I've lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks

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Hi folks,

I don't know if this is considered a success because I still have a long way to go, but in the last two weeks, I've dropped 12 lbs so far. Two weeks ago I weighed in at 301 lbs and today I weighed in at 289 lbs.

I have not starved myself nor have I gone hungry, all I have done is count calories and eat the right food and by right food I mean no sugar, very little bad carbs and basically have eaten what I live still. This has not been that difficult to tell you the truth. I guess the most difficult thing I struggle with is doing regular exercise, but I've still been dropping the lbs despite this by losing over a lb a day.

Something else interesting has happened also. I have found that since I've changed my eating habits, I have actually lost a taste for some of the unhealthy snacks I was eating before like donuts and pastry. I know that might sound weird, but it's true.

I have already noticed that I'm not retaining as much body fluid as I was too. It's showing in my neck and face to the point that a close friend noticed and mentioned it. This may be due to the fact that I'm not eating so many salty sweet snacks like I used to. So it's not just the 12 lbs in the last two weeks that's a big deal, but the fluid loss as well. I don't have that puffy look in my face like I did two weeks ago. This is just amazing seeing what changing my eating habits has done.

So for those of you who are like me and still have a ways to go to reach your goal, I hope this encourages you to keep going. I've have found that simply counting calories and keeping myself from going beyond that calorie count while cutting out the bad food is simple and successful so far.

I was so afraid of failure thinking I had to do something complicated and complex to get the weight off, but that's not so--just counting the calories and changing my eating habits has been huge. Now that I'm under that 300 lb number at 289--I feel like I have real hope of reaching my goal my this time next year.

Replies

  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
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    Nice work on your loss.

    It doesn't sound weird to lose cravings for junk. I quit drinking soda and sweet teas at the beginning of the year and am still doing great with that.

    tracking your calories is a helpful start.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    extra loss on the scale in the first couple of weeks of a calorie deficit is expected due to the depletion of glycogen stores and the water associated with it. that's what you're seeing on the scale and feeling in your body.

    it's not uncommon for somebody at 300lbs to set their goal loss rate at 2lbs/week and at the end of 2 weeks find that they've actually lost 10-12lbs due to additional water weight loss. 8lbs is about 1 gallon of water.

    the bad news is that water weight comes back as you eat above maintenance and fill up those glycogen stores again. however, it comes off as you go back to eating at a deficit. so don't get too frustrated if you see this happen. people who don't understand what is going on get frustrated by it, but once you understand that it's part of the process and you won't always be in control of water weight fluctuations, it helps you see why your scale can read a few lbs under or a few lbs above what you expect it to on any given day.

    good luck... and remember, slow and steady wins the race (and gives you much better chances of sustaining the loss when you finish)!
  • anna3669
    anna3669 Posts: 33 Member
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    Super motivational, Keep up the good work!! :smile:
  • Raney2
    Raney2 Posts: 17
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    Thank you. Another thing that I've found helpful, but others may do it differently--is that I weigh in every morning before I eat or drink anything. This has really been encouraging to me because I can see the daily progress. I never weigh myself until the next morning.

    I bought a good digital scale that gives the exact weight. I'm 59 years old, so if I can do this and lose weight at this rate and not starve myself, then that old cliché that says the older you get the harder it is to lose isn't always true.

    So for you ladies out there over fifty--this is for you. Just dropping the body fluid has made it easier to walk and move. So hang in there, if I can do this anyone can.

    Hugs,
    Raney
  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
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    Great job. As you stay away from the junk food longer, you will lose any cravings you have for it. Drinking plenty of water is important too.

    I didn't have to lose as much as you, but I noticed the more I lost the more exercise I could do. I started off with slow, short walks, and as I lost more, I increased my pace and duration.

    Later on when your loss slows down, don't get discouraged. Keep on keeping on.

