Am I losing too fast? (long post)

MaryCS62 · January 2015

Background:

I've lost weight before, but never managed to get to my goal weight, (135 lb about 11 years ago-weight watchers) & again about 3 or 4 years ago (35 lb- tracking with fatsecret), but in November, there I was again, very overweight, terrible blood pressure & lab results (even with medication), & seeing my new doctor (had to switch because of insurance.) I work in a hospital, & started tracking using MFP mainly because our cafeteria's menu is by Sodexo, & the bar codes on the posted menu match to the MFP database, so I figured I'd at least have a better chance at tracking anything I bought there (I do usually bring food from home, because I'm a control freak about calories, but life happens).

I started 10 weeks ago (2 weeks before Thanksgiving), with a 2lb/week weight loss goal. I have a semi-sedentary job--I sit a lot, but also have to get up & walk around the nursing unit from my little satellite pharmacy quite a bit. I have been exercising, but not huge amounts -- 30 minutes on the treadmill in my fitness center here at work 2 or 3 times a week, & as of 10 days ago, had managed to bring it up to 2.5 mph, at both level & incline, for the 30 minutes. It doesn't do that much of a calorie burn -- approx 190 cal according to the machine & MFP, so I rarely eat the calories back. I haven't started strength training yet-- I'm going to get a temporary pass to my husband's gym so that he can show me how to do the machines properly.

Anyway, I lost 10 lbs the first 2 weeks (included Thanksgiving). Figured, okay, there's the big water weight drop, now it will slack off. In the 8 weeks since, I've lost 25 more pounds, so my average is 3.5 lb/week over the 10 weeks, or 3 lb/week in the 8 weeks since the big drop.
My calories have gone from 1460 from my first weight, to 1270 now.
According to a couple of BMR calculators, to maintain my current weight, I should eat 2500 cal/day. (I included no exercise because it's still sporadic, especially since slipping on the ice last week left me too sore to do anything.)

Should I be eating more? I have a 50/30/20 C/P/F macro set (low fat because of terrible cholesterol & triglyceride numbers, although I should have the carbs lower b/c of the diabetes, but they're mostly whole grains & veggies), & the recent drop to 1270 has been a little tough.

Thoughts?

girlviernes · January 2015

you can definitely eat more food since you are losing so fast. It looks like you could still lose at a good rate at 1770 calories.

MFP numbers are just based on an algorithm, and your best bet is to adjust based on your hunger, how sustainable it feels, and what happens on the scale.

Also, lowering carbs and increasing exercise will help with the cholesterol/triglycerides

psuLemon · January 2015

If I was you, I probably would eat more. Aggressive weight loss can lead to increased loss of muscle mass, which will lead to a slower metabolic. Also, aggressive weight loss can lead to binges with some people. So from a long term sustainment perspective, eating more will help mitigate the issues that come with low calorie diets.

Regarding your blood work, weight loss alone will help lower all your cholesterol levels. And in my opinion, it's better to lower carbs and increase fats. Fats help with regulating hormones and increase satiety. Additionally, increasing fats that are high in polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats can help with lowering triglycerides.

For exercise, it's definitely a good idea to start weight training program is a good idea. It may be beneficial to pick up a book like "the new rules of lifting for women" to help provide you a foundation of knowledge and can give you a structured program. Realistically, developing a program that is mainly based on compound moves (squats, chest press, deadlifts, etc) will maximize results.

taeliesyn · January 2015

Definitely increase your calories. You're loosing at a good rate, and not struggling is better in the long run rather than posibly slowing your loss. I had similar issues when I started mfp and just upped my calorie until I was loosing at a sustainable rate

bwogilvie · January 2015

Another vote for eating more. Either your activity level (without exercise) is higher than you estimated when you set up MFP, or you are toward the higher end of the BMR range. Either way, it would be a good idea to slow down the loss to increase the likelihood of retaining muscle mass. And as @psulemon‌ says, strength training would be a great idea.

Cortneyrenee04 · January 2015

What was your starting weight? When you have more to lose, it can come off more quickly.

Why did you decide to lower your calories? The 1460 sounds like it was working fine. This is about my goal and I find it very manageable. Lower than that is pretty rough, like you mentioned.

3+ pounds a week seems pretty fast, but it depends on your starting weight. I would think it will start slowing down soon, since you're past that initial starting phase.

