Losing too fast

Since Nov. 24th I've lost 12 lbs.  including 5 lbs. in the last 7 days.  According to this site that's much too fast.  I'm currently at 269 trying to get down to 199, so I'm really just starting my journey.

I put my activity level at sedentary because when I'm not at work I'm not that active.  But I do have a physical job.  My burn meter is 5160 for a day.  I hit that fine without exercising.  Right now I'm afraid of adding an exercise program because it seems like I'm losing too fast without exercising yet.

My eat meter is listed at 2250 for a day.  That's the number the site gave me.

That's a huge difference between the two.  Should I be changing them?  Or is it normal to start off fast and slow down over time?  I want to do this the right way and not screw this up.

 

how are you buring 5160 cals a day thats huge. You certainly cant count yourself as sedatary with that burn rate.

Dont worry about losing weight fast to start with, im guessing from your burn rate you must have a high BMI so your body will happily drop all the excess fat. I promise when you get to the last 20lbs youll be begging for each indiviual pound drop to show on the scales. As long as you are eating healthy and feel strong then its all good

From what I can tell, it's normal to loose a lot of weight during the first few weeks of a new diet.  It happened to me, and I was being very sensible about it.  I don't remember how much I lost, but it was way more than a sensibel 1-2 pounds.   Things quickly leveled out for me though, and soon things slowed down.  As I got closer to my goal weight, it got a lot harder to budge the scale.  :)   People who have a lot of weight to loose seem to shed pounds quickly in the begining also.

How do you feel?  Your body will let you know if you're on the right track.  You shouldn't be faint with hunger or anything.  If I feel weak, or find that I am super hungry, I know I have to stop and check what I have been doing.  I'm quite fit and active now, so these are my signs that I probably need to eat more, or give my body a break.

I had the same experience my first week.  I didn't work out at all and I lost 9lbs.  Since July 16, 2007 I've lost 60lbs, which is 3lbs per week roughly but I haven't lost it like that.  I have lost 5-9lbs each week and then I won't lose or I'll gain back a pound.  My doctor told me that it's pretty normal.  Especially for people who have a lot of weight to lose (I'm down 60 with 190 to go!) the body will shed it quickly and then level out then shed - it's a weird cycle but I'll take it. 

Basically I wouldn't worry about it too much unless you start noticing that you feel unhealthy.  When I first started all I was focused on was watching what I ate - because I had been overeating daily and was consuming almost 4000 calories per day! (Yikes)  So just cutting back to 2000 made me lose immediately and fast.

I wouldn't worry too much, for those of us that have a lot to lose the scale can jump quickly for awhile.  Also don't worry if it backs up a little.  Also having been fat all my life (and unsuccessfully trying many diets) this time I'm trying to do it the sane way by adopting a new way of eating.  It's tough but it's getting easier.  Also, the difference in your burn rate and your eat meter seems to be huge.   That should cause almost a pound a day loss.  I can't imagine you burn that much sitting around, you must be doing some serious energy expenditure at work.

Good luck!

If your weight loss continues to be so rapid, then you might want to see your doctor. It's not unusual to lose weight rapidly in the first few weeks, a lot of it is water and a lot of it seems to be the shock of eating properly. 1% of your body weight per week is about right. From what you said, you are not eating enough.  Ideally, you'll maintain a 500-1000 calorie deficit.  So if you're really burning over 5000 calories in a day you'll eat around 4000.

chelseagirl- one of my jobs is loading trucks for a couple hours.  The closest description I could find to that is "walking or walking downstairs or standing carrying objects 25 to 49 pounds" which says it burns 608 calories an hour.  Today it said I burned 2,889 at work.  I just noticed that there's a description for the same thing but with less then 25 pounds which I should probably change over to since half the time I'm not carrying anything since I already put the packages in the trucks and am going back for more.

kimberlybowles-

In the last 4 days I've gone from 271.6 to 268.2 so it has been close to a pound a day.  That's why it kinda freaked me out.

 When I'm not at work I usually am just sitting around, which is why I put my activity level at sedentary.  

It sounds like you WILL be burning a lot of calories at work every day - that gives you an advantage! Make sure that you're eating enough to account for it... ideally you should be aiming to have roughly a 1000 calorie deficit each day. So if you're burning up 4000 calories per day (which is possible as a male with a strenuous job) then you get to eat 3000.

The start of a diet will always be faster than the end... and the more you have to lose, the faster it will go, at least in the beginning. I'm a sedentary 5'6" female and I've lost a fraction under 15 pounds since mid-October.  

Hello class_matters.

Your weight loss seems a bit on the fast side, and I know that you don't want to lose muscle. My suggestion? Add in some more lean protein to your day ... and possibly some heart-healthy whole grains. Pick your favorite lean proteins and enjoy!

Aim for a 1000-calorie deficit, after exercise is factored in.

=^..^= MOLLY

Generally when you start losing weight you're going to lose a good deal of water weight first, especially if you've cut back on your sodium intake. You weight loss will slow eventually, it may even stop for a week or so but if you continue with your current habbits it will most likely go to 2-3lbs per week.