The heavier you are....

gatorgirlyyy
gatorgirlyyy Posts: 349
in Health and Weight Loss
After seeing my weight loss results and other peoples on MFP I have to ask this question... it seems that the heavier you are (starting) the faster you lose weight. As your weight goes down... the amount you lose per week does as well.

Can you explain to me why? I'm assuming because the heavier you are the more your body has to work?


Thanks!

fla-gators.jpg

Replies

  • KathieSwenson
    KathieSwenson Posts: 179
    I wasnt real sure so I googled it. from what people are saying on sharecare, its a physics issue. Pretty intersting thoughts
    :smile:

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/heavier-people-lose-weight-faster
  • Judway
    Judway Posts: 246 Member
    well that IS not true I know first hand and you hear that myth ALL the time here
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    The more you weigh the more you can lose in a day/week.
    The less you weigh the slighter the change.

    Its all hormonal.

    People who are overweight actually generate more energy.
    I have people on specific numbers eating 2200-2500 cals a day at 5'7" and they are dropping fat quickly.
    Then as they get into the mid 20s in body fat, the numbers will adjust down because of the energy expenditure.
  • Amberchalon
    Amberchalon Posts: 207 Member
    I think everyone's body may respond differently. A lot of times when someone is heavy they are generally consuming things that they shouldn't. Once they start working out and the combination of eliminating things from their diets such as soda, refinded sugars ect, it all compounds leading to faster weight loss. I read a story of a woman who lost 60lbs in 3 months by walking 5x a week for 30 minutes and eliminating sodas from her diet. How amazing is that!
  • renstwin
    renstwin Posts: 66 Member
    Don't I wish! I have struggled mightily to lose only 13 pounds in three months. That is with sticking to my calorie goal and exercising 5 times a week.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    If you think of it in percentages instead of pounds, it's not so different. Someone 250 pounds who lost one pound lost the same percentage of her total body weight as someone 125 pounds who lost a half pound.
  • Judway
    Judway Posts: 246 Member
    ok maybe i am only thinking of people in my weight range as being really heavy not ones in the 300-400 range,but i consider myself heavier and i have been a very slow loser 13lbs. in 80 days and that is being on plan 99% of the time
  • gatorgirlyyy
    gatorgirlyyy Posts: 349
    Wow! Lots of interesting opinions.... I'm not sure but I lose weight quickly when I start eating healthy. I always thought because I was heavier than the average person that decides to eat healthy... maybe it's just that I put down the darn ice cream in the first place. lol
  • kimharrod
    kimharrod Posts: 27
    I used to watch a weight loss programme (brain fart, forgot what it's called) and they weighed in every week. They were all losing around 8-15 pounds a week, then I realised it's because they were all over 200 pounds. The lighter ones however, (under 180 pounds), lost around 4-8 pounds a week. No idea why, but I know it's true that the more overweight you are, the more you lose at the beginning.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    well that IS not true I know first hand and you hear that myth ALL the time here

    It is true that you lose more when you have more. If you watch Biggest Loser they base the results on percentage of body weight to even out the field.

    If you are really following the dietary recommendation of eating your calories and some/all of your exercise calories you should lose. Salt content, sugar intake, processed foods, food intolerance such as gluten can block weight loss as well as hormonal issues. That being said your MD can eliminate those as causes but you have to be truthful to yourself about what you are doing, use a HRM to get accurate activity calories and research the food calories to make sure you are getting the right numbers. Underestimate calories out, overestimate calories in.
  • gatorgirlyyy
    gatorgirlyyy Posts: 349
    I used to watch a weight loss programme (brain fart, forgot what it's called) and they weighed in every week. They were all losing around 8-15 pounds a week, then I realised it's because they were all over 200 pounds. The lighter ones however, (under 180 pounds), lost around 4-8 pounds a week. No idea why, but I know it's true that the more overweight you are, the more you lose at the beginning.

    This is what happens to me! I swear, do heavier people have a higher BMR? That could have something to do with it?
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    well that IS not true I know first hand and you hear that myth ALL the time here

    Sorry, what's not true? I'd say that, for the vast majority of people, it is the case that, if you're large, you lose faster in the first month or two. When I started out I lost a huge amount in my first month, before slowing down to a healthier 1.5-2lb loss per week. Most people i know who have started out with 100lb plus to lose did lose in this kind of pattern.

    I'm sorry that that didn't happen for you, and I accept it isn't true for *everyone* but that doesn't make it a myth.
  • gatorgirlyyy
    gatorgirlyyy Posts: 349
    well that IS not true I know first hand and you hear that myth ALL the time here

    It is true that you lose more when you have more. If you watch Biggest Loser they base the results on percentage of body weight to even out the field.

