5 lbs in 3 days; happy, but concerned?

iecreamheadaches
iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started really focusing on my weight loss when I hit 275 at the end of February. Now from then til my last official weigh in I have lost 11 lbs. My last weigh in was April 28th. I have this bad habit of stepping on the scale every morning out of curiosity and its been dropping way dramatically. This morning it was down to 259. I'm supposed to eat 1740 calories a day, but find myself struggling most days to just hit 1200 (I can usually manage to force myself to 1250-1300).

I know its not really healthy to lose more than 2 lbs a week, and was just wondering if I should be concerned and try my hardest to meet that 1740, or if it's maybe just a fluke this week and it'll slow down. I haven't been exercising either (shame on me right? lol), but I do bust my *kitten* to the point of sweating everyday at work but have no way to know the calorie burn as I can't afford a HRM. Any opinions on the matter are welcome, I'm always open to constructive criticism.

My diary is open, but I'm terrible at logging (getting into this week, i think I have logged everyday since sunday.) My food choices also arent always the greatest, but compared to two months ago its much better.

Replies

  • ktliu
    ktliu Posts: 334 Member
    When you first start the lbs just melts off, nothing to be concerned about, it's when you are about 15-20 lbs above your goal weigh(mid range of normal healthy weight) then it becomes slower and harder to get rid off.
  • lagringaloca1
    lagringaloca1 Posts: 22 Member
    What I would be concerned about is your metabolism slowing down to accommodate your low caloric intake. Not sure what your goal weight is, but I know when I reach mine I want to be able to eat 1700 calories a day w/o worrying about gaining a bunch of weight back. Better to lose slower so your metabolism doesn't need a major reset later.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    I think it may just be open to my friends, my fault. I'll have to adjust that.

    I got heavy in the first place from constantly overeating and eating things like mcdonalds and ice cream and junk like that. Now that I'm monitoring and trying to cut those things out its harder to reach the correct amount of calories.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    What I would be concerned about is your metabolism slowing down to accommodate your low caloric intake. Not sure what your goal weight is, but I know when I reach mine I want to be able to eat 1700 calories a day w/o worrying about gaining a bunch of weight back. Better to lose slower so your metabolism doesn't need a major reset later.

    And that is why I'm concerned. My goal weight is roughly 160 but I'm going to re-evaluate as I get closer. but thank you all for your input. (:
  • TrainEatLove
    TrainEatLove Posts: 2
    I too ate all my calories from junk and of course it never feels like you're full. But then when you eat healthy, yes it's hard to get all 1200 or more. You don't want to dip below 1300 if you can manage it. 'Ve asked my trainer about that and he said 1300 is fine for me at 147lbs as long as I'm not going to bed hungry. Sometimes your body drops weight quickly when you go from eating total crap to healthy :) as long as it balances out in the long run and you are consistently dropping 2lbs a week on average, nothin to worry about :) but do keep 1300 minimum in mind!
  • dantuttle
    dantuttle Posts: 1
    You can over-ride the calorie settings to change them to a lower amount. From the website you goto: "MY HOME" and choose the "GOALS" tab. Then choose to use custom settings.

    I like having a lower calorie amount to keep myself from snacking.

    Good Luck
  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
    I see breakfast is good lunch is ok but you can add to it and it seams you have something against dinner. Is it a timing thing or do you not like to cook?
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    I too ate all my calories from junk and of course it never feels like you're full. But then when you eat healthy, yes it's hard to get all 1200 or more. You don't want to dip below 1300 if you can manage it. 'Ve asked my trainer about that and he said 1300 is fine for me at 147lbs as long as I'm not going to bed hungry. Sometimes your body drops weight quickly when you go from eating total crap to healthy :) as long as it balances out in the long run and you are consistently dropping 2lbs a week on average, nothin to worry about :) but do keep 1300 minimum in mind!

    It never does! I could easily pack away a big mac, medium fry, coke AND an apple pie and be hungry half an hour later! I will definitely keep that in mind and aim for at least 1300 a day.
    I see breakfast is good lunch is ok but you can add to it and it seams you have something against dinner. Is it a timing thing or do you not like to cook?

    I usually work from 2-8 with only a 15 minute break and by the time i get home I'm not really into cooking dinner and of course my family sucks and are lazy fat *kitten* that rather eat out than cook a real meal. Plus by the time I get home, showered and am ready to eat its around 9-930 and I'm not big into eating really late.
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    Your diary isn't open...and if you struggle to eat the correct amount of calories, how did you get heavy in the first place?

    ^^only saying what people will think.



    Also 5lbs in 3 days isn't good. Try eating more.

    ^^^^ You said exactly what I was thinking! It's not to be cruel towards you Brittany; but you had to eat way over 1740 cals a day to maintain a 275 lbs weight. I have weighed 289 lbs and I know that I had NO PROBLEMS pounding back the food!