    Larro
  • Raney2
    Raney2 Posts: 17
    Options
    extra loss on the scale in the first couple of weeks of a calorie deficit is expected due to the depletion of glycogen stores and the water associated with it. that's what you're seeing on the scale and feeling in your body.

    it's not uncommon for somebody at 300lbs to set their goal loss rate at 2lbs/week and at the end of 2 weeks find that they've actually lost 10-12lbs due to additional water weight loss. 8lbs is about 1 gallon of water.

    the bad news is that water weight comes back as you eat above maintenance and fill up those glycogen stores again. however, it comes off as you go back to eating as a deficit. so don't get too frustrated if you see this happen. people who don't understand what is going on get frustrated by it, but once you understand that it's part of the process and you won't always be in control of water weight fluctuations, it helps you see why your scale can read a few lbs under or a few lbs above what you expect it to on any given day.

    good luck... and remember, slow and steady wins the race (and gives you much better chances of sustaining the loss when you finish)!

    Thank you! I am eating below maintenance every day. Right now I'm counting calories and staying between 1000 and 1200 a day along with normal daily activity that's burning off about 2600 a day. I'm hoping that maintaining this will keep me at a consistent loss without starving myself at all.

    I'm also drinking the Matcha geen tea three times a day too. I can't honestly tell you if that's contributing to my success, but it certainly tastes good and claims to increase the metabolism.
  • Raney2
    Raney2 Posts: 17
    Options
    Great job. As you stay away from the junk food longer, you will lose any cravings you have for it. Drinking plenty of water is important too.

    I didn't have to lose as much as you, but I noticed the more I lost the more exercise I could do. I started off with slow, short walks, and as I lost more, I increased my pace and duration.

    Later on when your loss slows down, don't get discouraged. Keep on keeping on.

    Larro

    Yes-yes-- it is hard for me to walk for a long distance right now because the weight has taken it's toll on my knees. So I've been hopping on the exercise bike when I can to help burn calories. I'm hoping that as the weight comes off, I'll be able to walk longer distances than I can now.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Large losses the first few weeks -- especially when you're at a very high start weight -- are common and normal.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
    Options
    extra loss on the scale in the first couple of weeks of a calorie deficit is expected due to the depletion of glycogen stores and the water associated with it. that's what you're seeing on the scale and feeling in your body.

    it's not uncommon for somebody at 300lbs to set their goal loss rate at 2lbs/week and at the end of 2 weeks find that they've actually lost 10-12lbs due to additional water weight loss. 8lbs is about 1 gallon of water.

    the bad news is that water weight comes back as you eat above maintenance and fill up those glycogen stores again. however, it comes off as you go back to eating as a deficit. so don't get too frustrated if you see this happen. people who don't understand what is going on get frustrated by it, but once you understand that it's part of the process and you won't always be in control of water weight fluctuations, it helps you see why your scale can read a few lbs under or a few lbs above what you expect it to on any given day.

    good luck... and remember, slow and steady wins the race (and gives you much better chances of sustaining the loss when you finish)!

    Thank you! I am eating below maintenance every day. Right now I'm counting calories and staying between 1000 and 1200 a day along with normal daily activity that's burning off about 2600 a day. I'm hoping that maintaining this will keep me at a consistent loss without starving myself at all.

    I'm also drinking the Matcha geen tea three times a day too. I can't honestly tell you if that's contributing to my success, but it certainly tastes good and claims to increase the metabolism.

    i wouldn't put too much faith in the green tea. you're losing weight because you're on a calorie deficit. that's all. all that other stuff the diet industry tries to push on you is simply a bunch of gimmicks designed to make themselves rich.

    by noticing that you've lost a lot of water weight in the first couple of weeks, you've actually stumbled on the hidden secret to weight loss that the diet industry doesn't want you to know about. if you've ever seen those claims like, "lose 20lbs in 2 weeks on the grapefruit and celery diet!" or "lose up to 15lbs in 1 week on the prune juice diet!", then you can now figure out why those "diets" work and also why their results are only listed in the short term. you'll never see a "lose 100lbs in 5 months on the prune juice diet!" advertisement because 1) most dieters want immediate results and are not willing to be patient to lose the weight, 2) the large weight loss that happens at the very beginning due to shedding of water weight tapers off after a couple of weeks, and 3) the weight loss industry actually wants to create yo-yo dieters. they want repeat customers so that they can sell them the next new fad diet next season. people jump onto those diets, lose a bunch of weight in the first 2-3 weeks, then their loss stalls and they blame themselves for not sticking to it or doing it right, so they quit and binge and gain back all of the weight. next year, they try again with some other fad diet. lots of people in the weight loss industry get rich off of this exact behavior. what they don't want anyone to know is that ANY diet that puts you into calorie restriction for the first 2-3 weeks can yield 15-25lbs in lost weight. beyond that, it drops back to 1-2lb per week because now your body is actually losing fat/muscle instead of mostly water.
  • Raney2
    Raney2 Posts: 17
    Options
    extra loss on the scale in the first couple of weeks of a calorie deficit is expected due to the depletion of glycogen stores and the water associated with it. that's what you're seeing on the scale and feeling in your body.

