DON'T lose weight too fast! Don't be a Diet Noob

cee134
cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
It worries me that I see some people on here saying for example: they are losing 20 lbs in a month or something ridiculous like that.

If you stop eating what you usually like to eat, get down to your desired weight, then eat whatever you want again, you will not keep the weight you lost off, you will gain it back and then some.

Please be safe with you "diets" and look to make lifestyle changes. Losing more then 2 lbs a week makes it unlikely for your body to keep it off.

If you chose to do a diet you chose it for life. That's why it is all about doing what is right and doing it the healthy way. Don't worry about seeing results every day or every week. Know that if you make the right choices and you know that your body is adjusting, that you will reach your goals and you will keep your goals.

One of the worst mistakes dieters can make is losing weight to quickly and then going off their diet because they are at the weight they want to be at. What happens is they body doesn't like to lose weight to quickly and it will store more food as fat. Then the person will eat normally, say from 1600 to 2000, and the body will still store food as fat. That person will then quickly gain weight again, and have to start their diet all over again. Which for many people seems like very daunting task.

So FYI, it is very important to try to only lose a max of 2 lbs a week, but ideally and realistically 1 lbs is better.

Replies

  • cpauscher
    cpauscher Posts: 41
    Good advice. Thanks for sharing.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    THough you do have to realize and take into account people with 100+ to lose may have their settings at 2 lbs per week and lose quicker WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING UNHEALTHY. Its because they have more to lose and their body will take longer to go into "shock" typically because they have more fat resevoirs and it isnt bad if they are still getting their recommended cals and making the necessary lifestyle changes
  • campi_mama
    campi_mama Posts: 350 Member
    AMEN!
  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
    Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes I get down because I haven't dropped 3-4 lbs. in a week. You are soo right, 1 - 2 lbs. a week is the healthiest way to a new healthy diet/lifestyle change. Good going!!!:bigsmile:
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I ran across this article from a prominent nutritionist and physiologist. Check it out if you have time, it's pretty interesting. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/healthy-eating-expectations
  • sarahazelnut99
    sarahazelnut99 Posts: 307 Member
    so ive been on this site for 120 days and ive lost about 8 pounds...yet if i eat more then 1300 calories i can gain that 8 back in a week....
    sometimes losing weight slow isnt the right way to go either
  • HoopFire5602
    HoopFire5602 Posts: 423 Member
    Love. :) Thanks for the reminder. It makes me think of what I am doing....do I want to do this for the rest of my life? This is how I chose to not do weightloss smoothies or no carbs...there is no way I could do that for the rest of my life. I wanted something that I would be able to do over my whole life. :)
  • treena99
    treena99 Posts: 37 Member
    Thank you for sharing! :)
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
    Great post. This is why I hate shows like the biggest loser - they heap praises on the people who lose 15 lbs a week and have them exercising 8-10 hours a day - really, is that how the real world works - nope. But people watch these shows and think that if they exercise for 30 minutes 3 times a week and don't change their diets, they will lose the same way they do on TV. Sorry for my rant, but I can't understand why these shows are so popular when they are SO unrealistic.
  • MayhemModels
    MayhemModels Posts: 367 Member
    I hate the word (DIET) LOL! That to me is a negative because diets don't work. I refer what I am doing as a healthy lifestyle change and something I can live with :drinker:
  • megansprague
    megansprague Posts: 57
    Thanks for posting this! I've been kind of down b/c I gained the two pounds I'd lost last week back again this week b/c I was eating crappy foods and saying "I'm young and having a rough day and I deserve it." I don't have much to lose and any loss is a loss. I feel better already losing just a few pounds and working out and eating better for three weeks. Thank you for reminding me to take it slowly.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    THough you do have to realize and take into account people with 100+ to lose may have their settings at 2 lbs per week and lose quicker WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING UNHEALTHY. Its because they have more to lose and their body will take longer to go into "shock" typically because they have more fat resevoirs and it isnt bad if they are still getting their recommended cals and making the necessary lifestyle changes

    I didn't say 2lbs a week was bad, I said it should be the max. When I started (which was in the last 2 months) I had 95 lbs to lose. I chose, personally, to only lose 1 lb a week. That way I wouldn't feel to hungry, and cheat on my new diet. It made it easier for me to change my lifestyle. It's hard, but I'm still able to keep it up, and have actually moved up to 1.5 lbs a week. The most important thing is to be patient with a diet.
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    Great advise!
  • MsLaurie65
    MsLaurie65 Posts: 46 Member
    Thanks for the knowledge! I thought losing alot of weight the first month was the way to go, but now I know it's okay if I don't. Thanks very much for the advice, it is well appreciated with me!
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    It also depends a lot on what you are eating. I have my calories set at 2lb a week loss and if I eat a lot of carbs I may only lose 1lb in a week. But even eating the same amount of calories when I eat a lot of protein and limit my carbs I will lose 3-4lbs a week. I'm not starving myself to lose more weight I am just more careful about what I eat and lose faster.

    I still eat the things I want I just do it moderately. If I want chips I have 1 serving size or even 1/2 a serving size instead of 1/2 a bag, I eat bread, just not as often as I used to, I go out to eat, I just plan for it first. I have no problem with the way I eat now and don't feel deprived so yes it is something I can do forever.
  • Biggipooh
    Biggipooh Posts: 350
    But people who are very obese can easily loose 20 pounds or more in one week and keep it off. I met Danny Cahill, one of the Biggest Loser winners, he lost so much in so short time and is still (2 years) later at a good healthy weight like most of the other contestants there. So it works as long as your mind is set up. But I agree, if you just have to loose a few pounds, you should take it slower.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    I lost 10 in 3 weeks but i don't expect to continue at that pace. That was just the quick and easy fat. I imagine people who are a lot heavier (I was about 60 lbs overweight BMI wise) might drop quite a few more pounds that first week.

