6 pounds in 5 days?!?!

I was wondering if it possible to lose 6 lbs in 5 days?

I was at my mother inlaws on the weekend of Feb 2nd, and thats when I weighed myself and I was 215lbs.  I wasnt impressed about all the weight I have gained recently so I joined this site (by fluke I must add).  At the beginning I was eating almost 1400 calories, but I thought that was to much and I seemed full all the time.  So I re-evaluated my goal dates and move it up a bit and it gave me an intake of 1230 calories. 

I have quit drinking coffee as of Monday and pretty much all I drink is water with the occasional tea.  Ive been eating nothing but fruit in the morning (I heard it helps the body detox), and I have stayed within my calories and havnt gone over at all.  I have also been walking for at least 40 min a day and I have a gazelle that I use for 10-30 min depending on how my knee feels.

I was at my aunts house today and weighed myself just to see, I wasnt planning on doing a weigh in until the 14th but I did, and the scale read 209.4.  Is that possible or is it because its 2 different scales?

It's not possible but PROBABLE that the scales give different readings. Scales are usually accurate within a few pounds or so but you can't rely on them to be more accurate than that. Plus, your body itself fluctuates in weight all the time-- when you eat food, you'll be carrying that extra weight until you get rid of it in waste, and when you drink water it's the same thing. Your body will also hold extra water when you've eaten a lot of sodium. So no, you did not lose 6 pounds of fat in 5 days..

If you're just coming off your period that could be a factor too. You retain extra water when menstruating.

You very well could have lost 1-2 lbs of fat if you just started dieting. The trick is to weigh about once a week and see what the general trend is. 

It is possible.  Probably a lot of it is water weight, but it is still gone.  I have lost as much as 8 lbs in a week when I made a dramatic change (like exercising every day and going on South Beach).  Don't expect that pace to keep up, but congrats and keep up the great work!

thank you both for answering my post, everyone on this site is so supportive & helpful

thanks again

Hi!

Congrats on selecting a new healthier lifestyle! I've been here at Calorie Counter since Jan. 1, 2008 and have lost 27 pound. My starting weight was 210 and with all the Christmas goodies and holiday drinks I was ingesting, I was eating 3000 to 4000 calories a day. I am now eating 1550 calories a day and exercising a minimum of an hour and a half a day. The first week I lost 9 pounds! most of it had to have been water weight. Some of it might have been the dramatic shift in lifestyle.

I'm now losing about 2 pounds a week and am delighted to be wearing jeans 2 sizes smaller. My only advice to you is that you may want to eat a few more calories to slow the weight loss to a healthier rate. it's much better for you in the long run.

MB

Hello,

Wow Congrats to you as well!  I just read your profile, you have come a long way, I too have been struggling with border line depression(my mom thinks Im bi-polar) but since this site I have noticed a change in my behaviour and feelings.  I truley believe weight loss isnt just for the body but for the mind and soul as well!  It has really made a difference in me.

Thank you for your advice, I think I will take it.  I want this to last for a life time and Im willing to take the time to do it the right way.

Thanks again, and Im going to add you as a friend if you don't mind :D  

Just remember - weightloss does NOT have to be 'all or nothing'... don't give up when your loss rate slows down a bit as it inevitably will. Some days it may even go UP from the TOTM or too much salt etc. I say this because I'm sure you know that black-and-white thinking is a huge problem for people with borderline traits. I struggled with it for years, and it helped mess up many a diet for me (I've GOT to lose weight immediately, I'm only going to eat a, b and 3 pieces of c today, I messed up why bother to even keep going? etc.) But slow and steady really does win the dieting race. Look at the green trend line when you get discouraged - if you stick to eating right and exercising, it WILL keep edging its way downwards towards your goal.