How quick is TOO quick for weight loss
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matthewlembke wrote: »My goal is 180 to 200. It largely depends what weight I feel comfortable at. Just to make sure there is no confusion, my current goal is to lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible without resorting to some form of surgery. 1lb per week would take me 2 years to get where o want and I'm afraid that's just not even remotely acceptable. I am aware that 1000 calories a day is not overly healthy, but neither is being nearly 300lbs. Once I achieve my basic goal, I fully intend to change my diet to a higher calorie and high protein permanently sustainable plan. As I lose weight I will be increasing my work out levels and compensating my increasing my calories. But phase one is to lose weight fast. Phase 2 is to put muscle back on and sustain a long term healthy diet/workout plan.
I so just want to pass on this discussion, but I have to know... Why? Why would taking 2 years to take the weight off you've been carrying around your whole life "not even remotely be acceptable"? I'm considerably older than you- one could argue that I'm the one that should be in a bigger hurry- but instead, I'm aiming for that 2 year goal, maybe even 3. I lost 40 lbs this year, 70 over the last 5, still have 30 or 40 to go. I've gone from a high risk cardio group to the lowest, and bet I am more physically fit than many people half my size. All this while eating well and creating good, sustainable habits. In what universe would that "not even remotely be acceptable"?
I see you have modified your plan *kind of* based on the encouragement of others, and that's great. But I respectfully suggest that what you really need to modify is your thinking. Wish you the best.
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This is absurd.
Why would you want to lose all your muscle only to have to turn around and work hard to put it back ON again???? There is zero point to turning this into a race.1 -
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matthewlembke wrote: »Well I guess it's a start. For what's it's worth, I really only plan to do this low calorie style weight loss for 5 more months.
You can do A LOT of damage in 5 months. Because you have a lot to lose, you can lose quicker than most, but there is still a limit to how much fat your body can use per week. Once you exceed that loss, your body will go after your muscle. I think the suggestion is to lose at most 1% of your body weight per week (3 lbs for you) and that the most fat your body can possibly burn through in a week is 1.5%. So if you lose faster than that, you will start to lose muscle mass. And eating under 1500 cals net (that's what you eat minus your exercise cals) increases the risk that your body is not getting enough nutrition to do the basic things you need it to do. Putting your body through that for 5 months could be very dangerous.
Why don't you Google up a TDEE calculator and figure out what your calories would be aiming for a 3 lb a week weight loss? Best of luck whatever you decide, and please take good care of yourself!0 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Matt, I got the same treatment from a similar crowd when I publicly proclaimed my too low calorie food plan.
The way you worded this makes it sound like OP has been pounced on by a ravenous mob for just mentioning in passing his low calorie diet.
In fact, he created a new thread specifically to ask if he was losing weight too fast, and then received a couple of pages of mostly civil and concerned responses giving a direct answer to that original question, accompanied by sound reasoning, personal examples and advice. It wasn't the answer OP hoped for, but that doesn't make it "treatment".
OP, eating a tiny bit extra and then exercising it all away again does not solve the problem. That's someone who isn't living within their means saying "ok, I'll get a better paying job, but I'll make sure I spend more to make up for it". Eat more. Lose slowly. Don't see this as a "diet". This is your life now, for good, and you have to be able to live with it. If you have it fixed in your mind that this is temporary, you will only ever get temporary results.0 -
If you are dead set on running such a large deficit and as you have such large amounts to lose, I would recommend looking at Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle McDonald. You would be a category 3 dieter.1
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matthewlembke wrote: »Part of the reason for putting such an imperative on speed is that I have been overweight pretty much my entire life, including my teen years. There was a brief period when I was 18 that I was around 200lb. This is something that has caused a lot of depression and social anxiety in my life. It has held me back from many things. I accept full responsibility for my weight and eating habits. These things are my fault, my doing, no one else is to blame. A few years ago I did a similar thing to what I am doing now. 1200 calories +60 minutes per day on an elliptical trainer. I went from around 370 to 276 in a 4.5 month period. At that point my mother passed away from cancer and I'll admit that I let it derail me. But during that period of weight loss I did not experience any light headedness or dizzy spells. I did not feel weak or short of breath. At work they did a health evaluation on everyone and my cholesterol level and blood pressure were the best they have been in my adult life. Again, I'm reading all of this and I'm trying to alter my plan to intake more calories but compensate with more work outs. But to the "warning signs" I promise that I am looking for them. Furthermore I have 1 coworker and 1 person for my personal life who are also looking for these warning signs. 1 month in, I feel fantastic. I don't sit down very much(even at home) I am constantly working on projects and cleaning. I feel full of energy but when I lay down for sleep i fall asleep quickly and sleep wonderfully. I don't get stomach aches from over eating anymore. Aside from the first 3 days, during which I was fasting, I've not felt hunger pains. I have 5 meals spread throughout the day. Please keep the input coming, it is all helpful and I am trying to adjust my plan accordingly
Are you under the care of any doctors currently? You have a history of unhealthy relationships with food. What you are proposing is just as disordered. I would minimally suggest checking in with your primary care doctor/general practitioner, but possibly also someone who specializes in obesity/weight loss, a dietician, and a psychiatrist/psychologist.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »If you are dead set on running such a large deficit and as you have such large amounts to lose, I would recommend looking at Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle McDonald. You would be a category 3 dieter.
Second this.
IIRC said RFL plan is run in a 12 week cycle and includes refeeds.
