Dangers of losing weight too quickly -- How fast is too fast?
Robertus
Posts: 558 Member
Most days I can eat considerably less than what MFP says is my calorie limit. I know it can be unhealthy to lose weight too fast so I am interested in the warning signs and how to know how fast is too fast.
The problems I am aware of are: 1) poor nutrition; 2) losing muscle along with fat; 3) developing an eating disorder; 4) mood swings; 5) loss of concentration ...
Are there other issues I should be aware of?
I am extremely motivated to lose weight and get into shape. Lost 30 so far with another 46 to go to no longer be 'overweight' according to the BMI scale. I'm 7 lbs from my most immediate goal, which is to no longer be 'obese' according to BMI. I'm finally learning about nutrition and paying attention to what I eat, calories, carbs, protein, essential fatty acids, etc. I'm alternating cardio workouts with strength training so that I lose fat instead of muscle.
My main exercise is swimming. I do about 1.5 miles twice a week and 2 miles once a week. I work in a couple of strength training sessions designed by my trainer at the gym and leg aerobics (exercise bike, rowing machine, cardiosteps) since the swimming is almost all upper body (freestyle). I know how important recovery days are so I give myself a day or two off when I need to. One of my guides to know that I am eating enough is that I am maintaining and increasing my exercise stamina and swimming distances.
I am eating walnuts, almonds, flax seed, chicken and fish to get essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce. I focus on protein to help with muscle maintenance. I try to eat enough to maintain a productive and positive attitude at work, keep up my fitness regime, but to keep myself motivated with positive results I am trying to keep my calorie intake at a bare minimum.
The problems I am aware of are: 1) poor nutrition; 2) losing muscle along with fat; 3) developing an eating disorder; 4) mood swings; 5) loss of concentration ...
Are there other issues I should be aware of?
I am extremely motivated to lose weight and get into shape. Lost 30 so far with another 46 to go to no longer be 'overweight' according to the BMI scale. I'm 7 lbs from my most immediate goal, which is to no longer be 'obese' according to BMI. I'm finally learning about nutrition and paying attention to what I eat, calories, carbs, protein, essential fatty acids, etc. I'm alternating cardio workouts with strength training so that I lose fat instead of muscle.
My main exercise is swimming. I do about 1.5 miles twice a week and 2 miles once a week. I work in a couple of strength training sessions designed by my trainer at the gym and leg aerobics (exercise bike, rowing machine, cardiosteps) since the swimming is almost all upper body (freestyle). I know how important recovery days are so I give myself a day or two off when I need to. One of my guides to know that I am eating enough is that I am maintaining and increasing my exercise stamina and swimming distances.
I am eating walnuts, almonds, flax seed, chicken and fish to get essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce. I focus on protein to help with muscle maintenance. I try to eat enough to maintain a productive and positive attitude at work, keep up my fitness regime, but to keep myself motivated with positive results I am trying to keep my calorie intake at a bare minimum.
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Oh, forgot to mention. Please feel free to add me as a friend. Everyone needs friends!0
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It depends on what your weight is.
The heavier you are the faster you would lose weight till it will gradually slow down.
Anywhere between 2-4lbs would be ok.
It seems like you have the basics covered
Ensure you get enough protein and lift weights to preserve as much muscle as possible
Good luck1 -
Thanks. I'm 6'2", started out at 270 lbs. I lost 30 lbs in about a month and I know this will slow down considerably. It already has. My dream goal would be to lose 15 lbs in the next month but I doubt that would be possible. I just want to make sure I'm losing as much as I can without compromising my health in any way.0
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Add more protein in the form of nuts, peanut butter, meat and seafood, eggs, dairy, beans, green peas, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, . . .0
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Another problem is more of the mental game. If your 'diet' plan is too drastically different from your 'maintenance' plan, you will likely struggle a lot to keep the weight off. This is a time to learn about your body, how to moderate your food intake, what your triggers are, all sorts of things. But if you do too many changes too fast, you often feel like you can't keep that up indefinitely and you need a plan you can keep up with for the rest of your life so that you don't fall back into old patterns. Even if it means the weight comes off slower.0
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Watch out for your hair and nails, as your body may start dumping non-essentials if you're under nourished. Fatigue, worsening fitness performance, and of course, injury. For injury yeah you want to fuel your body properly, but you also want to pay attention to those instructing you on proper form, and use common sense. Injuries can be devastating especially when your fitness levels have to drop sharply in response.
If you do log most of your food most days though, I would simply say you're not eating enough for a 240 lb 6'2" man and should probably not rely on external, visual indicators that you're not eating enough. I'd say better safe than sorry - why not invest a couple more months in your health and do this right?1 -
...I am trying to keep my calorie intake at a bare minimum.
Not a good idea or the way MFP is set up to work. Google or youtube Metabolic Adaptation. What you're doing may work for a while but ultimately is not sustainable in the long term.
