Any downsides to having a fast metabolism?

jarablue
jarablue Posts: 127 Member
edited March 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Back when I was 19 I had a thyroid test done and the nurse told me that I had a highly sensitive thyroid. I could always eat when I was younger and never gain any weight. After going on haldol and zyprexa for 21 years, it kinda slowed that process. Now I am on much better meds that do not affect weight. I have been losing weight pretty fast. I weighed 296 Dec 14th and am now at 240 flat today. I know that is a lot of weight but I have been walking 4-8 miles a day and sticking to a 1400 calorie a day diet. I feel great. The energy I have if pretty much off the charts. Being bipolar helps with that a bit. What I wanted to know is, if I am feeling good and my blood pressure is down, are there any potential issues I should worry about having a sensitive thyroid and the weight loss it produces? I just don't want to be losing this weight and towards the end realize my body secretly is damaged. Thanks for the help!

:smile:

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    How many pounds per week does that 56 pounds lost since Dec 14 come to?

    What are your stats - age, gender, height, etc?
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited March 2016
    For stats, based on his post he is Male, 40, and 240lb. The only thing we don't know is height, but that almost immaterial at that low of a food intake level (1400 calories/day). He was losing ~4.7lb/week.

    Based on the extremely fast weight loss there is a good chance you've lost significant lean body mass already (which is the stuff we want to keep, as we really just want to lose the fat). Slow the weight loss down to ~2.4lb/week tops (1% of your bodyweight per week) if you want to maximize fat loss, minimize lean body mass loss, and minimize any chance of other health side effects (losing hair,gallbladder disease, malnutrition, various psychological issues, etc...) . While you aren't guaranteed to suffer side effects from losing weight fast the chance of them happening increase the longer you stay at such an extreme deficit.

    A good starting point would be to up your calories to 2000/day. See how that pans out for a few weeks and if you are still losing too fast then adjust your intake up again.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    jarablue wrote: »
    Back when I was 19 I had a thyroid test done and the nurse told me that I had a highly sensitive thyroid. I could always eat when I was younger and never gain any weight. After going on haldol and zyprexa for 21 years, it kinda slowed that process. Now I am on much better meds that do not affect weight. I have been losing weight pretty fast. I weighed 296 Dec 14th and am now at 240 flat today. I know that is a lot of weight but I have been walking 4-8 miles a day and sticking to a 1400 calorie a day diet. I feel great. The energy I have if pretty much off the charts. Being bipolar helps with that a bit. What I wanted to know is, if I am feeling good and my blood pressure is down, are there any potential issues I should worry about having a sensitive thyroid and the weight loss it produces? I just don't want to be losing this weight and towards the end realize my body secretly is damaged. Thanks for the help!

    :smile:

    I'm still losing weight on 15-1800 calories a day, and I'm much smaller than you. I'd suggest you up your calories!! Not only will it decrease the chance that you'll destroy all your lean muscle, but it will also help you FEEL normal, while losing. Good luck!
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,328 Member
    1400 calories a day is far to low. The rate of weight loss has more to do with having a massive deficit than having a really fast metabolism. For that matter, if you have not had your metabolism tested, you really have no idea if it is fast or not.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    nordlead2005 wrote: »
    Based on the extremely fast weight loss there is a good chance you've lost significant lean body mass already (which is the stuff we want to keep, as we really just want to lose the fat). Slow the weight loss down to ~2.4lb/week tops (1% of your bodyweight per week) if you want to maximize fat loss, minimize lean body mass loss, and minimize any chance of other health side effects (losing hair,gallbladder disease, malnutrition, various psychological issues, etc...) . While you aren't guaranteed to suffer side effects from losing weight fast the chance of them happening increase the longer you stay at such an extreme deficit.

    A good starting point would be to up your calories to 2000/day. See how that pans out for a few weeks and if you are still losing too fast then adjust your intake up again.

    Based on this I'd suggest to make sure you are getting plenty of protein (maybe as much as 150g-200g per day if you can build up to that) and maybe start lifting weights if you are interested in sparing your muscles. 1400 is pretty low for a guy. I'd say at least 1800 and get as much extra protein as you can out of what you add.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    In general, a man shouldn't be eating less than 1500 calories (outside of abnormal circumstances ). Adding in to it that you're walking a significant amount, you should be eating even more. You're probably netting less than 1000 calories, assuming your logging and activity is accurate. Highly inappropriate for most of the population, let alone for you. You should be eating way more. You've probably burned though alot of LBM.
  • jarablue
    jarablue Posts: 127 Member
    edited March 2016
    I am 6'1 male. I do not want to lose LBM and I probably did. I thought going under the minimum by 100 calories wouldn't be so bad and that the weight loss, though fast, was more beneficial than having it on. I had a thyroid test done and equated highly sensitive thyroid to having a fast metabolism. I never had a metabolism test done. Where do you get that done at? I feel great though. Lifting weights is what I am going to start this month. Hope I can regain back the muscle, if I did lose some. I want the fat gone not my muscle :neutral:
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    jarablue wrote: »
    I am 6'1 male. I do not want to lose LBM and I probably did. I thought going under the minimum by 100 calories wouldn't be so bad and that the weight loss, though fast, was more beneficial than having it on. I had a thyroid test done and equated highly sensitive thyroid to having a fast metabolism. I never had a metabolism test done. Where do you get that done at? I feel great though. Lifting weights is what I am going to start this month. Hope I can regain back the muscle, if I did lose some. I want the fat gone not my muscle :neutral:

    It is somewhat difficult to gain muscle back, which is why people recommend retaining what you have; it's definitely easier to retain it than to build it. That said, you're probably a good candidate for some muscle growth when you start lifting. I'd recommend putting your stats in MFP, set the goal to lose 2lbs per week, and eat to your calorie goal.

    And congrats on your progress so far.
  • pittdan77
    pittdan77 Posts: 98 Member
    You're not terribly famine resistant.

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