I lost 8 lbs the first week but stuck to the rules - is that bad?

So i decided that my goal is going to be get healthy not skinny - as much as skinny is nice. so i changed eating habits - counting calories and drinking enough water that i now pee more than an 80 year old. but i did not starve, i hit the gym everyday. long story short, i did everythign by the books and i lost 8 lbs the firt week. im thinking that it was just because my body was like, "holy crap, what is this health crap" but now i have leveled off at 3 lbs a week. and i know that 2 is the best but i work out a lot, i have two kids, two jobs and i eat right finally and count calories. do you think that its normal?

The 8 pounds in the first week was probably water weight.  3 lbs a week is a little high according to the 2 lb a week guidline, but I have also heard 1% of your weight, so depending on your weight, that could be ok.

3 is way more than 1% but i mean im doing everything right, im certainly not going to stop working out or start eating a big mac to stay on the 2 pound a week goal. maybe its just how my metabolism works? but should i ask a doctor or go with it?

If you have a lot to lose, then losing fast at first isn't all that unusual. But to lose 3 lbs/week b/c you have too large a deficit (over 1000) will probably prove problemmatic in the long run.

Your body may just even it out and you will see no loss for a few weeks, and then if you average out the total over that time, it will be in the 1-2 lbs a week range--and then you'll start losing again. I had this happen once and I just rode it out.

Be sure to take measurements so you can see change even if the scale doesn't seem to move much.

Do you keep your deficit under 1000?

my deficit is actually been consistently about 700. so im eating enough, i never feel hungry, i think it might just be how my body works. but i have nothing to compare it to because i have never stuck with a good plan before, but i have big time goals now so im sticking to it. im only 5 foot 141 lbs so im not huge and i only have 21 more pounds to go and i will be happy. i started at around like 155. i feel really good though. should i just ride it out like you said? maybe my body is in shock with not seeing burgers and pizza all the time. lol

Yeah, I would not be surprised to see you hit what feels like a big plateau, but really it would be  your body adjusting to the early loss/changing composition, etc. Just don't get discouraged if/when the rate slows! I know I almost did, but thankfully it was summer and I wanted to be outside exercising, anyway. It wouldn't be so easy in the winter for me!!

Best of luck!

I have done that before, granted I was a lot larger than you.  And everyone's bodies are different.  Age, hormones, thyroid can all be factors. But eating multiple times a day, more fresh foods, less sodium, and cutting out salt plus adding exercise, I saw about an 8 lb drop in the first week while still eating about 1700 calories a day.  You may have just had the right things in place to give your metabolism an initial jolt. 

I agree with the other posts though, it will likely begin to regulate itself- so don't get discouraged!

As long as you are keeping your deficit where it should be and not dipping below 1200 a day, then it sounds like you are doing really well :)

As long as you don't hit a plateau you're fine, I think.  If it does turn out that you are eating too little, you might just stop losing for a while.  If that happens, you can get plenty of tips here, especially in the advice section.

The real pitfall is that your quick weight loss might slow down.  You seem to be a very realistic person, so I'm pretty sure you won't get upset if that happens.  2 pounds a week is the upper limit.  My concern is that it might slow down to 1/2 pound a week and that you'll give up.  Make sure your mindset is that this is for the long term, as in life long, so it doesn't matter how slow. 

Congratulations on your progress so far, and I like your healthy attitude!

I think my scale was way off or something when I weighed myself after the first week.  I started at 308.5 (but I do think that wasn't really accurate) and I was 283.5 which would amount to 15 lbs lost in one week, I know a lot of it is water weight and since then I've lost 123.1 but that 15 lb weight loss in one week was way too much, I think. I stuck to the rules as well as best as I could've done.  I went from almost 6000 calories a day to 1850 and that was drastic.

Jen