Are you eating some of your exercise calories back?
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Most days I can eat considerably less than what MFP says is my calorie limit. I know it can be unhealthy to lose weight too fast so I am interested in the warning signs and how to know how fast is too fast.
I lost weight pretty quickly due to a medical condition. According to my doctors, you're pretty safe sustaining a loss of ~1% of your body weight per week. At more than 10lb/month, there's increased risk of gallstones and kidney stones. There's an increase in fracture risks.
Most of the bad things about rapid weight loss sneak up on you. My hair didn't start to fall out until about 6 months in, for example.0 -
After bariatric surgery, some lose as much as 15 lbs/wk. Their Drs. believe the risks of being morbidly obese outweigh the risks of rapid weight loss.
One of the more common problems with rapid weight loss is gallstones. Of course, being obese also increases to risk of gallstones. To lower the risk, be sure to get adequate Omega 3s and 6s (sounds like you are already working on this), reduce processed carbs like sugar and white flour, and get enough exercise (again, sounds like you are doing well here). You can google gallstones if you are concerned.
Another problem is malnutrition, which you are hopefully taking steps to address, such as including dairy, fruits, and vegetables, as well as whole-grains. MFP allows you to track calcium and iron intake. If your calorie intake is too low, it can be difficult to get all your micros and fiber. You may want to talk to your Dr. if you find that you have slow wound healing, are getting infections more often, and taking a long time to fight them off, or have dry hair and skin, or brittle nails.
Remember, weight loss is more often a marathon than a sprint. Good work so far, and best wishes on the journey.0 -
OK, just looked at your journal. Only over a few days, but....I really hope you are eating more than you are logging.
A lot of people look at the MFP recommendation for protein as a minimum. 26 g protein in one day is not enough. Try to do your best to meet your protein goal every day.
I think it may be under apps, but MFP will tell you your BMR. Some believe it is better not to eat under BMR. It is generally possible to lose weight while eating a bit over BMR.
There are ways to squeeze in more calories (i.e. nut butters avocado, full-fat dairy), if you are just not hungry enough to eat all your calories for the day. You may want to see if your Dr. can refer you to a nutritionist to recommend ways to get all the nutrition you need when losing weight.
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The quicker you lose weight, the steeper your defecit, the fewer calories you eat the more difficult you will find it to maintain at a decent calorie amount
I think that's the factor that absolutely swung it to slow and steady for me
under 40lbs you should be at 1 - 1.5lbs a week max (I've been at 0.5lb per week for months now .. it's fine
Re protein I aim for 0.8g of protein per lb of LBM so my minimum is 100g per day (I sometimes miss) but it's the only macro I care about
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I'm 5'10 and started at 279 lbs.
I lost 10 lbs in the first week, 25 lbs in the first month.
After that it tapered down to 2-3 lbs a week for a while, then 1-2, then 0.5-1.
Don't rush it. I looked at your diary and 1500 cals per day seems too low.
Even while I was cutting hard, I kept to 2000 per day net calories.
At your target, I think you're going to have a tough time getting nutritional balance.
You didn't put on all the weight quickly; why the rush to take it off quickly?
Think of this as a long distance event, not a sprint. Work on a meal plan that you can live with for the rest of your life.0 -
Most days I can eat considerably less than what MFP says is my calorie limit. I know it can be unhealthy to lose weight too fast so I am interested in the warning signs and how to know how fast is too fast.
The problems I am aware of are: 1) poor nutrition; 2) losing muscle along with fat; 3) developing an eating disorder; 4) mood swings; 5) loss of concentration ...
Are there other issues I should be aware of?
I am extremely motivated to lose weight and get into shape. Lost 30 so far with another 46 to go to no longer be 'overweight' according to the BMI scale. I'm 7 lbs from my most immediate goal, which is to no longer be 'obese' according to BMI. I'm finally learning about nutrition and paying attention to what I eat, calories, carbs, protein, essential fatty acids, etc. I'm alternating cardio workouts with strength training so that I lose fat instead of muscle.
My main exercise is swimming. I do about 1.5 miles twice a week and 2 miles once a week. I work in a couple of strength training sessions designed by my trainer at the gym and leg aerobics (exercise bike, rowing machine, cardiosteps) since the swimming is almost all upper body (freestyle). I know how important recovery days are so I give myself a day or two off when I need to. One of my guides to know that I am eating enough is that I am maintaining and increasing my exercise stamina and swimming distances.
I am eating walnuts, almonds, flax seed, chicken and fish to get essential fatty acids that our bodies cannot produce. I focus on protein to help with muscle maintenance. I try to eat enough to maintain a productive and positive attitude at work, keep up my fitness regime, but to keep myself motivated with positive results I am trying to keep my calorie intake at a bare minimum.
