more then two pounds a week?

Nertak
Nertak Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Last week I was 228 pounds (male, 29, 5'10). I decided I wanted to lose weight. Bought a fitbit, have been logging all my food here. This past week I have had around 1800 calories a day. Went from completely sedentary lifestyle to walking over 5 miles every day.

Long story short, When i weighed myself for the first time, a week since starting, I was surprised to see that I had lost over 4 pounds. Initially I was thrilled, but then remembered all the times that I heard that people shouldn't lose more then 2 pounds a week.

Is it possible that I am going to do myself harm if I keep this up? or does the 2 pound rule not really count toward obese people?

Thanks for the info.

Replies

  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    A good chunk of it was probably extra water weight you were carrying. It should slow down to a more reasonable pace from here on out.

    ETA: If it keeps at that pace, you may want to consider upping your calories some, but give it a few weeks and see what your average loss is before you make any changes. You'll probably find that it balances itself out.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    It is very common to have a large drop the first week or two. Like Alyson said, it is mostly water weight. Just don't be disappointed when the losses slow. That being said, if you find that it doesn't slow down, you may want to take another look at your numbers (daily calories, activity level, how many of your exercise calories you are eating back, etc). If you are concerned about how you are doing things, there are many great information threads that are 'sticky' posted at the start of many of the forum sections. Have a read through.
  • kstandley123
    kstandley123 Posts: 17 Member
    For the first 3 weeks I was losing a pound a day. Now it's about 3-4lbs a week. I'm expecting it to drop to about 2lbs a week soon but I had 65lbs of extra fat on me.
  • liftingandlipstick
    liftingandlipstick Posts: 1,857 Member
    ^What they said, mostly. Yes, for the very obese, more than 2 pounds loss per week can be done, and healthily, BUT TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR FIRST. I lost about 3 pounds per week for the first few months, and my doctor was fine with it. I would not recommend doing so without supervision.

    Also- your ticker says you want to lose 54 pounds. At that rate, you should really be looking at 1.5 pounds per week rather than 2. The general guideline (if I remember correctly): 75+ to lose: 2# per week
    50-75: 1.5#
    25-50: 1# per week
    less than 25# to lose: .5# per week
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Obese people can lose more than the two pounds a week thing.

    I'm about a week short of two months and am averaging about 3.5 pounds per week. It will start leveling out at some point if for no other reason than a smaller me will burn fewer calories and I don't want to go much lower on calorie intake.
  • vindidj
    vindidj Posts: 9 Member
    Ditto on the early weight loss that people have mentioned. Enjoy it and hang onto the excitement because your first plateau is coming and you'll need that enthusiasm to get through it. I would suggest focusing more tracking your nutrition with MFP to ensure that you're eating at a deficit everyday AND listening to your body. Making the turn from a sedentary lifestyle to actively training towards a goal will make you feel much different. Your body will be HUNGRY after intense exercise and will let you know. Don't get tunnel vision on the number on the scale. Fuel your body to achieve your goal(s). The fat will take care of itself (i.e. burned to make lean muscle mass!). Good luck!

    P.S. If you go over your calorie goal or don't make it out to train (and you WILL), don't beat yourself up. Refocus and kick *kitten* tomorrow!

Categories