1500 is more reasonable OP. Do get your protein in. 5 months straight at that though will wear you down.
I very much know where you are coming from.
Battled my weight my whole life. Lost 100 pounds on a medically supervised very low calorie diet.
Then stuff happened; including my dad dying. Gained back 50+.
Finally got my head straight and have used MFP to lose that and a bit more.
Sounds like you have your head straight. You are just done and ready to move on with your life. Wish you well; do be careful how you go about it though.
At the end of the VLCD I felt pretty lousy...did the whole hair falling out, fatigue thing. Don't recommend it.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »If you are dead set on running such a large deficit and as you have such large amounts to lose, I would recommend looking at Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle McDonald. You would be a category 3 dieter.
Second this.
IIRC said RFL plan is run in a 12 week cycle and includes refeeds.
1500 is more reasonable OP. Do get your protein in. 5 months straight at that though will wear you down.
I very much know where you are coming from.
Battled my weight my whole life. Lost 100 pounds on a medically supervised very low calorie diet.
Then stuff happened; including my dad dying. Gained back 50+.
Finally got my head straight and have used MFP to lose that and a bit more.
Sounds like you have your head straight. You are just done and ready to move on with your life. Wish you well; do be careful how you go about it though.
At the end of the VLCD I felt pretty lousy...did the whole hair falling out, fatigue thing. Don't recommend it.
I HIGHLY recommend reading the full document before undertaking any VLCD especially RFL as it outlines protein requirements, sources, crucial supplements and training.0 -
I have actually added more chicken to my diet. I am at 1500 total calories and I try to get 140-160g of protein daily1
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trigden1991 wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »If you are dead set on running such a large deficit and as you have such large amounts to lose, I would recommend looking at Rapid Fat Loss by Lyle McDonald. You would be a category 3 dieter.
Second this.
IIRC said RFL plan is run in a 12 week cycle and includes refeeds.
1500 is more reasonable OP. Do get your protein in. 5 months straight at that though will wear you down.
I very much know where you are coming from.
Battled my weight my whole life. Lost 100 pounds on a medically supervised very low calorie diet.
Then stuff happened; including my dad dying. Gained back 50+.
Finally got my head straight and have used MFP to lose that and a bit more.
Sounds like you have your head straight. You are just done and ready to move on with your life. Wish you well; do be careful how you go about it though.
At the end of the VLCD I felt pretty lousy...did the whole hair falling out, fatigue thing. Don't recommend it.
I HIGHLY recommend reading the full document before undertaking any VLCD especially RFL as it outlines protein requirements, sources, crucial supplements and training.
Apologies for bumping a somewhat old post, but I third this recommendation. Very informative book about nutrition, fat loss, and metabolism. Also covers the pros and cons of rapid fat loss, how to setup a healthy maintenance plan, a (recommended) moderate fat loss program, and exercise for fat loss and muscle retention during weight loss. The related website includes tons of scientific references.
Getting back to your original post, you were probably shedding a fair amount of "water" in your pound-a-day phase (nothing wrong with that). As others have mentioned, 3 pounds a week of actual fat loss might be reasonable at your starting size (that will slow as you get smaller). There don't seem to be good studies on minimizing excess skin during extensive weight loss. Some young folks seem to do just fine. Many fitness pros seem to think strength training during weight loss helps maintain skin appearance.1 -
matthewlembke wrote: »I'm 296lb 6 foot and 32 years old. I have a large frame and people are always shocked to find out how much I weigh. At my worst I was 370lbs 1 month ago I was at 328 and that's where I've mostly been hovering for years. A couple weeks ago I finally had enough and in the middle of the week i decided I'm starting to change. I've started a diet that consists of 1000 +\- 100 calories per day. My diet consists of mostly chicken, veggies, light soup, and fruit. Im not drinking soda or eating sweets or eating bread or pasta. I don't have an overly physical job but I am on my feet the entire day and moving and lifting. I have been losing about 1lb per day on average. My fear is that I will end up with some nasty skin flaps. I am looking for some general tips and advice on how to avoid That.
At your size, and since you have just started, losing that fast is normal. It won't continue, after about a month to three months it will start to slow down considerably. Right now you're losing a lot of food and water weight along with plenty of fat. Once you slow down to about 2 pounds a week you will be losing mainly fat.
Doctors put larger people on diets like this often to accelerate weight loss but only for short amounts of time. It isn't dangerous if it isn't continued indefinitely but you should check it out with your doctor if you intend to continue at a low rate.0 -
Just because you're not experiencing any immediate physical symptoms does not mean you're not causing damage. What good is getting "healthy" if you have such a reckless path there that you damage your heart or brain or lose most of your lean muscle mass?
You are not giving your body enough nutrition to survive. Wven if you feel "fine" right now, you're doing damage to yourself. If you keep it up, it may be irreversible. Your weight loss is drastic enough to make the potential for the metabolic damage discussed in the study about The Biggest Loser contestants a real thing for you. For most of us, with a slow and sustainable weight loss, it's a non-starter.
You said you've been overweight your whole life. It's not realistic, reasonable or healthy to expect it to come off in a few months. #smh1 -
I agree that your calories seem low. You could have complications, even if you feel fine now. My first time around I lost 93 lbs in less than a year but was only strict for the first 6 months and even then I went to Cancun for a week and ate and drank what I wanted. Those first six month I was eating 1600 calories/day. After the 6 months I was more active (being lighter helped) and I upped my calories to 1800 - 2100. I'm 6'3" and started at 330.0
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