Congrats on your loss so far! Good luck

MaryCS62 · January 2015

Starting wt 295lb, current (this morning) 260. Yes, I know it comes off more quickly at the beginning for heavier people, especially when you actually stop eating all the cr*p that I was eating (emotional eater, another long story...). The first 2 changes were via MFP, asking if I wanted to reset my calories after losing 10, then 20 lb. I just reset my goal to 1.5 lb/week, & it upped me to 1570 cal/day. I don't know if I'll go that high, but I have been eating well for the most part. I do allow myself some treats, but I haven't gone overboard, even on the holidays. I've been satisfied for the most part between 1300 & 1400, so I'll see how this goes for a few weeks.

Thanks for the feedback.

higgins8283801 · January 2015

it is all just a bunch of math. if you find you are losing too fast; increase your calories by 100 or so until you are losing at a rate you are comfortable at..if you are not losing enough, or gaining then you reduce your calories by 100 until you start to lose at a rate you are comfortable with.

it doesn't necessarily have to 100 calories, that is just what I do. Good luck!!

chele402 · January 2015

Definitely eat more!! I'm currently at 149 and netting about 1400 calories per day and losing 1lb per week.

psuLemon · January 2015

M1CS62 wrote: »

Starting wt 295lb, current (this morning) 260. Yes, I know it comes off more quickly at the beginning for heavier people, especially when you actually stop eating all the cr*p that I was eating (emotional eater, another long story...). The first 2 changes were via MFP, asking if I wanted to reset my calories after losing 10, then 20 lb. I just reset my goal to 1.5 lb/week, & it upped me to 1570 cal/day. I don't know if I'll go that high, but I have been eating well for the most part. I do allow myself some treats, but I haven't gone overboard, even on the holidays. I've been satisfied for the most part between 1300 & 1400, so I'll see how this goes for a few weeks.

Thanks for the feedback.

So from a mathematical standpoint, if you averaged 3.5 lbs per week @ 1270 calories your tdee or current maintenance calories is around 3000.

I would ask why you were not able to sustain the losses your previously had? Because there generally isnt an issue with losing, the issue is with sustaining. This is why most recommend a slower loss. Even at 1500 calories you burn about 3 pounds a week. And that is aggressive unless you are being monitored by a doctor.

Another question is what foods are you eating? Low calories dont leave much room to get all your nutrients. So if you want to open your diary we can and suggestions to improve while still being able to incorporate treats for sanity.

MaryCS62 · January 2015

not sustaining it was mainly a matter of after the big loss not being able to get below a certain weight, and then basically giving up after a three month Plateau. Then I just went back to all of my old bad habits of eating all kinds of very unhealthy foods and way too much of it.it's been the same thing every time I've lost weight. I have a little bit different mindset now, so I'm hoping I'm going to be able to sustain. I've also never lost at such a rapid rate so I was really surprised that I was able to lose this much this quickly.

Cortneyrenee04 · January 2015

I've had the same issues with sustaining my losses. I lost 50+ pounds in the past and gained it all back plus more very quickly! The first time I lost, it was in a matter of probably 6 months. This time, I'm down 45 pounds in about a year and a half. It had been frustrating at times, but I know losing slower means more time for my brain to catch up with my body, and to really develop habits I'll have forever. I will never regain this weight!

When I first started with mfp, I did try 1200 calories and it worked for a little over a month. Then I got hungry! I now know that it's best to eat as much as possible while losing, so you can tweak when losses slow or stop. When you're at that 1200-1300 calorie mark, there's nowhere to go. You should continue seeing great losses on 1500

psuLemon · January 2015

Was your strategy the same where you cut calories a lot? Also, a plateau could have been caused by a few things but generally its inaccurate or inconsistent logging. That is why we all recommend a food scale. There could have been different variables if you have medical conditions.

MaryCS62 · January 2015

I weigh & measure everything (except green salad- my bowl holds about a cup of leafy greens). The plateau many years ago-- I don't know what caused it, other than when using "points" on WW, I "gamed" the system a bit to get the max for say, 2 points without it tipping over to 3 points--that's why I like actual calorie counting better. I've also been incorporating more of my "forbidden" foods this time -- but I weigh the bagel, & only eat a specific measured portion of it, rather than saying" I can't have a bagel at all, too many carbs/calories", so I hope that I will enjoy myself more & feel less deprived.
I also know which substitutions I'm willing to make -- low fat cheese yes, turkey bacon no.
My main thing was the rapidity of the loss- I've never lost so much, so consistently, over such a long period of time. However, last time I wanted to lose this much, I didn't exercise in the beginning (in fact, not really at all until I'd lost about 70-80 lbs), where I have been (except this last week) before I even started eating better, so maybe that revved my metabolism a little more this time.

psuLemon · January 2015

It makes sense that you are losing faster when you workout, especially if you generally start around 1200 calories. It happens because you are creating a larger deficit.

