Barked for losing "too fast"
BeeRodMul
Posts: 48 Member
I started this weight loss journey back in May after the recommendation of my doctor. The dietitian set up a plan in which I work out a couple of times a week and eat no more than 1600 calories (as long as I have over 70 grams of protein). I started at 271 on May 20th. As of this morning, I'm at 247. That's nearly 25 pounds in less than 2 months. I'm happy with my progress because I'm now down a dress size and feeling better. All I did was walk frequently, do some body exercises like squats and weights. And change from 3 big meals, to 6 small meals with over 8 cups of water per day.
Yet, when people talk about losing weight at a fast pace, they get barked for losing it too fast. I'm trying to lose it on a slower pace. Even having a cheat meal from time to time. Yet, I'm still losing! At my recent trip to the dietitian, almost all of my weight loss was from fat, not water weight or lean muscle. In fact, my lean muscle stayed the same!
I just don't understand why people who are losing weight fast continued to be barked here.
Yet, when people talk about losing weight at a fast pace, they get barked for losing it too fast. I'm trying to lose it on a slower pace. Even having a cheat meal from time to time. Yet, I'm still losing! At my recent trip to the dietitian, almost all of my weight loss was from fat, not water weight or lean muscle. In fact, my lean muscle stayed the same!
I just don't understand why people who are losing weight fast continued to be barked here.
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Replies
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When you first start losing weight, especially if you have quite a bit to lose, some of it is water weight anyway. And it's easier to lose pounds faster at a higher weight than it is when you get closer to goal. And you're under medical supervision. No one will bark at you.0
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When you first start losing weight, especially if you have quite a bit to lose, some of it is water weight anyway. And it's easier to lose pounds faster at a higher weight than it is when you get closer to goal. And you're under medical supervision. No one will bark at you.
^^This.
People who get "barked at" are those trying to drop over 2lbs per week with much less to lose. And yes, you did lose water weight....there's no way around it.0 -
It's easy to lose in the beginning and when you have more to lose the more will come off at first... IMHO people are jealous... If they can find some way to make themselves believe you are doing something wrong it'll make them feel better about their slower progress. Just keep doing that you're doing and let haters hate!0
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While 3lbs/week is aggressive weight loss, it seems to me that you're doing everything right. I've only been losing about 1lb/week, and I can tell you that I have not been a strict as you, so your results are speaking for themselves :-) Keep up the good work! As long as you are mentally prepared that 3lb/week might slow down to 2 or even 1 per week when you continue to shrink, you'll be fine.
I hate to say it, but haters gonna hate. Props to you :-)0 -
its just because fast weight loss means a high calorie deficit, and a high calorie deficit means there is a high likelyhood that you arent getting enough nutrients for your body to thrive. for someone who is a hundred pounds or so overweight, a loss of 25 lbs in 2 months isnt out of the question since your TDEE is probably high enough that you can have a large deficit without completely depriving yourself of essential nutrients.
its also partly because slower weight loss tends to be more sustainable. someone who restricts themselves to 1000 calories a day is setting themselves up for having a major binge, and also they will experience low energy among other symptoms, leading many to give up.0 -
My first 50 came off really fast, but the last 50 is taking FOREVER!!! I constantly have to switch things up to see a loss. Sounds like you are doing it the right way, so keep it up!!!!0
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It's medically supervised and I don't think 1600 sounds too low. When you have a fair bit to lose you can lose it quickly at first.
Sounds like a good sensible plan to me.
Congratulations on your weight loss so far, I think it's an excellent resilt!0 -
Because so many people try "fad diets" or unhealthy measures when they want to lose faster than would be healthy for them. When you start at a higher weight, you can often lose faster (in the beginning) safely. You seem to be doing it right. Calories aren't scary and you are under the supervision of a doctor. The closer you get to goal, the weight loss will slow. That's when people get frustrated and try things hat are not healthy. People "barking" at them see them making bad choices and are concerned for their safety (usually).0
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When you first start losing weight, especially if you have quite a bit to lose, some of it is water weight anyway. And it's easier to lose pounds faster at a higher weight than it is when you get closer to goal. And you're under medical supervision. No one will bark at you.
^^This.
People who get "barked at" are those trying to drop over 2lbs per week with much less to lose. And yes, you did lose water weight....there's no way around it.
What he said.0 -
Keep up the good work! As long as you are mentally prepared that 3lb/week might slow down to 2 or even 1 per week when you continue to shrink, you'll be fine.
this ^^ and good job! keep up the awesome work!0 -
Most those people will only need to lose 25 pounds and they try to do it in 2 months with no supervion. That is not healthy and it usually leads to gaining the weight back as they don't learn good eating habits. You can lose weight rather quickly at your current stats but, as I'm sure your dietitian will tell you, the less you have to lose, the longer it will take. You are doing everything right and no one should tell you to slow down right now. Your doctor will most likely slow you down as you get closer to your goals.0
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When you first start losing weight, especially if you have quite a bit to lose, some of it is water weight anyway. And it's easier to lose pounds faster at a higher weight than it is when you get closer to goal. And you're under medical supervision. No one will bark at you.
This.
and it will slow down as you weigh less. you won't maintain that rate forever.