    My suggestion is to eat 1740 cals and do this the right way. You are young; take the advice given by the people out here and you won't find yourself back here in your 30's trying to lose the "weight" you lost so quickly and the added pounds.

    EAT; food is fuel! Just make better choices! Good luck on your journey!
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    Looking thru a few days of your diary, I'd suggest perhaps consider a more well-balanced dinner Brittany. Such as add some protein (chicken breast, fish), veggies, salad. Again a main reason being you don't want to screw up your metabolism and risk gaining back after all your hard work.

    I've also read some suggest to have a tbs of nut butter, handful of nuts, or avocado to increase calories in a healthy way.

    Continued good luck!
  • beccamorty
    beccamorty Posts: 29 Member
    Your diary isn't open...and if you struggle to eat the correct amount of calories, how did you get heavy in the first place?

    ^^only saying what people will think.



    Also 5lbs in 3 days isn't good. Try eating more.


    I consistently have trouble eating 1200 calories a day, and I have to constantly remind myself and make myself do it. For me, I gained weight because I ate high calorie junk/processed food. I still never ate a lot, maybe only one meal a day plus snacks. But they were high calorie, so I gained. Judging people doesn't help them with their problems. Saying "eat more" is just not helpful to those who honestly struggle with it.




    To OP: If you're struggling eating your calories, try eating fuller fat foods, such as avocados, nuts, or nut butters, since they're high in calories, but healthy. If I notice that I'm not eating enough and it's nearing the end of the day, a spoonful of peanut butter is always good!
  • crissyniko
    crissyniko Posts: 47 Member
    the first week I lost 5 lbs...every week thereafter I came close to losing only 1 lb and one week remained the same. I started April 1 and lost 7 lbs last month, but lots of inches! I just recently increased my calorie per day, hoping that helps me as well!
    I agree that the most weight comes off in the beginning, but then you want a steady drop to keep the weight off...I don't want any yo-yo thing going on with me, I am fed up with that!
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    Your diary isn't open...and if you struggle to eat the correct amount of calories, how did you get heavy in the first place?

    ^^only saying what people will think.



    Also 5lbs in 3 days isn't good. Try eating more.

    ^^^^ You said exactly what I was thinking! It's not to be cruel towards you Brittany; but you had to eat way over 1740 cals a day to maintain a 275 lbs weight. I have weighed 289 lbs and I know that I had NO PROBLEMS pounding back the food!

    My suggestion is to eat 1740 cals and do this the right way. You are young; take the advice given by the people out here and you won't find yourself back here in your 30's trying to lose the "weight" you lost so quickly and the added pounds.

    EAT; food is fuel! Just make better choices! Good luck on your journey!

    I completely understand and I wasnt offended or hurt by your post. And advice was what I was aiming for from this post, and I will take everything that is said into consideration and go from there. I want to lose this weight one time and keep it off, to be a good role model to my daughter.

    Thank you!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    Your diary isn't open...and if you struggle to eat the correct amount of calories, how did you get heavy in the first place?

    ^^only saying what people will think.



    Also 5lbs in 3 days isn't good. Try eating more.


    Judging people doesn't help them with their problems. Saying "eat more" is just not helpful to those who honestly struggle with it.






    I wasn't judging her.
  • Josee76
    Josee76 Posts: 533 Member
    Your diary isn't open...and if you struggle to eat the correct amount of calories, how did you get heavy in the first place?

    ^^only saying what people will think.



    Also 5lbs in 3 days isn't good. Try eating more.




    Judging people doesn't help them with their problems. Saying "eat more" is just not helpful to those who honestly struggle with it.






    I wasn't judging her.

    I agree, no judging; we are being realistic! We speak from experience; we are woman, not teens.

    I lost 100 lbs when I was 23, the wrong way... I have worked the last 14 years of my life trying to correct the mess I created when I was that young.

    Brittany surround yourself with people that eat well, that make good choices and that appreciate a healthy lifestyle. if you need ideas for meals; I am sure you can start looking at other's food diary's. Mine is open; feel free to take a look! :)
  • Morninglory81
    Morninglory81 Posts: 1,190 Member
    [/quote]

    I usually work from 2-8 with only a 15 minute break and by the time i get home I'm not really into cooking dinner and of course my family sucks and are lazy fat *kitten* that rather eat out than cook a real meal. Plus by the time I get home, showered and am ready to eat its around 9-930 and I'm not big into eating really late.
    [/quote]

    May on a day you have off you can do prep for 3 dinners. Precook the meat and veggies and portion it out so it is ready to go. When you get home pull it out and nuke it or put it in the oven while you hop in the shower.
  • LadyPakal
    LadyPakal Posts: 256 Member
    Last week over 7 days I lost 5.6lbs. It happens every so often, nothing much moving for a couple of weeks then woosh, a whole months worth in one go. Doesn't concern me as it doesn't happen every week - it's most likely hormone related anyway.
  • DeeBrownBaker
    DeeBrownBaker Posts: 145

    To OP: a spoonful of peanut butter is always good!


