why do i lose slower than others?

peopletalk
peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
just a simple question, i just wan't to know why some people lose slower than others?
i see people on here losing 40lbs in 5 months. but others (myself included) seem to lose slower. like way slower.
why is that?

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    Could be lots of things. Do you log all your food and drinks every day?

    Do you use a food scale at home when you prepare your meals?

    How did you calculate your daily calorie needs?

    Unless you have some metabolic disorder, you will lose based on correct calculations. So tighten up your accuracy, be consistent, and you will lose.
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
    Could be lots of things. Do you log all your food and drinks every day?

    Do you use a food scale at home when you prepare your meals?

    How did you calculate your daily calorie needs?

    Unless you have some metabolic disorder, you will lose based on correct calculations. So tighten up your accuracy, be consistent, and you will lose.
    i was eating 1700 cals a week and only losing .5 lbs per week. and i realized i was over calculating my fitness level, so i just recently lowered it to 1500.
    it's only been 2 weeks since i've been doing 1500 so we will see by the end of the week if it's helping. i just have seen others on here with my weight and height losing so much faster than me.

    i'm as accurate as possible. i guess i'm just being silly. i know it'll take awhile. but i just wondered if it's normal for some to lose faster than others :/
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    I think it also has to do with your current weight. If you weigh more-you'll lose more faster. As you get closer to your goal it gets much slower. It's taken me 3 months to go from 138 to 125.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    For weight loss, faster isn't necessarily better. Some of us deliberately are trying to lose weight slowly, so we can eat more comfortably and fuel our activities better along the way--and so going to maintenance isn't a huge difference, just a few hundred calories more a day of what we're already eating.

    Other people may have a doctor-supervised reason for needing to lose weight quickly, before they can have surgery, for instance, or because they're pre-diabetic.

    And there are tons of people in between--with quicker or slower metabolisms, with more aggressive or less aggressive goals. Find a rate you're happy with and can sustain comfortably as long as you need to, and it doesn't matter how you compare with others.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    People who weigh more will lose faster at first if they're being honest, logging everything and staying in budget will help you lose faster. your genetics play a part. If you only have a small amount to lose its' considered good to get 1/2 lb a week or 2 weeks.

    A lot of it is your commitment to losing. If you put in a half *kitten* effort you get a half *kitten* result.
  • Camille0502
    Camille0502 Posts: 311 Member
    Men are very fast losers in comparison to women. When I see a post that says "I lost 50 pounds in Four Months" and click on it, normally the person posting is male. Also, if a person started off significantly obese, they will typically lose weight quickly when they are starting out.

    On the other hand, I've been at this since early June (10 months) and have lost 35 pounds.

    I actually don't want to lose weight too quickly, anyway. First for vanity reasons. I don't want to look hollow-eyes and emaciated. Second, I want to really get into good habits so I can maintain this lifestyle for the long run.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
    just a simple question, i just wan't to know why some people lose slower than others?
    i see people on here losing 40lbs in 5 months. but others (myself included) seem to lose slower. like way slower.
    why is that?

    Either A... They haave more to lose. I lost a lot of weight in the begining, but it slowed down drastically when I got down to somewhere around 140.

    Or B... you may be underestimating you calories eaten.... you could be overestimating your caalories burned.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I lose weight slowly but I am close to my goal now. I've always lost slowly though, but I do lose a lot of inches. I think I gain muscle quite quickly.

    People who weigh more tend to lose faster, as do men. People have different metabolisms and genetics also play a part.
  • xjckemx
    xjckemx Posts: 95 Member
    No one loses slower than me I'm sure!!! Even staying within goal and doing exercise I only lose .25 of a llb some weeks!!!!! But then I've only got 4.5 llbs to go. And I want it to stay off so I'm not " dieting". I'm changing how I eat. I won't stop this when I hit goal ( if ever) I wi just adjust calories very slightly to maintain!
  • ashleyrivers1
    ashleyrivers1 Posts: 1
    First off, if you weigh less, you burn less calories. Also a physically fit person burns less calories than a person who is out of shape(this has to do with heart rate and other factors).

