How much is too much to lose in one week?

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toriilana
toriilana Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just had my first weigh in since last Thursday and I've lost 9 lbs. This is my first weigh in and in the past I've always lost the most amount in the first few weeks and then my body seems to adjust and I start to lose 1, 2 or 3 pounds a week (if any - sometimes I can just stay the same!). I'm so so so proud that I've lost 9lbs but that doesn't stop me worrying that it's too much to lose. I had planned on aiming for 10lbs in a month!!

I've gone through my diary plan and I don't think I'm eating too little (I don't know if you can access my diary without being a friend but if you can please look and see if you think i've been skimping out on meals - I've been completely full though and I've not exceeded my calories but have been careful to not go over!).

I am proud of myself but i'm also bummed out that I'm worried my first loss was too high. I have been walking way more than I used to. I used to not walk and now I've been doing around 60 to 100 minutes of it a day - I plan on exercising in better ways after exam period is over. I've also been making better food choices and eating very healthy meals - counting calories to make sure I'm not exceeding and I've only really been drinking water.

I hope this doesn't sound stupid being worried about losing too much might be such a stupid thing to feel but I just wanted to lose the weight in a healthy fashion and not too quickly for my body, and so I just wanted to know if this was fine. Basically need some reassurance that this happens and stuff :P

Replies

  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    I can't see your diary, so let me ask:
    1. How many calories are you eating?
    2. Were you on or about to begin your period last Thursday?
    3. Had you been eating lots of high-sodium/prepackaged foods prior to last week's weigh-in?
    4. Had you eaten anything/were you clothed/had you been to the bathroom at the time of last week's weigh-in?

    If you're eating enough calories (what MFP told you to) and the answer to any of the next three questions is "yes," congrats! You have some water weight mixed in with your loss and you're doing fine.
  • toriilana
    toriilana Posts: 44 Member
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    1. 1750 calories unless I exercise and then I allow myself to have extra if I've exercised enough (but I only ever eat back half of my exercise calories!)
    2. I don't actually have periods... I had an illness a few years ago and it messed up my hormone system and my periods have yet to return.
    3. YES! Prior I ate all sorts of crap! It was normally take out or whatever was quick as I'm a student. Really really unhealthy things!
    4. No I er...unrobe as it were but last week I did weigh in at the end of the day on Thursday whereas today I weighed in in the morning! That might have made a different!

    Thanks a lot! I wanted to be proud of my loss but couldn't help but worry at the same time! :) Thanks!
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
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    Larger people lose more weight more quickly. It will slow eventually. Take it & run.
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
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    Morning vs night weigh in would do it for me. Usually I see four or five pounds difference.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    You should be proud of your loss! The first week on a dietary change can be tough and you got it down the right way. You could be 4-5 pounds heavier at night, so make sure you weigh first thing.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,001 Member
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    Don't worry. Most of it is water weight. To lose 9 lbs of fat in one week, you would have to average a 4500 calorie daily deficit. That seems highly unlikely -- I didn't check your stats, but other than athletes in very intense training (way beyond walking for an hour or two every day), or people with jobs that require massive amounts of energy expenditure (like lumberjacks :) will use 4500 calories a day (and then you would have to subtract your calorie consumption to get your deficit).

    When you start eating at a deficit of any size, your body starts depleting its glycogen stores to make up the deficit. Your body requires significant amount of water to store the glycogen, and it gets rid of the water when it doesn't need it store the glycogen that you're using up. It's also possible that in cutting or changing what you eat to achieve a deficit, you're getting less sodium than you're used to, and that will also cause your body to shed water.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited January 2015
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    Congratulations - it's probably about 80% water weight when you've changed up your diet and should settle down to a decent weight loss on a weekly basis (remember weight loss is not linear)

    always weigh under the same conditions - my ideal is first thing in the morning, after I get up and use the bathroom and totally nekkid (sometimes with a toothbrush in hand to be fair) - your weight will fluctuate over the day, due to clothes, food in belly, waste in intestinal tract etc

    you can choose to make your diary public - settings - diary settings - public
  • donlou33
    donlou33 Posts: 20
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    I'd be over the moon at that - take it, be proud and use it as motivation. Well done.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    Typically 2 pounds a week is considered the upper level of safe weight loss. But if you are significantly overweight, it can be more. But it would be highly unlikely for you to have had a 31,500 calorie deficit. So, you are probably seeing the effects of water weight, food in your stomach, clothing, or waste (which can all impact body weight too). So I would not worry about it. ENJOY IT! It won't continue like that forever.
  • bigd66218
    bigd66218 Posts: 376 Member
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    I can't see your diary, but I've lost 15 lbs. in 3 weeks, the walking is the huge difference in weight loss. Remember, it's not a sprint but a marathon to a healthy lifestyle. :)
  • toriilana
    toriilana Posts: 44 Member
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    Thanks guys! I thought it might be water weight earlier but obviously it's a boost regardless and a step in the right direction. I didn't think it was anything to worry about but I was expecting more like 2 pounds a week (as that's what I'd planned for). I think this week and potentially next week might be just my body adjusting to the changes I've made. I'm chuffed nonetheless. Just felt odd seeing such a change in a week was all.

    I'm aware it'll settle down to 2lbs and sometimes no change at all in the weeks to come but it's always nice to see that what you are doing is making some difference :)

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