    it's not uncommon for somebody at 300lbs to set their goal loss rate at 2lbs/week and at the end of 2 weeks find that they've actually lost 10-12lbs due to additional water weight loss. 8lbs is about 1 gallon of water.

    the bad news is that water weight comes back as you eat above maintenance and fill up those glycogen stores again. however, it comes off as you go back to eating as a deficit. so don't get too frustrated if you see this happen. people who don't understand what is going on get frustrated by it, but once you understand that it's part of the process and you won't always be in control of water weight fluctuations, it helps you see why your scale can read a few lbs under or a few lbs above what you expect it to on any given day.

    good luck... and remember, slow and steady wins the race (and gives you much better chances of sustaining the loss when you finish)!

    Thank you! I am eating below maintenance every day. Right now I'm counting calories and staying between 1000 and 1200 a day along with normal daily activity that's burning off about 2600 a day. I'm hoping that maintaining this will keep me at a consistent loss without starving myself at all.

    I'm also drinking the Matcha geen tea three times a day too. I can't honestly tell you if that's contributing to my success, but it certainly tastes good and claims to increase the metabolism.

    i wouldn't put too much faith in the green tea. you're losing weight because you're on a calorie deficit. that's all. all that other stuff the diet industry tries to push on you is simply a bunch of gimmicks designed to make themselves rich.

    by noticing that you've lost a lot of water weight in the first couple of weeks, you've actually stumbled on the hidden secret to weight loss that the diet industry doesn't want you to know about. if you've ever seen those claims like, "lose 20lbs in 2 weeks on the grapefruit and celery diet!" or "lose up to 15lbs in 1 week on the prune juice diet!", then you can now figure out why those "diets" work and also why their results are only listed in the short term. you'll never see a "lose 100lbs in 5 months on the prune juice diet!" advertisement because 1) most dieters want immediate results and are not willing to be patient to lose the weight, 2) the large weight loss that happens at the very beginning due to shedding of water weight tapers off after a couple of weeks, and 3) the weight loss industry actually wants to create yo-yo dieters. they want repeat customers so that they can sell them the next new fad diet next season. people jump onto those diets, lose a bunch of weight in the first 2-3 weeks, then their loss stalls and they blame themselves for not sticking to it or doing it right, so they quit and binge and gain back all of the weight. next year, they try again with some other fad diet. lots of people in the weight loss industry get rich off of this exact behavior. what they don't want anyone to know is that ANY diet that puts you into calorie restriction for the first 2-3 weeks can yield 15-25lbs in lost weight. beyond that, it drops back to 1-2lb per week because now your body is actually losing fat/muscle instead of mostly water.

    Yes, I realize what you're saying is so true too. I'm not considering this a "diet". I have literally reprogrammed my thinking so-to-speak by realizing this is a lifestyle change--*forever*.

    I'm not in a hurry at all. I realize that this is going to take some time and I'm giving myself that time that I know it's going to take because I don't want to do this *unhealthily*. I have my eyes set on next year this time knowing I will have dropped enough to at least be able to *not look fat*. I'll be happy to just be healthier and travel without having to buy two seats. LOL
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    (But green tea has lots of antioxidants and if you enjoy it, keep drinking it.)
  • Raney2
    Raney2 Posts: 17
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    (But green tea has lots of antioxidants and if you enjoy it, keep drinking it.)

    I love my morning coffee with creamers (no sugar). I drink both my coffee and the green tea. I know that's lots of caffeine, but I don't want to cut that out as of yet. The creamers are only like 10 or 15 cal each, so I'm not depriving myself of those either.