    What freaks me out is the people eating 500 calories a day for a month like that HCG thing (no modern study has replicated the original study's results AND the original study used injections not something you eat)
  • gregthegroove
    gregthegroove Posts: 98
    Please be safe with you "diets" and look to make lifestyle changes. Losing more then 2 lbs a week makes it unlikely for your body to keep it off.

    If you chose to do a diet you chose it for life. That's why it is all about doing what is right and doing it the healthy way. Don't worry about seeing results every day or every week. Know that if you make the right choices and you know that your body is adjusting, that you will reach your goals and you will keep your goals.

    I agree if you are not talking about someone like myself that needs to lose 160 lbs. Weight comes off larger people at a wuicker pace. The percentages are all relative. I lose 4lbs per week usually if Im good and sometimes in the beginning especially, Ive dropped 25 lbs a month before. Its all relative.
  • rdunke
    rdunke Posts: 14 Member
    Same here, I'm shooting for 3/4 pounds week and don't consider myself a Diet Noob as stated from a wannabe Diet Guru.......
    It also depends a lot on what you are eating. I have my calories set at 2lb a week loss and if I eat a lot of carbs I may only lose 1lb in a week. But even eating the same amount of calories when I eat a lot of protein and limit my carbs I will lose 3-4lbs a week. I'm not starving myself to lose more weight I am just more careful about what I eat and lose faster.

    I still eat the things I want I just do it moderately. If I want chips I have 1 serving size or even 1/2 a serving size instead of 1/2 a bag, I eat bread, just not as often as I used to, I go out to eat, I just plan for it first. I have no problem with the way I eat now and don't feel deprived so yes it is something I can do forever.
  • maliyshka
    maliyshka Posts: 10 Member
    One of the best pieces of diet advice I ever got years ago when I first lost weight [then kept it off, now I'm trying to lose an additional 10 lbs or so]... is DO NOT try to lose it too fast, it's a lifestyle change.

    But more importantly, if you have a decent bit of weight to lose, you want to keep some "tricks" in your pocket when you plateau. Not IF you plateau, but WHEN you plateau. Because what happens when you hit that, and you've already lowered your calories the max amount you really can before you body goes into starvation mode, have already maxed out working out, etc. because you wanted to lose it so fast? Sure, you might drop a lot in the first month or two... but then you'll be stuck. You'll have "nowhere to go" so to speak with cals/excercise. It become a "where do you go from here?" scenario. You want to do it slowly, so when you've dropped some weight, you can gradually lower your cals a little bit more, or gradually up your excercise a little more, so you always have a few more "tricks" in your bag when your body begins to get comfortable again and not want to budge or when you plateau.

    Remember, it's a marathon not a race :)
  • lucycaz
    lucycaz Posts: 191 Member
    While I agree that losing weight successfully is about a lifestyle change and not seeing it as a diet, it’s about making wise choices that you can live with forever HOWEVER for all the people that criticise people that loose more than 2lbs a week please think before you comment.

    I started on the 4th May and to date have lost 28lbs that’s an average of 4lbs a week. (and that included a week on holiday in Spain where we ate drank and made merry, while continuing to make some wise choices) I had over 170lbs to lose and spoke to my Dr before starting. He recommended that I eat 1200 calories a day, count my exercise calories but only eat them if I was hungry. Reduce salt, increase lean protein and limit refined carbs. I have committed to a personal trainer (words cannot express how great he is) I swim 4 times a week go to the gym 3 times a week and walk a lot more now. I have been seeing a psychologist to look at my relationship with food and this has been so so helpful.

    I know 4lbs a week will not continue and won’t be disappointed when it slows but I like many have been criticised for being ‘fat’ and not losing weight for a very long time so please please don’t add to this.......

    “Rant over.....”

    Lucy
  • Your_Choose_HERE
    Your_Choose_HERE Posts: 19
    http://1b3a4xmisk1smy7qmanlvr9o58.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=IM
  • lovinmamaxo
    lovinmamaxo Posts: 368 Member
    You have to keep in account that while the 2lbs MAX a week is recommended people who start out larger lose a lot more a month. I know in the beginning i dropped over 12 lbs the first month though probably was mostly water weight. I also started out at 401 lbs on 3/31 and now weigh 355lbs i have dropped 46 lbs already so i am generally dropping 3-4lbs a week.
  • momtimesone
    momtimesone Posts: 85 Member
    Would if your following MFP really good and your still losing more then 2pds a week? I Just started as of Sept 1st and am down 10 pounds. The only lifestyle change I have made is to walk more instead of sitting in my car while at work and stop drinking soda.What I eat food wise is the same, its always been. I do not starve myself and maybe it will slow down but now this post has me worried about losing it all only to gain it back.
  • Genem30
    Genem30 Posts: 431 Member
    I've been averaging 15-20lbs/month for the past 2.5 months, currently down around 47lbs since 7/18. I started at 393lbs and have dropped down to right at 345lbs. If I'm content to lose 1-2lbs/month, it would take me half a decade to lose what I want to lose.

    I think weight loss is a lot about perspective and goals, it's not about losing to fast or too slow, it's about what you're comfortable with and staying healthy while still making the changes you need to drop the pounds.
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