Cautionary tale - don't lose weight too fast!

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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Why would you continue that for 6 months?

    You are very often in the threads of people ridiculing the anti-1200 folks, and you're asking this question?

    Her main focus was, most likely, on losing weight. That's why EDs start. That's why people make money selling incredibly dangerous weight loss routines, drugs, etc.

    As evidenced by an entire culture surrounding weight loss, let alone on MFP, people will do borderline insane things to get to a "desired weight." People often even think they're fine UNTIL something like what OP experienced happens. "Huh, my nails constantly crack and bleed... but I have 5 more lbs!" or "Huh, I keep getting sick and having a hard time fighting off this stupid cold... guess it's more reason not to eat!"

    OP, I really appreciate you sharing this. I've been down that road, too, and it took me years of recovery from chronic undereating as an anorexic. I wish you all the best as you work on nourishing your body.

    And to the person who suggested getting thyroid levels checked... yeah, those things can all make you lose weight, have brittle nails, etc... but that's what you look at when everything else is in order. Diet/nutrition is the Occam's razor of your body--if it checks out, go to the doctor. If it's poor, then that's the easy reason for many health problems.

    Well thanks for your suggestions, but it was a genuine question for the OP. I am curious why anyone would continue a plan (any plan) with such obvious signs of physical distress.
  • Zelinna
    Zelinna Posts: 207 Member
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    Thanks for sharing your experience. Good luck finding the right balance.
  • whatascene
    whatascene Posts: 119 Member
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    Thank you for sharing your story. It is so easy to get caught up in the satisfaction of losing another pound, I get caught up in it all the time. Losing slow has been a godsend for me though because the weight really does stay off- I go home for xmas and eat like crap for a week straight and the scale didn't budge. There are pros to losing slow.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    they say that is true.
    i lost 50 pounds very fast/.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Why would you continue that for 6 months?

    You are very often in the threads of people ridiculing the anti-1200 folks, and you're asking this question?

    Her main focus was, most likely, on losing weight. That's why EDs start. That's why people make money selling incredibly dangerous weight loss routines, drugs, etc.

    As evidenced by an entire culture surrounding weight loss, let alone on MFP, people will do borderline insane things to get to a "desired weight." People often even think they're fine UNTIL something like what OP experienced happens. "Huh, my nails constantly crack and bleed... but I have 5 more lbs!" or "Huh, I keep getting sick and having a hard time fighting off this stupid cold... guess it's more reason not to eat!"

    OP, I really appreciate you sharing this. I've been down that road, too, and it took me years of recovery from chronic undereating as an anorexic. I wish you all the best as you work on nourishing your body.

    And to the person who suggested getting thyroid levels checked... yeah, those things can all make you lose hair, have brittle nails, etc... but that's what you look at when everything else is in order. Diet/nutrition is the Occam's razor of your body--if it checks out, go to the doctor. If it's poor, then that's the easy reason for many health problems.

    This.
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Thank you for sharing your story. It was extremely brave of you. I hope your posting makes a difference in at least one person's life (hopefully more though). I wish you the best of luck as your embark on your road to becoming healthy.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
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    thanks for sharing! you've lost what I have, except I started 2 years ago (Nov 2011), I really couldn't imagine losing that much in such a short amount of time but I definitely get how that could motivate you to ignore the negative symptoms and keep going. Happy to hear that you have learned from your experience though! good luck!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
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    As somebody else said, some people will go to any lengths to lose weight. As far as thyroid issues are concerned, the OP certainly could have messed up her thyroid function by doing what she did.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Good post, thank you for taking the time to tell your story. Unfortunately it will fall upon deaf ears to the "I can't even eat 1000 calories a day and I feel great!" crowd. Hopefully it helps even just one person.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Why would you continue that for 6 months?

    Because there are so many people on this site spouting a lot of hooey about how losing that fast is not harmful. These things may not happen to everyone, but it does happen to a lot of people. The sad thing is some of the damage to your body may not be discovered until much later.
  • 40andFindingFitness
    40andFindingFitness Posts: 497 Member
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    I think sometimes we're at such a race to get to goal we forget about everything and just focus on numbers - number on the scale, number of calories, grams of fat, sugar etc. I managed to lose a lot of weight by eating a significant amounts of rubbish (chocolate, sweets, diet fizzy drinks etc) and exercising excessively - I was walking about 14 miles a day 4 or 5 days a week or running 6 - 8 miles. I ate back few of my exercise calories as I was in a race to the finish.

    I did succeed - my current weight loss is 68lbs and I started in April (getting to goal in October). But there was a price to pay - my hair fell out and is in such bad shape I couldn't get a perm (and my hair is my thing). I only have about 2 or 3 toenails - a lot fell off with running, but some just fell off. My skin which has always been good is drier than it should be and I have flaky skin on my eye lids (not attractive). I had in between bleeding that meant I had to constantly "be prepared". I felt faint often and one morning I fainted at the top of my stairs and ended up with cactus spikes in my arm (knocking the cactus off). Although I didn't feel tired I didn't feel great. I have saggy skin in places which will never "bounce back". My sleep started getting affected as well - tired insomnia!

    So now I am at goal - would I have lost weight at an average of 3lbs per week if I knew all this? No I wouldn't, because now I need to change my diet totally to nourish my poor body and get it back to health...