You also have an increase risk of gallstones, depression and hormonal changes resulting in long-term thermogenesis adaptation (metabolism changes of 10-15% that are difficult to recover) - all these supported by research in larger weight loss groups.
With self prescribed very low calorie diets there is also a risk of metabolite imbalances which can result in death. Also in the literature.
However, if you are in the obese to morbidly obese losing a lot fast may make sense to you, in terms of motivation or health reasons, etc. In this case, for rapid weight loss, especially if you are extending it beyond 4-6 weeks, you are best serving yourself if you do it with the support of a doctor and a few clinical tests to avoid the largest risks. MFP really can't replace that.
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Thanks for all the good advice, everyone!
I should have made a couple of things clear:
I do anticipate and plan on moderating away from extremes as I know how important a sustainable lifestyle change is. I do log everything I eat, by the way, so I have been this extreme lately but have already started moderating. Throwing in some more normal eating meals, taking days off of exercising to recover.
I have set up an appointment with my doctor and he has prescribed in advance a whole host of blood tests. I will ask him about a nutritionist.
I also know how devastating an injury can be. I used to be a long distance runner until a misdiagnosed long-term injury finally required major foot surgery. This was the final step in my weight gain story.
I have struggled (mostly unconsciously) with depression my whole life and for the past 20 years this has been a conscious part of my health plan.
I was not aware of the risk of gallstones, kidney stones and fractures. Will look into this further. I was already generally concerned about osteoporosis. Perhaps I can ask for a bone density test of some kind.
I am in the process of learning about nutrition, fitness, etc. What little I've read so far, however, seemed to indicate that thermogenesis and metabolic adaptation were rather easily reversible. I need to look into this more carefully.
I also need to learn about the hormonal changes some of you mentioned. I know nothing about this.
Thanks again for all the great advice and I very much appreciate the support and concern and hope that we can be continue to be helpful to each other in our health journeys.0 -
It can be tempting to eat as little as possible because we would like to lose the weight as quickly as we can. What usually happens though, when you restrict calories too much, is that you cannot sustain it over the long run. Most people will end up having a major binge, get angry with themselves, convince themselves they just cant do it and give up. If you eat a little more, it will take longer, but you will be much more likely to be successful.0
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I am in the process of learning about nutrition, fitness, etc. What little I've read so far, however, seemed to indicate that thermogenesis and metabolic adaptation were rather easily reversible. I need to look into this more carefully.
I also need to learn about the hormonal changes some of you mentioned. I know nothing about this.
Thanks again for all the great advice and I very much appreciate the support and concern and hope that we can be continue to be helpful to each other in our health journeys.
Start here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss
I've done some of the research review for you in that thread. Met adaptation reversal is not that easy according to those articles and can last quite a long time. If dietary restriction induces pituitary/adrenal/thyroid changes these can be lifetime issues. If you are going to restrict - assure that you get enough fat and take breaks every 6-12 weeks and regular carb refeeds.
I can't recommend it because it is a bit extreme but review Lyle McDonald's Protein Sparing diet - it is potentially harmful (his warning outlines that) - so use the information to get a better understanding of factors not as a diet guide unless you really know what you are doing.
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The dangers of losing to fast:
Sounds to me like you have a good handle on things, the best thing you said in all of your post was " I am in the presses of learning". Just keep doing that, the more you know the better you are equipped with what you need.
For the record, I am 6'2" and hit 280 before I reversed the program and shed 70 lbs in 26 weeks @ 2.2 per week. For me that required a 50% deficit from TDEE. Not what most around here would suggest ( 20% is considered aggressive ") but it was actually fairly easy to sustain for me. Other may find it extremely difficult. Your results will vary. Just need to find your grove.0 -
Thanks, all!
Evgenizyntx, I will start reading your links. This is tremendous.
Camo_xxx, it sounds like you actually lost 2.7 lbs/week on average. Fantastic. Can you break that down by month, perhaps, so I can get a sense of how your weight loss slowed over time?0 -
Just calculated my TDEE for moderate exercise (3-5 days/week): 3,285 cal/day.
Here's an on-line calculator:
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html0 -
Just calculated my TDEE for moderate exercise (3-5 days/week): 3,285 cal/day.
If you are interested in tracking your effective TDEE over time I also wrote a excel extractor:
MFP Data Export Tool (for Excel):
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/EvgeniZyntx/view/mfp-data-export-tool-the-overview-659927
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Ya my bad, I have lost a total of 70 so far, 57 of them I lost in 26 weeks averaging 2.2 lbs a week. My goal was 2 lbs a week.Thanks, all!
Evgenizyntx, I will start reading your links. This is tremendous.
Camo_xxx, it sounds like you actually lost 2.7 lbs/week on average. Fantastic. Can you break that down by month, perhaps, so I can get a sense of how your weight loss slowed over time?