    If you are really following the dietary recommendation of eating your calories and some/all of your exercise calories you should lose. Salt content, sugar intake, processed foods, food intolerance such as gluten can block weight loss as well as hormonal issues. That being said your MD can eliminate those as causes but you have to be truthful to yourself about what you are doing, use a HRM to get accurate activity calories and research the food calories to make sure you are getting the right numbers. Underestimate calories out, overestimate calories in.

    :) hehe. That's what I do. Don't give my self any leeway.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
    Scale weight loss and fat loss aren't the same thing. It takes time to lose fat or should I say 100% fat. A person can lose both fat and lean body mass at the same time and the fat loss isn't 100% fat. I believe the reason why a lot of heavy people start to drop weight fast, is because they stop eating and/or drinking many things that not only causes weight gain, but causes water retention as well. A lot of the weight they drop be water weight.

    I'm heavy and I'm not looking to lose weight fast. I'm on the slow road. I don't even care about the scale weight. My focus is on my body fat percentage, pounds of fat and inches loss. I aim to lose between 2 to 4 100% pounds of fat a month. It will take me a year or so to read my goal and I'm okay with that.
  • grumpya
    grumpya Posts: 54 Member
    Firstly if someone who weighs 300lb lost 10lb of water in the first 2 weeks it would do them no harm but if someone of 130lbs lost 10 of water they would be in hospital! That explains some of it.
    Next just to keep all your organs functioning and processing your blood & breathing takes more energy if you are heavy so you use more calories & as other people have said after the first month the weight loss is all about percentages.
    If you are tall you burn more than if you are short, plus if you are tall you may well weigh more than many shorter people so again it helps you lose.
    When those same people get down to 130 or 140lbs they lose at the same rate as people who start at that point.
    The last 14lbs are the hardest to lose thats why every new fad diet promises you you can lose 14lbs in 4 weeks. Good marketiing that!!
    The main thing to remember is whether you lose a lb or 10lbs in a week or a month you are still improving your health & your chances of living a full life, its a bit like paying off an overdraft :-really easy to get into trouble & slow & painfull to pay off.
  • Mijo88
    Mijo88 Posts: 69 Member
    Okay so.... An average person needs 11 to 12 calories per pound to sustain their weight. So basically a 250 pound person needs 2750 to 3000 calories a day maintain their weight before exercise.

    Then put in the numbers for a 400 pound person and you get 4400 to 4800 calories.

    There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So a heavier person limiting their calories to 2500 is creating a 1300 calorie deficit even without exercise.

    I'm not sure if this helps you understand but it is the math to support answers.

    Cheers!
  • simplyRik
    simplyRik Posts: 12 Member
    I think it is just the fact that the heavier you are the more stored fat your body has to access for energy (assuming you are eating within a range that your body chooses stored fat over carbs converted to sugar.) My challenge for example, is that I am eating healthier and walking more, but but my body is still holding on to weight. I attribute it to not walking or exercising enough to re-ignite my metabolism. Another reason is water. Your body treats water like food. If you deprive your body by not drinking water or going extreme on cutting your food intake, it goes into starvation mode and stores everything. Hence weight retention and water retention. Both contributing to angst over not dropping weight as fast as you may want.
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    After seeing my weight loss results and other peoples on MFP I have to ask this question... it seems that the heavier you are (starting) the faster you lose weight. As your weight goes down... the amount you lose per week does as well.

    Can you explain to me why? I'm assuming because the heavier you are the more your body has to work?


    Thanks!

    fla-gators.jpg

    It's all about percentages.

    ideal safe weight loss is 1% of your bodyweight

    1% of 300lb is 3lb
    1% of 200lb is 2lb
    1% of 100lb is 1lb

    you really shouldn't be trying to lose more than 1%.
  • liveonlocation
    liveonlocation Posts: 90 Member
    Okay so.... An average person needs 11 to 12 calories per pound to sustain their weight. So basically a 250 pound person needs 2750 to 3000 calories a day maintain their weight before exercise.

    Then put in the numbers for a 400 pound person and you get 4400 to 4800 calories.

    There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So a heavier person limiting their calories to 2500 is creating a 1300 calorie deficit even without exercise.

    I'm not sure if this helps you understand but it is the math to support answers.

    Cheers!

    This is what I go by. I'm 6'5 and 400lb. My BMR is around 3600. I've been eating between 2000-2500 and losing a average of 4.5lb per week.

    The way I figure it, there's a 200 lb'er in here some where, so I'm going to eat like one.

    After 11 weeks, it is starting to slow down.

    Hope that makes sense.

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