    Don't be in such a hurry - it's a marathon and not a sprint....

    Thank you for sharing. I totally agree with your last sentence. I often think the same when people seem to be in a weight loss competition. I am in a few groups online and folks seem to be losing weight like crazy while I creep along at a steady pace. I worry about them going overboard, but to each his/her own. I hope you get back on track with your health while you maintain your loss in a healthy way. Lot of luck to you. :0)
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I'm so sorry for what you're going through, but it's great that you're sharing your experience with others so that they might not make the same mistakes. Many MFP users like to make fun of clean eating and brag about losing weight by eating junk, but this is why it's important to provide your body with adequate nutrition, especially but not only if you're eating at a deficit. I'm losing weight at a slow rate (1 or .5 lb/week) and lately I've been a little frustrated, but you just reminded why it's important not to try and lose it all at once. I hope you can get healthier!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Why would you continue that for 6 months?

    Because there are so many people on this site spouting a lot of hooey about how losing that fast is not harmful. These things may not happen to everyone, but it does happen to a lot of people. The sad thing is some of the damage to your body may not be discovered until much later.

    But the OP indicated she was experiencing symptoms all along. Fainting, hair loss, nail loss. I guess it's just denial? Thinking it would reverse once at goal? Or that something else was the cause?

    My question wasn't meant to be rude.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
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    OP:
    Thank you for sharing your open and honest experiences. I hope your thread will help others and I wish you the best.
  • Curvimami
    Curvimami Posts: 1,853 Member
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    Thanx so much for sharing... There are so many ppl who needed to see this post...Including me, your bravery is greatly appreciated :heart: :flowerforyou:
  • abfit4life
    abfit4life Posts: 220 Member
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    Thank you for sharing your truth. I do believe many of us are victims of the same "lose it instantly" syndrome. We are seduced by the constant barrage of images that make promises that feed into our insecurities. The multi-billion dollar diet industry is proof of that. I know I've also made questionable choices throughout my weight loss journey and there were always consequences. It took me way too many years and way too many fad diets, way to many years on an emotional and physical rollercoaster before coming to the realization that this is a lifelong journey to health and fitness. None of this is worth it if we get to goal and we are too sick to enjoy our efforts. I glad you're now on a healthier path.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,026 Member
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    Thank you for sharing. I hope this helps others understand that unheathly weight loss is harmful.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
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    Why would you continue that for 6 months?

    Because there are so many people on this site spouting a lot of hooey about how losing that fast is not harmful. These things may not happen to everyone, but it does happen to a lot of people. The sad thing is some of the damage to your body may not be discovered until much later.

    But the OP indicated she was experiencing symptoms all along. Fainting, hair loss, nail loss. I guess it's just denial? Thinking it would reverse once at goal? Or that something else was the cause?

    My question wasn't meant to be rude.

    My answer was not meant to be rude either. I just think that sometimes what is pushed on MFP is that losing weight quickly is not harmful. People drop their calories really low, start losing fast and because they want it so badly, maybe there is some denial. Our health is the most valuable thing we have. Not focusing on that while losing is the biggest mistake we make. Good health should be our ultimate goal - not weight loss. This should give pause to all who promote VLCDieting.
  • Julzanne72
    Julzanne72 Posts: 467 Member
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    I think sometimes we're at such a race to get to goal we forget about everything and just focus on numbers - number on the scale, number of calories, grams of fat, sugar etc. I managed to lose a lot of weight by eating a significant amounts of rubbish (chocolate, sweets, diet fizzy drinks etc) and exercising excessively - I was walking about 14 miles a day 4 or 5 days a week or running 6 - 8 miles. I ate back few of my exercise calories as I was in a race to the finish.

    I did succeed - my current weight loss is 68lbs and I started in April (getting to goal in October). But there was a price to pay - my hair fell out and is in such bad shape I couldn't get a perm (and my hair is my thing). I only have about 2 or 3 toenails - a lot fell off with running, but some just fell off. My skin which has always been good is drier than it should be and I have flaky skin on my eye lids (not attractive). I had in between bleeding that meant I had to constantly "be prepared". I felt faint often and one morning I fainted at the top of my stairs and ended up with cactus spikes in my arm (knocking the cactus off). Although I didn't feel tired I didn't feel great. I have saggy skin in places which will never "bounce back". My sleep started getting affected as well - tired insomnia!

    So now I am at goal - would I have lost weight at an average of 3lbs per week if I knew all this? No I wouldn't, because now I need to change my diet totally to nourish my poor body and get it back to health...

    Don't be in such a hurry - it's a marathon and not a sprint....

    I admire your courage for sharing your story!! I think that everyone is a victim to wanting the "quick fix" and we never think about how long it took for us to get where we are! It is hard damn work to lose weight and get healthy, but I am learning in my "old age" that it's no longer about how fast I get there, but more about how long I can stay there once I get there! That is so much more important to me than anything. I feel good about how I am doing this and where I am going !! Glad to hear you are taking the healthy route at this point!! With the right mindset, I know you will do great!
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 276
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    Thank you for sharing. I had a similar experience and lost 122 pounds, not eating healthy, barely getting 1200 calories in and it all backfired. Hair loss, no energy, anemic and overall poor appearance (sickly, dry patchy face) Gained 50 of those back but I am determined to get this weight off (again) but the healthy way this time. Best to you in your journey.

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