losing more than 10 lbs a month...

I read several threads, ( no offense anyone. I really congratulate you all. who knows, it might happen to me as well....) where people say they lost 10-15 lbs. or even more....in a month time..

I couldn't stop wondering...is it safe to do that...?   because, this site suggests only 1-1.5 lbs a week and even if you consider 2 lbs a week..its just 8 lbs...  

any inputs.....

Its safest to lose 1-2lbs a month but for people that have an extreme amount to lose it tends to come off pretty fast in the beginning.  The healthy eating and exercise habits they adapt send their bodies into overdrive.  The leaner and more healthy they get the slower the weight will come off.  Its normal and doesn't hurt them any.  That rapid weight loss will only last a month or so usually depending on how heavy the person is.

As one of the people you're talking about, I have a few responses.

1) Is it safe? I eat anywhere from 1400 (off days) to 1900 (intense exercise days) calories a day, zig-zagging all the way. I eat whole, healthy foods every 2-3 hours. I am doing this the right way, no starvation, no cutting out foods.

2) As for the 2 lbs. a week rule, I'm not so sure. I've lost 13-14 lbs. this month, but this is one of my first months. I'm sure that in the following months, I'll be overjoyed to lose 8 pounds a month! However, I think that's mostly water and a mix of a fat.

We are the exceptions to the rule...don't worry about us. =]

I've been on a 1000 calorie deficit since day 1 of this diet for me.   Now I can squeese in only a 900 one since I've hit the bottom border for a guy at 1500 minimum calories.

I eat all my calories, currently 1500, and I also eat all the calories I burn exercising (if it's 600 at the gym.. then 600+1500=2100).

Yet in the first 3 weeks of this diet I lost 3 pounds each one of em.  I wasn't way under eating... but I was exercising and my metabolism must have taken off or something.   Maybe i was till eating way too much and gaining when I started.   Whatever the case I lost more weight than seemed possible.

I got a bit worried and did a thread here on it and it seems this is pretty common for people in the first month.   I also switched to drinking water which is supposed to be super good for weightloss and keeping your body from retaining a lot of water.    I started a running program.   I did a lot that month.

So though I lost 11 pounds or so in the 4 weeks of April... I did so following all the rules of the diet.

I am eating right and I work out pretty hard core.  I have been steadily losing about 2-2.5 pounds a week.  I had the oppisite effect as most people.  I started "dieting" first and it took me about 10 weeks to lose the first ten pounds.  Now that I am doing pretty hard-core cardio I am losing a little bit faster than I have been in the past.  I think I may have built up more muscle and I know that helps you burn more calories on a day to day basis.  Last week I lost 4.5 pounds.  I worked out a lot (really stressed at work) and I ate really well.  I think it is different with everyone.  I know in the begining, I didn't lose much, but now that I am on a very regular routine I think it is going really well.  I am happy with my results but I have a lot to lose.  I started a few months ago at my highest weight 186.  Now I am down to 154.4 and I only have 25ish pounds to go until I am at my goal weight.  I am expecting the weight loss to slow down as I get closer to my goal weight.  So, if you don't have very far to go, I wouldn't worry.  I am not trying to lose massive amounts of weight.  I am following all the guide lines and I am steering well away from starvation mode.  I think everybodys body is different and will lose at the rate it is meant to with the right diet and exercise plan.

I'm one of those quick losers too...  I've been doing this a month and lost 15lbs - my husband was a little worried too, but like the others here have said, the bigger you are to start, the quicker it falls off in the beginning.  I've already noticed it slowing down, I was holding at 232 for a week and then this morning WOOT 230!

:):) I'm *burp* actually stuffed right now so I'm thinking about putting my celery back in the fridge because i feel so stuffed and i've had about 900 cals so far today - I eat 1300+ a day and I try to eat back what I burn off to keep me over 1200 cal/day.

Thanks for the concern! ;)

It comes off faster in the beginning for sure :) I'm sure it will sadly slow down soon! I've lost about 7 lbs this month so far... eating 1200-1400 cals a day + excercise (eating what I burn to stay around the 1300 mark)

That's a guidline, not a rule.  The point is to not aim for more than a 2lb loss.  A lot of what you lose initially will be from water.  Plus those that lose so much at first probably will stall down the line and in the long run, it will be close to a 2lb/week average.

It's probably safe, but I would definitely worry about having loose skin afterwards.  I would rather lose 1/2-1 pound a week than lose very quickly and have a lifetime of loose skin. 

I'm one of those people too.  I eat healthy, never starve, stay around 1300sh calories and I walk.  When I started I needed to lose 180lbs.  I've lost 66.5 in 4 months exactly. 

That's a general rule.  If you weigh more, you can lose more.  If you weigh less, you should lose less.  Example: 2 lbs a week for a 400 lb guy is just .5% of his bodyweight, but it's 2% for a person who weighs 100 lbs.

That's a general statement given generally since people generally don't know how to lose weight without taking drastic measures.  You can safely lose 10-15 lbs per month.  If you're maintaining muscle and bone mass, and only burning fat, how can that be seen as anything but healthy?  It's just that most people don't understand the diff b/t lean mass and fat, and are satisfied with losing 10-15 lbs of anything.  Obviously, this isn't healthy, so you have to tell these ppl "1-2" lbs tops.  This way they can still diet incorrectly, but limit the loss to mostly fat.