    ^^^ This!!!

    that is my go-to bedtime snack!
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    The best piece of information i can give you is that just because you are trying to lose weight doesn't mean you have to eat your typical "healthy" low/nonfat foods. there are a lot of people here that eat whatever they want as long as it fits in their macro (carbs/fat/protein) goals. If it fits in my goals for the day, you bet i'm going to have a cheeseburger and fries if i want. We switched over to full fat dairy and cook with olive oil. I add avocado to scrambled eggs with some hot sauce. There are lots of options to increase your calories through minor changes.
  • khall86790
    khall86790 Posts: 1,100 Member
    This happened to me about 2 months ago, chances are you were retaining water. Weight loss isn't as simple as like clockwork every Monday you drop 1lb, you could find you don't lose anything for 1-2 weeks now.
    Don't sweat about it :)
  • joeylu
    joeylu Posts: 208 Member
    Im just worried that when hit your goal weight and start eating again you will balloon up:cry:
  • kethry70
    kethry70 Posts: 404 Member
    While I agree that you should aim for the higher calorie amount - try adding nutritionally AND calorically dense foods like nuts, almond butter, avocados (i.e. good fats) - you are enough overweight that 2 months of eating at a LCD isn't actually going to kill your metabolism. Just try to stop the trend now so that your leptin levels will re-set and your metabolism will even back out. I ate at 1350-1450 for the first couple months and went with MFP recommendations so went as low as 1300 cals or so. Now that I have read more, I am aiming for 1500 cals and I usually have 1 day a week that I "cheat" (i.e. go to a restaurant, have a glass of wine, or have dessert) and eat at TDEE. Haven't noticed any plateaus that weren't basically hormonal. Good luck :)

    P.S. Weight loss is not linear and sometimes water retention or hormonal shifts mask a loss so that it seems to all come off at once
  • chineyLuv
    chineyLuv Posts: 130 Member
    The first weight to go at the beginning, is water weight. If you're drastically cutting down your calories from junk to much healthier choices, this will make a huge dent in your weight loss. I wouldnt worry about u dropping 5lbs in 3 days. It WILL slow down after a while. One thing I could suggest thought, is drink more water! It seems that you're reaching your daily sodium level, but not drinking more than 6 cups of water per day.

    Best of Luck to you!!
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    When switching from high cal foods to lower calorie - it does become a struggle to eat at goal calories. Been there when i started!

    Not always how much you eat that makes you gain but what you eat. I eat more now than I ever have in my life and I am losing. I have had to teach myself to eat every 3 hours! One step at a time..

    First thing - at the beginning try to not be afraid to eat something healthy because of calorie restriction. I was guilty of this. I would restrict all day long then have 500 calories left at the end of the night. If you need to boost your calories I have found Emerald cocoa roast almonds and protein shakes to be perfect. I have found times I was not hungry (and would gag at the thought of food) but needed to boost my cal intake. I can drink 24/7 so proteins hakes were perfect. The almonds are great because a small amount will give you the much needed nutrients and calorie boost.

    Best of luck!
  • JDBLY11
    JDBLY11 Posts: 577 Member

    To OP: a spoonful of peanut butter is always good!


    ^^^ This!!!

    that is my go-to bedtime snack!

    Not saying it is bad advice but I have such a problem with peanut butter. I have eaten a whole jar of natural peanut butter at one time. It's bad. Even when I was a lot skinner I did this.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    Thank you all so much! I usually drink 1% milk cause thats just what I like, but the store was all out of everything but fat free and whole milk, and I don't like the taste of whole milk so I settled for fat free.

    I really appreciate all the advice. (:
  • luckyjuls
    luckyjuls Posts: 505 Member
    A balanced dinner should help you up your calories and get lots of the nutrients you need.
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
    Don't worry about it. We take in and expel roughly 13.5 pounds of food and water in a day. There are fluctuations day to day, especially the more you weigh overall. A few days under your calories isn't going to hurt you.

    Read this for a better explanation:

    http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/rubberbag.html

    (Scroll down to the "Input/Output" section if it's TL;DR for you.)
  • crissygm
    crissygm Posts: 42 Member
    Hi there! I would be worried that your metabolism will slow down with such a low amount of calories. Adding in one more meal would probably be a good idea. Maybe make a salad, wrap, soup, or whatever you like with some protein and healthy fats and bring that to work to eat during one of your breaks. If you could find the time to make a big batch of soup, you could make a few meals out of that during the week. If you can't handle a large volume of food or don't want to cook, then maybe some peanut butter on celery, a handful of unsalted almonds/whatever nuts you like and/or some fruit/veggies that you can put into containers beforehand and bring with you.

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