Lost 40 pounds in 3 months...healthy or unhealthy?

Options
MallieRose91
MallieRose91 Posts: 159 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all! I had a question and was hoping someone can help! So beginning my weight loss journey I knew my beginning weight but decided not to buy a scale to track and just go by looks and progress. It has been 3 months and today I took the leap and bought a scale and weighed myself. (Was so excited I weighed myself 30 minutes after dinner while bloated and having drank a lot of water through the day but will be weighing myself first thing in the morning for more accurate results) I found I have lost 40 pounds! I was so excited but I have heard this is unhealthy and you should only be losing no more than 2 pounds a week. Now for the back story of how I lost these 40 pounds so you can help determine if it is indeed healthy or ok. My beginning weight was 267 pounds, I am 5'7, and a women. I completely changed my diet eating mostly fruits, vegetables, no processed foods, whole grains, drinking only water (6 to 9 cups a days which is 48 to 72 ounces a day), no sweets or junk food, no eating after 7 sometimes 8 depending on what time I can get to the gym), and monitoring my calories, sugars, portions etc. I also work out 5 days a week doing 5 minute warm-up, 40-50 minutes of cardio, 20 minutes of strength on weight machines, and then a 5 minute cool down. I take Protein Powder (Rivalus Promasil Soft Serve Vanilla- 1 scoop with 1 cup water) after my workout and I eat as close to my calories as I can. MyFitnessPal determined 1,450 but I average 1,200-1,300 or at LEAST 1,100 calories every day. My lifestyle change (I do not like the word diet. Diets are short term and this is something I want to last my entire life) is very easy to follow as I do not starve myself or do anything drastic. I am never hungry and eat my 3 meals a day (lean white meats with no fat, vegetables, fruits, etc) and snacks such as whole natural almonds, tuna, peanut butter, etc
«1

Replies

  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Options
    Congratulations! It's healthy. Don't worry, it'll slow down.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    Options
    the more weight you have the quicker you can lose it safely. The only issue might be that you might not give your skin a chance to adjust and thus it'll be more lose then if you'd lose it more slowly.
  • tificreole
    tificreole Posts: 18 Member
    Options
    Sounds like you are doing the right thing... keep going!!
    Congrats
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    Congratulations on your weight loss, but I don't think 40 pounds in 3 months is healthy. That is approximately 3 pounds a week, which is too much. Also, you are eating too dew calories. Eat what MFP allots you plus your exercise calories and you will still lose weight, just at a slower and healthier rate.

    Remember that you are making lifestyle changes, not trying to win a race.
  • mrshudson813
    mrshudson813 Posts: 128 Member
    Options
    Congrats on the loss! In the beginning, you will lose it more quickly, especially if you have a lot to lose. I have lost 7 pounds in one week before, with not a whole lot of exercise. Granted, this was mostly water weight but still. As long as you are not starving and you are getting enough nutrients, I say "Woohoo! Good for you!" Keep it up!
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Options
    I have heard this is unhealthy and you should only be losing no more than 2 pounds a week.

    The "2 pounds a week" thing is based on a few assumptions:
    1. That a pound of fat contains 3500 calories (not necessarily - it varies between individuals)
    2. That a healthy deficit is 500 calories a day (not necessarily - it varies between individuals)
    3. That 1 + 2 combined in a healthy diet equates to 2 pounds a week (not necessarily - it varies between individuals)
    4. That you only lose fat, not muscle mass or water (baloney)

    Don't sweat it. And don't worry about the skin either - it'll snap back eventually.
  • MallieRose91
    MallieRose91 Posts: 159 Member
    Options
    Thank you everyone!!! I feel much better now and am going to keep up the work! It has made me that much more motivated!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,619 Member
    Options
    You were losing 1% of your body weight a week. Very much in line of losing weight correctly.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    You were losing 1% of your body weight a week. Very much in line of losing weight correctly.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ^^yep.
  • MstngSammy
    MstngSammy Posts: 436 Member
    Options
    Maybe it could be too that your complete 180 in the way you eat, going from garbage to clean eating (especially the water) flushed quite a few pounds of garbage from your body.

    I remember when I first put down all the soda pop (That's all I was drinking...and dehydrated all day...so my body was probably retaining) and stopped eating fast food..started eating clean....I lost about 15 lbs in a month....8 lbs being in the first week. This was eating well above 1200. It balanced out later.


    Just my opinion and personal experience. I'm open to differing opinions on this. I'm curious.
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    Options
    How is your energy level? Vision? Overall well being? I'm just asking because it was about 3 months after I first started mfp, eating around the 1400 calories that mfp gave as my goal that I started feeling weird. I'd have weird delayed vision when i turned my head quickly and just wasn't able to give it my all at my work outs any more.

