7 pounds in under a week?

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jfaysal
jfaysal Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I started MFP 6 days ago eating 1350 per day. The scale says I lost 7 pounds. Is that even possible or is it time for a new scale?

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  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
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    Water weight, probably. It's normal.
  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
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    Same thing happened to me so I'd say it's normal. I'm not gonna get excited just yet :D
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    kkenseth wrote: »
    Water weight, probably. It's normal.

    +1

    Highly doubtful that you lost 7 pounds of fat in a week. You'd need to have averaged a 3500 calorie a day deficit.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Water, muscle, and a little fat.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    When most people begin a weight loss journey they first must deplete glycogen stores. When you deplete glycogen stores a great deal of water is released with it. A 5-6 lbs loss of water that accompanied that glycogen. This will not be repeatable unless you build up those stores and the accompanying water. So you would have to gain it first to lose it again. We do that usually on a smaller scale, all along, it is why weight loss is not linear. However the most fat you can expect to lose in a healthy manner is 1% of your total weight a week maximum.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    kkenseth wrote: »
    Water weight, probably. It's normal.

    +2
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    Normal! Most people experiences big whooshes in the first four weeks.
    I lost 6lbs in my first week - yes it may well have been simply 'water' but I celebrated regardless.

    Great job!
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
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    PinkPixiexox wrote: »
    Normal! Most people experiences big whooshes in the first four weeks.
    I lost 6lbs in my first week - yes it may well have been simply 'water' but I celebrated regardless.

    Great job!
    I think of it as a honeymoon. It is good to feel success in the beginning, it will keep you motivated through all the difficult adjustments you are making. Just don't have the unrealistic expectation that it will always work like this. Enjoy your honeymoon.
  • Bshmerlie
    Bshmerlie Posts: 1,026 Member
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    At the beginning you will dump water weight. But then as you settle in you can expect it to slow down dramatically. There's going to be weeks where you don't lose anything, there's going to be weeks where you may go up a pound or two and then there are going to be weeks that you dump 3-4 pounds. These are all normal fluctuations that happen to all of us. Just go along for the ride and stick to your plan. At the end of the month look back and see how much you lost. If you simply look at it by day it will drive you nuts. Do what you're doing for a month and see how it works for you before you make any adjustments to your routine. You will find that you may tweak what you're doing as you go along and the weight starts coming off.
  • Janie7951
    Janie7951 Posts: 7 Member
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    I have lost 8lb but this is normal for me on my first weigh in . I know its probably mainly water but I don't care because it is always a welcome suprise and makes me happy and more motivated for the following week. Then it proper slows down and I plateau which is horrible but thats just me. Weldone regardless any weight lost is a goal.

  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    I really wish the app would tell you when you start, that for the first two weeks, whatever happens to your weight is utterly meaningless.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Yes, it's very normal to drop a lot of initial water weight.
  • kennspe01
    kennspe01 Posts: 3 Member
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    True statements all around.

  • Janie7951
    Janie7951 Posts: 7 Member
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    vismal wrote: »
    I really wish the app would tell you when you start, that for the first two weeks, whatever happens to your weight is utterly meaningless.

    It still excited the heck out o me an gave me a bit of motivation .
    It is a bummer when it slows down tho and you think you have done something wrong.
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
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    I enjoy that first week or two big loss because it's motivating. Whatever works to keep me going. But say you lose 7 pounds the first week, 1 the second week, and .5 the third week... You might think "omg what am I doing wrong??? I'm not losing!" -- But, if you add it all up you've lost 8.5 pounds in three weeks which is fantastic. That average won't continue either, but you get my point. If you look at the trend over time, and take the average over time, then it helps with those "I'm not losing" weeks.
  • LynneHolloman
    LynneHolloman Posts: 14 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I've lost 22 lbs in 4 weeks. I'm 5'2, started weight at 166. I've gained weight due to medication and quitting smoking. And I gained it fast like within one month. My normal weight has fluctuated due to medication changes in the last three years but hovered around 130. My goal is 110 now with the way I'm exercising and eating so much better. Now that I've made it to 140 range, I assume the weight loss will slow to a more normal pace. It does keep you motivated to keep losing the weight though. I gained 7 lbs last week right before my period but I didn't eat more than 1500 calories that week, so I guess our water storage is all different. Good luck!
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    I agree with those that posted about the water weight, but I want to emphasize that you need to keep in mind that this will slow down. You're going to start losing at a lesser rate, but that does not mean this isn't working. Many people have unrealistic expectations, see that first week of water weight loss and get happy, then the second week they'll lose half a pound or stay the same weight and they quit because their diet is "not working". It's because they truly have no idea how weight loss works and how to lose a pound. You may see the scale go up again, but no worries! Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be successful!

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