Also, you can eat pretty much any food that can fit into your calories and still lose weight. The only time I would recommend even eliminating a food is allergies or it causes you to binge. One side note, most people don't realize that bacon and turkey bacon are pretty much the same calories (depending if you get thicker cuts or flavored cuts). But my center cut bacon is 80 calories for 3 piece and so is my turkey bacon.

But my question is, why only eat 1300 calories when you can lose a good amount of weight at 1600 or even 1800. The one main advantage tot he later is increase nutrients and energy that will improve your workouts and help aid recovery.

How are your protein numbers looking right now?

MaryCS62 · January 2015

I actually started at 1460, b/c MFP calculated that for me, based on sedentery job, 2lb loss/week & my then weight. I didn't really have any trouble with those, or the intermediate reductions. Only when it got to 1270 was I having a little trouble, as I was hungirer.
"Also, you can eat pretty much any food that can fit into your calories and still lose weight. The only time I would recommend even eliminating a food is allergies or it causes you to binge. One side note, most people don't realize that bacon and turkey bacon are pretty much the same calories (depending if you get thicker cuts or flavored cuts). But my center cut bacon is 80 calories for 3 piece and so is my turkey bacon."
psulemon -- I know I can eat anything as long as it fits my calories -- but I would rather eat a larger piece of low fat cheese than small piece of full fat cheese- I like volume!! I don't care for turkey bacon, so I won't eat that, even if the calories are less than regular bacon. I don't eat pancakes much, because the volume I would have to eat to feel satisfied would limit me the rest of the day, & I'll eat eggbeaters instead of regular eggs (or mixed together if I have the calories), again because I want the extra volume of food.
I'm trying to increase the amount of healthy fats in my diet, because my fat #'s are low, & when I cut out all the junk, unhealthy fats were a big part of that.

jimeads · January 2015

Do the math…

With a BMR of 2,500 your TDEE is about 3,000 calories a day or 21,000 a week.

On a treadmill for 30 minutes at 2.5 MPH you burn about 300 calories (gym machines underestimate calories for overweight people). That is about 900 per week.

So, to maintain weight you would need to take in about 21,900 calories per week. (3,128 per day)

You are now taking in 1,270 per day or 8,890 per week.

So, you are deficit 21,900 – 8,890 = 13,010. At 3,500 calories in a pound that is about 3.7 pounds a week. That is probably too much.

A good rule of thumb is to not exceed 1% of your body weight per week. So, for you, shoot for no more than about 2.5 pounds per week. To do that add about 3,500 calories per week to bring your daily intake up to about 1,270 + 500 = 1,770 calories per day.

Definitely add strength training three times a week if you can fit it in. Take it easy for the first couple of weeks until you get used to it but then start to hit it pretty good. I use lighter weights but do more repetitions quickly. That gets my heart rate up and makes it a cardio workout in addition to a weight workout. When you do this add those additional calories burned to your intake. So, if you estimate your workout burns 300 calories each for three times per week, add about another 125 calories per day to your intake.

But, the real secret is to make all of these things habits, like taking a shower or brushing your teeth. It’s like dancing with a gorilla. Once you start you can never stop. If you do all that weight will just come back.

psuLemon · January 2015

MaryCS62 wrote: »

I actually started at 1460, b/c MFP calculated that for me, based on sedentery job, 2lb loss/week & my then weight. I didn't really have any trouble with those, or the intermediate reductions. Only when it got to 1270 was I having a little trouble, as I was hungirer.
"Also, you can eat pretty much any food that can fit into your calories and still lose weight. The only time I would recommend even eliminating a food is allergies or it causes you to binge. One side note, most people don't realize that bacon and turkey bacon are pretty much the same calories (depending if you get thicker cuts or flavored cuts). But my center cut bacon is 80 calories for 3 piece and so is my turkey bacon."
psulemon -- I know I can eat anything as long as it fits my calories -- but I would rather eat a larger piece of low fat cheese than small piece of full fat cheese- I like volume!! I don't care for turkey bacon, so I won't eat that, even if the calories are less than regular bacon. I don't eat pancakes much, because the volume I would have to eat to feel satisfied would limit me the rest of the day, & I'll eat eggbeaters instead of regular eggs (or mixed together if I have the calories), again because I want the extra volume of food.
I'm trying to increase the amount of healthy fats in my diet, because my fat #'s are low, & when I cut out all the junk, unhealthy fats were a big part of that.

Trust me, I understand volume. A normal breakfast for me is 4 egg whites, 2 eggs with grilled veggies cooked in olive oil.