Ya my bad, I have lost a total of 70 so far, 57 of them I lost in 26 weeks averaging 2.2 lbs a week. My goal was 2 lbs a week.
Not by month nor my whole journey but it give you an idea of the the ebs and flows that many experience . Notice the flat line of December, I was on vacation all month and eating at maintaince.
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Learning my lesson. Not eating enough to support my killer work-outs. After swimming 3 miles, a couple of times, I've had a sore throat and bad cold symptoms and it is keeping me from working out for a week or so a couple of times now. I'm increasing my calorie intake and taking it easy for now. I figure I need to eat more to fuel my immune system.0
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It's been a few more months, how are you doing?0
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I lost weight pretty quickly due to a medical condition. According to my doctors, you're pretty safe sustaining a loss of ~1% of your body weight per week. At more than 10lb/month, there's increased risk of gallstones and kidney stones. There's an increase in fracture risks.
Most of the bad things about rapid weight loss sneak up on you. My hair didn't start to fall out until about 6 months in, for example. [/quote]
Are you serious? Your hair can fall out?Watch out for your hair and nails, as your body may start dumping non-essentials if you're under nourished. Fatigue, worsening fitness performance, and of course, injury. For injury yeah you want to fuel your body properly, but you also want to pay attention to those instructing you on proper form, and use common sense. Injuries can be devastating especially when your fitness levels have to drop sharply in response.
If you do log most of your food most days though, I would simply say you're not eating enough for a 240 lb 6'2" man and should probably not rely on external, visual indicators that you're not eating enough. I'd say better safe than sorry - why not invest a couple more months in your health and do this right?
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I lost weight pretty quickly due to a medical condition. According to my doctors, you're pretty safe sustaining a loss of ~1% of your body weight per week. At more than 10lb/month, there's increased risk of gallstones and kidney stones. There's an increase in fracture risks.
Most of the bad things about rapid weight loss sneak up on you. My hair didn't start to fall out until about 6 months in, for example.
Are you serious? Your hair can fall out?Watch out for your hair and nails, as your body may start dumping non-essentials if you're under nourished. Fatigue, worsening fitness performance, and of course, injury. For injury yeah you want to fuel your body properly, but you also want to pay attention to those instructing you on proper form, and use common sense. Injuries can be devastating especially when your fitness levels have to drop sharply in response.
If you do log most of your food most days though, I would simply say you're not eating enough for a 240 lb 6'2" man and should probably not rely on external, visual indicators that you're not eating enough. I'd say better safe than sorry - why not invest a couple more months in your health and do this right?
Yes. Mine started at about 2 months after. Also your nails become brittle/break easier/stop growing/pickyourpoison.
My cousin-in-law had gastic bypass 2 years ago and just had her gallbladder removed because she kept getting gallstones.
It's not all rainbows and fairytales with quick weight loss, that's for sure.0 -
I'm doing great. Thanks for asking. I lost 60 lbs in three months, all the while increasing my fitness and strength. At that point, I was well within the ideal weight range for my age and height. I am continuing to lose at a slower pace, mainly for appearance's sake. More importantly than the weight loss, was improving my fitness, which I began prior to the 'dieting'. I went from barely being able to swim 3 laps to swimming 3 miles in less than 3 months. 3 miles swimming is the equivalent to a half-marathon running, which was my favorite distance before injuries and foot surgery put an end to my running. In less than a month more, I was able to swim 3 miles continuous (ie, without stopping). The key to this rapid increase in endurance was getting the proper rest after intense workouts. The first couple of times that I swam 3 miles, I would rest for a week to let my body rebuild. In less than 2 more months, I was able to swim 3 miles continuous 3 times per week. I did a modest amount of strength training to loose as little muscle as possible, and I was able to increase the weight I used in strength training.It's been a few more months, how are you doing?0 -
Congrats! I am inspired.0
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Not so much in addition to, but a problem with everything you described as "I know" is a substantial increase of risk of injury, poor recovery from exercise, flu/cold like symptoms, shutting down of "non-essential" functions like building strong bones, hair, etc....
Being healthy and fit doesn't mean just losing weight....healthy and fit people know how to fuel their bodies. Calories aren't the devil...a calorie is just a unit of energy...you need quite a bit of energy to do the things that need and should be done. One must balance those needs with weight control goals. You can properly feed your body and lose weight with more reasonable calorie deficiencies.0 -
We don't know how old you are. I am 58 years old and maintenance is 1385 cal. for BMR. If I add a few exercises then I add more to eat but I'm pretty sedentary due to medical conditions. Of course, I am shorter and weigh less but we all need to look at the whole picture without giving advice. I at least recommend a Dr.'s opinion and go from that.
Wishing you the best and doing great!0 -
Has anyone mentioned loose skin and/or decreased metabolism (from muscle loss)?0
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