    Also, it is not just about calories. I lose a lot of weight on a low sugar, low carb diet. I shoot for more lean protein, but to have my pie chart be about equal (under 30% coming from carbs). This is different for everyone, so you may need to find your diet sweet spot.

    In addition, you may also need to find your exercise sweet spot. you may need to vary your exercise or when you exercise to find what exercise help you the most.

    Are you tracking body fat? You may be losing fat and gaining muscle, which makes it seem like you are losing more slowly. Don't worry as much about the number scale as the amount of inches and body fat that you are losing.

    In addition, often people hit a plateau. For me it has been around the 22% body fat. I want to get to 18% which is really hard. I recently broke down to 20% by adding more cardio. (2x a day) (I will have to do this again as my ankle injury has put me out of running and I am back at 22%)
  • taylorckt1
    taylorckt1 Posts: 263 Member
    There are so many variables that I don't we could do this question real justice here...DNA, activity levels, caloric intake, strength training, harmones, cardio, diet, medications, age, gender, etc. All play a part in weight loss...what works for one isn't going to work for another...we have to find what works for us.
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
    I've lost 60 pounds in just shy of one year, putting me at about 1.2 pounds per week. When I first started, I saw lots of people my size losing 2-3 pounds per week, so I was pretty discouraged, even though 1.2 pounds per week is within the normal range for loss.

    I have PCOS with insulin resistance, diagnosed last July, and my doctor said that it can create slower weight loss and many plateaus, even if I'm doing everything correctly and taking my medicine. He warned me it would be very frustrating at times, and it is, especially when I see, "I've Lost 50 Pounds in Four Months!" threads. I sort of growl and mutter to myself out of jealousy, even though I'm happy for the person. ;)

    But then I think about how awful life was a year ago and how far I've come since then. I look at pictures, and I think about how, in another year, I'll be another 60-70 pounds lighter and even happier than I am now. I think about how quickly a year goes by and how last year at this time, I never, ever, EVER thought I'd lose 20 pounds, let alone 60. I think about how much my health has improved, how many things I can do now that my knees and feet don't hurt, and how happy I am when I look in the mirror.

    Keep at it. :) You're doing awesome.
  • Tann33
    Tann33 Posts: 101 Member
    I was 205 back in April of 2012 and now I'm 165.6 pounds. It has taken me a year to shed 40 pounds and still have 10 to 15 pounds to go but slow and steady for me. I haven't gained my weight back maybe 1 to 3 pounds here and there. But that's b/c of what I ate per what I should have.

    Slow is good.
  • peopletalk
    peopletalk Posts: 519 Member
    thanks every one :)
    i know i have a long road ahead of me, but i've been at it for about 2-2 and a half months and i don't see myself giving up!
    i appreciate all your insight :)
  • msleanlegs
    msleanlegs Posts: 188 Member
    thanks every one :)
    i know i have a long road ahead of me, but i've been at it for about 2-2 and a half months and i don't see myself giving up!
    i appreciate all your insight :)

    So you've been losing a lb a week? I think that's awesome! Try not to compare your loss rate with others'. It's a lot less stressful. ;-)
  • cubbies77
    cubbies77 Posts: 607 Member
    I was 205 back in April of 2012 and now I'm 165.6 pounds. It has taken me a year to shed 40 pounds and still have 10 to 15 pounds to go but slow and steady for me. I haven't gained my weight back maybe 1 to 3 pounds here and there. But that's b/c of what I ate per what I should have.

    Slow is good.

    This is a good point too. Since I'm still eating a lot of my favorite foods, I don't feel deprived. It might be causing me to lose a bit slower, but I'd rather lose slowly and be happy than lose quickly, be miserable, and binge my way to a ten-pound gain every few months.

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