But the main purpose of my post, there is no reason for you to eat 1280 calories. If you follow the MFP method you are supposed to eat back exercise calories. So you should be eating 1580-1700 calories. And you probably don't have as much as a sedentary job as you think because your current maintenance calories are around 3000 calories. So definitely no reason to starve yourself.

If you want to add fats, add in some nuts, oils or stuff like avocados.

MaryCS62 · January 2015

I've upped it this week to 1530 - which MFP says is my 1.5lb/week calories. Still haven't exercised much, & haven't had a weigh-in at all (I sometimes weigh daily even though I only record weekly) & it's been a screwy weekend b/c of 2 snowstorms here on the east coast in additition to having to stay over at my job last night (I work in a hospital), but have still managed to stay on track. I will give it 2 weeks at this level before I decide if I want to eat more or less, but since I actually started @ 1460, I doubt I'll want to eat more!

tiggis2006 · January 2015

There is no such thing as losing fat too fast. As long as your not losing lean muscle mass fast is as good as slow. This 2 pounds a week that people often quote has no scientific support. It is a made up number.

kyta32 · January 2015

There is some evidence that people are more successful at weight loss when they lose faster in the beginning. Try to stay realistic, though. You should not be losing at 3-4 pounds a week all the way down to your goal weight. I've lost at about 3-4 lbs a week from 296 down to 181, and I'm pretty sure my rate of loss is slowing down now.

Some of the disadvantages to faster weight loss are gallstones and malnutrition. When you eat 1200 calories a day, you need most of them to be healthy to be sure to hit all your micros, and get enough fiber. You can talk to your Dr. about your weight loss, and if the rate is o.k. for you. When at higher levels of obesity, there are serious benefits to weight loss that may outweigh the risks of slightly faster loss. Eat an adequate amount of high-quality protein (may be more than MFP recommends - I've seen recommendations of .8g/kg of body weight, or 1 g/lb lean body mass), and do your best to get resistance exercise in to prevent loss of lean mass. You can do things like reducing refined sugars and white flour, having adequate omega 3 and 6 oils, and exercising to reduce your risk of gallstones. Good luck

SLLRunner · January 2015

MaryCS62 wrote: »

Starting wt 295lb, current (this morning) 260. Yes, I know it comes off more quickly at the beginning for heavier people, especially when you actually stop eating all the cr*p that I was eating (emotional eater, another long story...). The first 2 changes were via MFP, asking if I wanted to reset my calories after losing 10, then 20 lb. I just reset my goal to 1.5 lb/week, & it upped me to 1570 cal/day. I don't know if I'll go that high, but I have been eating well for the most part. I do allow myself some treats, but I haven't gone overboard, even on the holidays. I've been satisfied for the most part between 1300 & 1400, so I'll see how this goes for a few weeks.

Thanks for the feedback.

Mary,

Congrats on your weight loss!

I agree with those others who say to up the calorie goal. That will slow down your weight loss.

SLLRunner · January 2015

tiggis2006 wrote: »

There is no such thing as losing fat too fast. As long as your not losing lean muscle mass fast is as good as slow. This 2 pounds a week that people often quote has no scientific support. It is a made up number.

Not true.

If you are losing weight fast, you are losing lean muscle mass.

psuLemon · January 2015

MaryCS62 wrote: »

I've upped it this week to 1530 - which MFP says is my 1.5lb/week calories. Still haven't exercised much, & haven't had a weigh-in at all (I sometimes weigh daily even though I only record weekly) & it's been a screwy weekend b/c of 2 snowstorms here on the east coast in additition to having to stay over at my job last night (I work in a hospital), but have still managed to stay on track. I will give it 2 weeks at this level before I decide if I want to eat more or less, but since I actually started @ 1460, I doubt I'll want to eat more!

Keep in mind MFP is estimating based on your inputs and it's pre-exercise. You will lose more than 1.5lbs per week if you only eat 1500 calories because you lost 3.5 lbs at 1200. That is a weekly deficit of 12,250 calories. You only lowered your deficit by 250 calories per day or 1,750 per week. If you maintained the same effort as previously weeks, you would lose 3 lbs per week. I suspect since you are a at a hospital, that you burn a lot more calories than you think, even when not exercising.

But if you are going to continue to have aggressive weight loss, I would highly suggest you see a doctor to be monitored, so they can do blood work to ensure your nutrients stay in a healthy range. Last thing you want to happen is become malnourished and have to stop trying to lose weight. If you start to see sign such as hair starting to fall out, brittle nails, loss of period or skin issues that you normally haven't had before, then up your calories to get more nutrient.

Am I losing too fast? (long post)

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