dramatic at first and then slowed a bit. I think the key thing is to expect for the loss to slow down and not overreact if/when it occurs. Continue to burn more calories than you take in and you will continue to lose weight. Don't overthink!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    It means your actual maintenance, or TDEE figure, is higher than you have estimated - if all you lost was fat.

    Scratch the first week as water loss, you'll gain some of that back when you go to maintenance eating down the road, so hard to tell for first week.

    But the others should be good, as long as you have valid weigh-in days. Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not still sore from any lifting you do.
    That removes the false weight loss and gain from glucose stores and retained water just fluctuating.

    Now, if you lost the usual muscle mass because the estimates are actually on the wrong side of the eating range, than indeed you can lose more than expected.

    When muscle provides energy, it's only 600 calories per lb, so much easier to lose a lb of muscle. In that lb is also, usually, stored glucose, that stores with water, since that isn't there, even more weight lost.

    I'd recommend eating more until you meet that 1.5 goal, though frankly you could be at 2 lb weekly safely enough for now.
    So eat more until that is the loss amount.

    Then add 1000 to that avg eating amount, that's your best TDEE estimate.
    Now divide that by your current weight BMR. That's your personal multiplier for the activity level you do.

    As weight drops, and BMR drops, you have your own multiplier for the lower BMR, new TDEE, new deficit amount.

    Great work if it's all fat, keep it up.

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