General Weight Loss Question

tomfoldsfive · May 2013

First post here!

So my wife and I have been using MFP for 30 days today actually, and right before I began using, I weighed in at a mind-numbing 353lbs. A little background:

The last meaningful exercise I did was run a marathon way back in January of 2009. I've always been a big guy (weighed about 220 senior year of HS), but I really went off the deep end after the marathon. I never adjusted my eating habits after I finished the 26.2 miles. I simply continued to eat as if I was still in training. Couple that with the fact that I somehow started smoking, and voila! I was a large mass.

Fast forward to my question. I am currently down 23lbs in 30 days. Is this an OK thing? I'm noticing some very positive things like:

1. Increased Energy
2. Healthier Skin/Hair
3. Less food cravings

Oh yeah, I quit smoking back in December. w00t

Another bit of info, I really do try to eat my calories for any given day. It drives my wife nuts that MFP suggests 2600/day, but I don't think I've ever eaten MORE than the recommended, nor have I ever dipped below the suggested daily rate by more than 900 or so cals.

My best guess is that I will shed a lot of weight at first (maybe the first 50 lbs), but then it will slow down. I just want to make sure that 23lbs in one month is safe!

Thanks in advance!
-tom

rhogr000 · May 2013

First post here!

So my wife and I have been using MFP for 30 days today actually, and right before I began using, I weighed in at a mind-numbing 353lbs. A little background:

The last meaningful exercise I did was run a marathon way back in January of 2009. I've always been a big guy (weighed about 220 senior year of HS), but I really went off the deep end after the marathon. I never adjusted my eating habits after I finished the 26.2 miles. I simply continued to eat as if I was still in training. Couple that with the fact that I somehow started smoking, and voila! I was a large mass.

Fast forward to my question. I am currently down 23lbs in 30 days. Is this an OK thing? I'm noticing some very positive things like:

1. Increased Energy
2. Healthier Skin/Hair
3. Less food cravings

Oh yeah, I quit smoking back in December. w00t

Another bit of info, I really do try to eat my calories for any given day. It drives my wife nuts that MFP suggests 2600/day, but I don't think I've ever eaten MORE than the recommended, nor have I ever dipped below the suggested daily rate by more than 900 or so cals.

My best guess is that I will shed a lot of weight at first (maybe the first 50 lbs), but then it will slow down. I just want to make sure that 23lbs in one month is safe!

Thanks in advance!
-tom

Welcome to the forums!

23 lbs in one month is approximately 6 lbs a week. A healthy weight loss rate is approximately 1-2 lbs per week. I'm guessing that most of what you're losing is water weight, but still, 6 lbs a week is a lot.

Make sure you're eating enough food and not starving yourself. It's very possible that after this initial drop in weight you'll lose weight at a more "common" pace. Still, though, keep an eye on it.

Feel free to send me a friend request if you'd like!

CaroleLynn65 · May 2013

Hi Tom,

Big numbers the 1st couple of months is pretty normal of larger bodies who become active & watch their calories. I am down 32 pounds in 9 weeks....the 1st 2 weeks equaled 17. I work out 4-6 times per week & eat 1200 calories minimum thought the MFP recommended is 1900.

likitisplit · May 2013

I was 215 when I started and lost 3.5 pounds a week for almost the first 6 weeks. It tapered and now I'm losing maybe a pound a week. If you're still losing at that same rate in a month, I'd see my doctor, but I think you're probably fine for right now.

psuLemon · May 2013

As others suggest, the first several weeks are going to be a lot of water. After a few weeks, it will level out. I would recommend that you just make sure you get enough calories. If MFP suggest 2600 calories, you should really work to get that much. I am 190 lbs and I am losing at 2500 calories, so someone your size, can definitely eat that much. Under eating over time will cause issues and slow down your progress as your metabolic rate will adapt. Ideally, keep that up as much as possible an eat adequate foods. Protein is key and you should probably aim to get around 180-220g a day.

tomfoldsfive · May 2013

I appreciate the input! I will continue to monitor my progress. To be honest, I haven't even really done much in the physical activity department. I try and go for walks here and there, but that's about it. It's not easy to carry all this weight and think about running. Certainly not going to try that!

I guess the tell tale sign of a potential problem will be in month #2 of tracking cals.

Thanks again guys!

RunFarLiveHappy · May 2013

Hi Tom (and Mrs. Tom ????)

I lost 27 pounds in the first month because I was severely obese. I had my BF% checked and continue to have it monitored, it's a helpful tool/metric to have. One of the main reasons why losing drastic amounts of weight in short periods of time is because of the chance that you'll be losing lean muscle mass vs. fat. Well I'm happy to report that in the process of losing 115 pounds so far I have gone from 46% body fat to 26% body fat and my trainer (who I basically just see to have my BF checked) is super happy with my progress of maintaining muscle while still losing weight. I've definitely had faster losing periods and slower losing periods. Just keep at it! Good luck to you and your wife! You didn't mention what you're doing for exercise, but I would suggest some strength and/or resistance training mixed with cardio. I would also recommend taking body measurements and not relying strictly on the scale to show your progress.

Major kudos on quitting smoking!

-Nicholette

General Weight Loss Question

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