    Not saying this will happen to you, but if you experience anything like that, just try adding in a few hundred calories more and see how you feel. Also, don't be discouraged if your weight loss slows and you aren't seeing amazing results like your first 3 months. You sound like you've got a solid work out schedule and great job in changing up your diet for the better. Keep up the good work.
  • MallieRose91
    MallieRose91 Posts: 159 Member
    Options
    @Kristy6ward (new to this so I am not sure whether this will post directly to your reply to my post) My energy was great! No problems and felt better than ever! Until the past few days though, as I started taking Super HD by Cellucor (fat burner) as I felt it would help with stomach area which is the part I hate the worst! The caffeine is horrible so I have been feeling bloated,super energetic for a few hours then sluggish, hard to sleep, and nauseous. Today is the 3rd or 4th day on it and most likely my last. You are supposed to take 2 to 3 pills a day and today I switched to just one pill to see if it is the caffeine in general (I do not drink or use any caffeine products so this is what I suspect is having a major effect on me) I would rather be taking nothing anyway but decided to give this a try since my husband paid 50 bucks for them a few months ago and never used them. lol Also thank you for your reply!
  • MallieRose91
    MallieRose91 Posts: 159 Member
    Options
    @ninerbuff Thank you for your reply and backing it up with your experience! :)
  • 50racinggirl
    50racinggirl Posts: 96 Member
    Options
    All good. I did the same thing. My only caution is to make sure you are getting all your minerals. I started losing my hair after I lost 40 pounds. I started taking trace minerals and fish oil and the loss stopped.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    @Kristy6ward (new to this so I am not sure whether this will post directly to your reply to my post) My energy was great! No problems and felt better than ever! Until the past few days though, as I started taking Super HD by Cellucor (fat burner) as I felt it would help with stomach area which is the part I hate the worst! The caffeine is horrible so I have been feeling bloated,super energetic for a few hours then sluggish, hard to sleep, and nauseous. Today is the 3rd or 4th day on it and most likely my last. You are supposed to take 2 to 3 pills a day and today I switched to just one pill to see if it is the caffeine in general (I do not drink or use any caffeine products so this is what I suspect is having a major effect on me) I would rather be taking nothing anyway but decided to give this a try since my husband paid 50 bucks for them a few months ago and never used them. lol Also thank you for your reply!
    I'd skip the pills. Everything you're doing is what has allowed you to lose weight and what will keep working.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    Maybe it could be too that your complete 180 in the way you eat, going from garbage to clean eating (especially the water) flushed quite a few pounds of garbage from your body.

    I remember when I first put down all the soda pop (That's all I was drinking...and dehydrated all day...so my body was probably retaining) and stopped eating fast food..started eating clean....I lost about 15 lbs in a month....8 lbs being in the first week. This was eating well above 1200. It balanced out later.


    Just my opinion and personal experience. I'm open to differing opinions on this. I'm curious.

    You don't flush anything out. When you reduce calories you get an initial water weight drop (plus less good in your system). Clean eating does not make you drop weight v not 'clean' other than possibly less sodium and less carbs which = less water weight.
  • kristy6ward
    kristy6ward Posts: 332 Member
    Options
    Good to hear you're feeling great minus the pill experience. I don't caffeinate either so I'm wary of things that contain lots of it. My issues were solved with simply eating more calories. I went home one night with suspicions that I wasn't getting enough calories and downed a bowl of ice cream. The next morning I woke up feeling like a powerhouse. It cemented my resolve to start adding more calories back in. As long as your achieving results and not facing any adverse issues I wouldn't change up what you're doing quite yet. Only when you stop seeing results then consider a change, whether it be your calories or what your exercise consists of.
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
    Options
    I would also point out (because no one else has mentioned it) that you are weighing on two different scales. As much as 5 lbs or so could be attributable to that, even if the scales are relatively close to correct.
  • MallieRose91
    MallieRose91 Posts: 159 Member
    Options
    I would also point out (because no one else has mentioned it) that you are weighing on two different scales. As much as 5 lbs or so could be attributable to that, even if the scales are relatively close to correct.

    @hoyalawya2003 If it makes a difference the starting weight I used was from visiting the doctor four or so months before even beginning so I probably weighed even more once I actually began lol
  • MstngSammy
    MstngSammy Posts: 436 Member
    Options
    Maybe it could be too that your complete 180 in the way you eat, going from garbage to clean eating (especially the water) flushed quite a few pounds of garbage from your body.

    I remember when I first put down all the soda pop (That's all I was drinking...and dehydrated all day...so my body was probably retaining) and stopped eating fast food..started eating clean....I lost about 15 lbs in a month....8 lbs being in the first week. This was eating well above 1200. It balanced out later.


    Just my opinion and personal experience. I'm open to differing opinions on this. I'm curious.

    You don't flush anything out. When you reduce calories you get an initial water weight drop (plus less good in your system). Clean eating does not make you drop weight v not 'clean' other than possibly less sodium and less carbs which = less water weight.

    The water weight is what I was referring to. Thank you. :-)

Categories