The only reason for "barking" is if someone is consistently eating far too little. Just make sure you follow the plan, and if that's 1600, then do 1600. The problem lies when people think "If the plan is 1600, and I eat 1000, I will lose even MORE!!!" This is NOT the plan, and can lead to malnutrition. The barking is for undereating, not the rate of loss. Your body needs certain nutrients to survive. Just don't deprive it.0 -
25 lbs in 2 months, while fast, is not dangerously fast, that's probably like ~2.5-3 lbs a week. When you lose weight, a maximum recommended on your own is 2 lbs per week, and you're on a medically supervised plan, so you're fine. Congratulations to you. And as the previous poster said, having a lot to lose makes a difference as well, but even then, at this rate, no one would really be on your case unless you know a large collection of exceptionally nosy people and/or post a lot on here about it and put yourself out there for people who are jealous/know-it-alls to call you out about it, but that is totally at your discretion.0
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You're working under the advice of your Doctor and Dietician. 1600 calories is a reasonable amount, especially since you only lightly exercise. Keep working with your doctor and dietician and be willing to adjust as they suggest (as you get closer to your goal, expect your loss to slow down)
Like others have said, those who get "barked at" for losing too fast are generally those who have much less to lose and have overly aggressive goals. And, again, the big thing is that you're working with a doctor where they usually aren't.0 -
Yes, I agree with the others. When you have 120 lbs to lose, you can easily lose 3 lbs or more a week, simply by cutting down your calories a bit. As you get smaller, your calorie level to maintain your weight gets smaller, and you will have a smaller deficit which makes your weight loss slow down to a more moderate pace.
If you are used to eating 3600 cals a day, and drop it to 1600, that is a 4 lb a week deficit. If someone's maintenance level (TDEE) is only 2000, and they try to lose 2 lbs a week, that would mean eating only 1000 cals a day. Unless they are Obese, this level is too low to do for any length of time.
Unfortunately, many people simply yell at anyone who comes in and says they are eating 1200 (which is the lowest MFP will suggest) without looking at the individual situation. For some, that level can be appropriate. For others, it is too much of a deficit and may cause them problems long term, with sustainability, and losing too much muscle mass, and they could end up quitting altogether and regaining their weight, plus some.
For you, if you are doing fine on 1600, then keep on keeping on. Enjoy the quicker weight loss at this point, to keep you motivated. Just don't get frustrated when you start to slow down. It WILL happen at some point. That is when you need to adjust your thinking and be grateful for 1-2 lbs a week or even less some weeks.
And I have never heard the term 'barked' before, unless it was in reference to my dog. I assume you used it to refer to being scolded or yelled at? Interesting. From what country does this term originate? Just curious.
Keep up the great work!:flowerforyou:0 -
The people who get 'barked' are often already a healthy BMI and are trying to lose 2lb per week, when their bodies simply do not have the resources to do so.
At your starting weight then it is OK to be losing at a faster pace. However, as you get closer to your goal then this will likely slow down by itself. If it doesn't, then you may need to adjust your calorie intake upwards to make sure you're not losing too quickly and losing precious muscle.0 -
I lost about the same amount as you in my first 2 months too. I felt good, felt like I was achieving and, like you, I had a lot to lose. If you have a lot to lose, then a reasonably fast loss to start with can be motivating IMO.
BUT, as others have said, it does slow down, AND weight loss is highly non-linear. I lost practically nothing just one month ago, but this month it's fallen off (so much so that I'm going to see what happens in a couple of weeks, review the situation and likely increase calories). It just is.0 -
@DebbieLyn63, I'm from the US! I use "barked" and "scolded" interchangeably!
And some weeks I'll lose 2.5 and I'm okay with it. One week, I lost only 1 lb. but that's due to constipation from my iron supplement (I need it for my anemia issues). All I did to stop it is adding more fiber and BOOM! 3 lb loss!
Right now, I'm dealing with the back end of my "monthly visitor". So it came as a shock that I'm down to 247 this morning after being 252 last Thursday. That I believe is half fat, half water retention from PMS!0 -
You started w/ 100+ pounds to lose. You probably have a higher proportion of fat to muscle than typical, so you'll lose mostly fat no matter what in the first few months. You're under a doctor & dietician's care. You have nothing to worry about.
Thru all of this, we each have to find our own path. Try to drown out the noise/chatter and do what works for you.
If you started out needing to lose 25 pounds, you would probably not have been able to do it in 2 months.0 -
My first 15 pounds came off in the span of 4 weeks, and rest has been .5-2lbs a week when I'm not plateauing. Your loss is fine, especially since you have a good bit to lose. It will slow down as you lose more and more, so don't get discouraged when that happens! Even if you're not losing at all for a while, eating better and exercising is good for you no matter what, and that plateau will break. Mine just did recently. I lost 10lbs in 2.5ish months right before my wedding, got married, and plateaued for over a month. It just now started coming off again. Just keep doing what your doctors tell you and keep up the good work!0
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so were the docs just harsh....or too ruff?!?!?!?!???!?!???
\m/0 -
so were the docs just harsh....or too ruff?!?!?!?!???!?!???
\m/
/ded from cuteness overload0 -
You are doing it right, so no barking from me. But people sometimes think the do-it-quick-to-lose-a-lot idea works using pills and different things that don't really allow the "lifestyle change" that's needed to lose weight AND keep it off in the future. And it does get harder when you get closer to your goal - I have been fighting with the last 20 lbs. for what feels like forever, but recently made some changes that hopefully will show soon... you are doing great and I wish you the best!!0
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so were the docs just harsh....or too ruff?!?!?!?!???!?!???
\m/
Cute gif!
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You're doing it right, don't worry about it.
Your weight loss will slow down eventually but don't give up.
It took you a long time to put it on and it will take some time to lose it.0 -
I cant add anything to what others have said but well done keep it up
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