Too successful?

xarla16
xarla16 Posts: 84 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I came to a realization today that I think I should slow down my weight loss progress. I am 5'6" and I started at 165lbs. I am now down to 146 lbs, 17 lbs away from my goal weight of 129. Today is my 60th day logging and I have lost 19 lbs. I realized today that in 60 days, I have lost 19 lbs which means I have lost almost a pound every 3 days. I was so happy that I was having success, that I didn't realize just how fast it was coming off.

I want my weight loss to be sustained in the long run and everything I have read says that losing it slow is better. I don't have any issues with eating disorders, I have a fairly healthy outlook on my body and since I am doing this to be healthy I want to do it in a healthy way.

Anyone else have this issue? I'm trying to figure out how to find the balance between slowing it down and not stopping it all together.

Replies

  • Spanaval
    Spanaval Posts: 1,200 Member
    It might be easier to comment if your diary were public.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Your motto is "everything in moderation". So you're smart to see that should apply to weight loss.

    Your goal of 129 is great! Nice and healthy!
    Are you eating enough? Are you exercising?
    Why do you think you're losing so fast?

    fwiw: I've been logging for 2 months and have lost 8LBS. I'm quite a bit older than you, but am also 5'6" and have the same general goal weight. :smile:
  • chachadiva150
    chachadiva150 Posts: 453 Member
    If you are eating healthy, there is nothing wrong with steady weight loss. Losing 19 pounds in two months is not really fast. The first 5-10 pounds were probably water. That means you've only lost about 9-14 pounds of fat.

    You can try to slow it down, but I don't think you need to. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
  • JenAiMarres
    JenAiMarres Posts: 743 Member
    Mfp honeymoon...I wouldn't bother trying to slow down personally...I lost a crap load of weight at first too..now I'm not loosing...at all!
  • JaclynnGail
    JaclynnGail Posts: 204 Member
    I wouldn't worry about it...like someone else said, the first several pounds were most likely water. When I started, I lost 7 pounds the first week and then about 2 weeks every week after that for a long time...and then one day, my body just kind of naturally slowed down. Even though I lost quickly at first, I've had no issues with gaining it back...I think that's just kind of the way it goes. As long as you are eating healthy and being careful, I say keep up what you are doing. I think losing quickly is a much bigger concern when people are losing fast because they aren't eating anything and are being irresponsible with their choices.

    Good luck!
  • gaia3rd
    gaia3rd Posts: 151
    First, congratulations! Second, I have to agree with you. Two pounds+ on average per week is actually rather a quick loss for someone with less than 40 pounds to lose. I believe at this point the recommended weight loss would be a pound per week, then down to 1/2 pound a week for the final 10-15 pounds. Personally, I'm a believer in the 'slow and steady wins the race over the long term', and think it will also make it easier for us (I'm in a similar place, although I had my goal set to 1 pound a week from the beginning) to transition into maintenance mode.
  • Erihppas
    Erihppas Posts: 121 Member
    xarla,

    I wouldn't worry too much about it personally.

    I say stick with it and keep on going!

    I it bothers you that much, increase your calories a bit (not something I would do).
  • skywa
    skywa Posts: 901 Member
    you probably just had a lot of weight to lose. weight tends to be lost quickly at the beggining of a diet. as long as you still feel healthy i wouldnt worry abotu it.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
    you probably just had a lot of weight to lose. weight tends to be lost quickly at the beggining of a diet. as long as you still feel healthy i wouldnt worry abotu it.

    She has 33 lbs to lose? Is that considered a lot now?
  • thatsnumberwang
    thatsnumberwang Posts: 398 Member
    I had a similar experience when I was losing (I'm at maintenance now). I decided to slow down and I think it was a great decision. If you don't have a ton of weight to lose (which it sounds like you don't), losing slower is usually better - your body has more time to adjust and stabilize at that weight, and you're eating a healthier number of calories, which is more sustainable and means you have more energy (and less hunger). It doesn't sound like you're losing fast enough for it to be dangerous, but if you have the time and patience to slow down, I think it would be a good decision.

    Edited for clarification.
  • xarla16
    xarla16 Posts: 84 Member
    Thanks for all the posts, this definitely gave me something to think about today. If I were hungry and didn't have energy I would definitely start eating more, but I have way more energy than I did before I started losing the weight. I have 17 lbs left to lose, so I think I'm going to continue what I am doing currently and then up my calories gradually towards when I am getting ready to maintain. Why mess with a good thing, right?
  • AzhureSnow
    AzhureSnow Posts: 289 Member
    I found the first few weeks/2-3 months on any weight loss plan always go quickly. You're getting all the bad stuff and excess water weight out of your body. Eventually, you plateau and that's when you really have to fight for those "last 5 pounds" that everyone talks about. It wouldn't be unwise to switch to a 1-pound-a-week loss plan, and make sure you're adding some healthy fats (nuts, avocado, etc) to your diet. So long as those calories aren't a lot of sugars or empty of nutritional value, you'll be okay I think. Also - are you working out to add muscle... adding back muscle in place of fat tissue will make it seem like you're losing less quickly because of muscle's density. Also, the new muscle will help burn calories more efficiently.

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