    Even some of the foods that I love and aren't so healthy I still have on occasion, but I still stay within my calorie limit even eating those. This isn't something I'm doing all of the time--just once in a great while. Eventually--I'm hoping that the craving for those will go away too.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Options
    (But green tea has lots of antioxidants and if you enjoy it, keep drinking it.)

    I love my morning coffee with creamers (no sugar). I drink both my coffee and the green tea. I know that's lots of caffeine, but I don't want to cut that out as of yet. The creamers are only like 10 or 15 cal each, so I'm not depriving myself of those either.

    Even some of the foods that I love and aren't so healthy I still have on occasion, but I still stay within my calorie limit even eating those. This isn't something I'm doing all of the time--just once in a great while. Eventually--I'm hoping that the craving for those will go away too.
    If something is working for you, you're happy and your doctor isn't concerned, there is no reason to change it.

    I was just saying that even if the tea isn't affecting your weight loss, it's still not a bad habit. Personally, I can't stand the taste of green tea so I don't drink it. But if you like it, it is very good for you.
  • Raney2
    Raney2 Posts: 17
    Options
    (But green tea has lots of antioxidants and if you enjoy it, keep drinking it.)

    I love my morning coffee with creamers (no sugar). I drink both my coffee and the green tea. I know that's lots of caffeine, but I don't want to cut that out as of yet. The creamers are only like 10 or 15 cal each, so I'm not depriving myself of those either.

    Even some of the foods that I love and aren't so healthy I still have on occasion, but I still stay within my calorie limit even eating those. This isn't something I'm doing all of the time--just once in a great while. Eventually--I'm hoping that the craving for those will go away too.
    If something is working for you, you're happy and your doctor isn't concerned, there is no reason to change it.

    I was just saying that even if the tea isn't affecting your weight loss, it's still not a bad habit. Personally, I can't stand the taste of green tea so I don't drink it. But if you like it, it is very good for you.

    I'm not a *green tea* lover like some. I started drinking this because it's a healthy addition to my daily diet with the antioxidants and other health benefits. I add creamers to mine and it actually taste good. I drink this green tea in place of snacks. I've found that a lot of times I'm satisfied with something to drink rather than eat.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Options
    (But green tea has lots of antioxidants and if you enjoy it, keep drinking it.)

    I love my morning coffee with creamers (no sugar). I drink both my coffee and the green tea. I know that's lots of caffeine, but I don't want to cut that out as of yet. The creamers are only like 10 or 15 cal each, so I'm not depriving myself of those either.

    Even some of the foods that I love and aren't so healthy I still have on occasion, but I still stay within my calorie limit even eating those. This isn't something I'm doing all of the time--just once in a great while. Eventually--I'm hoping that the craving for those will go away too.
    If something is working for you, you're happy and your doctor isn't concerned, there is no reason to change it.

    I was just saying that even if the tea isn't affecting your weight loss, it's still not a bad habit. Personally, I can't stand the taste of green tea so I don't drink it. But if you like it, it is very good for you.

    I'm not a *green tea* lover like some. I started drinking this because it's a healthy addition to my daily diet with the antioxidants and other health benefits. I add creamers to mine and it actually taste good. I drink this green tea in place of snacks. I've found that a lot of times I'm satisfied with something to drink rather than eat.
    Hot liquids are a great appetite suppressant. :-)
  • Pipsg1rl
    Pipsg1rl Posts: 1,414 Member
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    I'm not a *green tea* lover like some. I started drinking this because it's a healthy addition to my daily diet with the antioxidants and other health benefits. I add creamers to mine and it actually taste good. I drink this green tea in place of snacks. I've found that a lot of times I'm satisfied with something to drink rather than eat.

    I don't like regular green tea, but I do enjoy these:
    Tazo - Zen: It's a green tea and mint blend. Helps mellow the tea
    Harney and Sons - Green Tea with Coconut, Ginger, and Vanilla: Also a milder flavor and the coconut adds sweetness
    Liption - Green Tea Superfruit Tea: With Acai, Dragonfruit and Melon. The fruits add natural sweetness. Very good ICED.
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