Healthy rate of weight loss?
Discussion
Hi
I'm quite lucky in some respects. I'm 34, I haven't exercised for a few years now and I eat like a horse. I should by rights be huge but my weight's constant at 12st 9lbs (I'm 5'10). Not skinny, but nowhere near as big as I deserve to be.
I've had intermittent back problems for a few years now, after injuring it lifting something. After a recent episode my consultant suggested that being fitter would aid my recovery, as I would re-build muscle in my back quicker. Last week my physio has given me a modest exercise regime to strengthen my core and I decided to think about my food whilst I'm at it.
I'm not crash dieting, I'm just eating what a normal person eats. What I've cut out is all the snacking (I eat when I'm bored at work and can easily go through maybe five snack-size chocolate bars and a packet of crisps a day) and I've stopped overloading my plate with carbs every meal. This all seems quite sensible to me. However, I've lost four pounds since turning a new leaf on Friday, which my wife tells me is unhealthy and that seems to be backed up by what I read on the internet.
However, neither re-introducing crap into my diet nor giving up exercise seem like sound plans and part of me thinks that as long as I'm eating well, it should be fine.
This is all uncharted water to me, does anyone have any advice?
I'm quite lucky in some respects. I'm 34, I haven't exercised for a few years now and I eat like a horse. I should by rights be huge but my weight's constant at 12st 9lbs (I'm 5'10). Not skinny, but nowhere near as big as I deserve to be.
I've had intermittent back problems for a few years now, after injuring it lifting something. After a recent episode my consultant suggested that being fitter would aid my recovery, as I would re-build muscle in my back quicker. Last week my physio has given me a modest exercise regime to strengthen my core and I decided to think about my food whilst I'm at it.
I'm not crash dieting, I'm just eating what a normal person eats. What I've cut out is all the snacking (I eat when I'm bored at work and can easily go through maybe five snack-size chocolate bars and a packet of crisps a day) and I've stopped overloading my plate with carbs every meal. This all seems quite sensible to me. However, I've lost four pounds since turning a new leaf on Friday, which my wife tells me is unhealthy and that seems to be backed up by what I read on the internet.
However, neither re-introducing crap into my diet nor giving up exercise seem like sound plans and part of me thinks that as long as I'm eating well, it should be fine.
This is all uncharted water to me, does anyone have any advice?
I can have similar drastic drops, usually caused by being very dehydrated, can easy put on 2lb's in water alone (is your pee apple juice coloured?).
Also I found that when I had my biggest weight drops I first weighed myself when I sort of needed a s
t, and then second time round shortly after I have been, so that adds up to.
Oh and also, your lighter in the mornings. Can't really judge over such a short period though, as long as you feel fine (aren't dizzy etc.) then you'll be ok.
Also I found that when I had my biggest weight drops I first weighed myself when I sort of needed a s
t, and then second time round shortly after I have been, so that adds up to.Oh and also, your lighter in the mornings. Can't really judge over such a short period though, as long as you feel fine (aren't dizzy etc.) then you'll be ok.
It's likely water weight. The first losses are fairly quick but they slow down. You may even go up for a week. It'll zigzag downwards overall.
I'd recommend not cutting everything out as for most people that leads them to think "on diet/off diet". For it to be a lifestyle change, you need to think long term - I've posted countless times on here that people should cut down, not out. To just cut out can lead to binge eating as cravings kick back in and before you know it, you're doing an Alan Partridge in the back of a Rover.
Also, if you're doing a VLCD, you can suffer hair loss and miss periods.
I'd recommend not cutting everything out as for most people that leads them to think "on diet/off diet". For it to be a lifestyle change, you need to think long term - I've posted countless times on here that people should cut down, not out. To just cut out can lead to binge eating as cravings kick back in and before you know it, you're doing an Alan Partridge in the back of a Rover.
Also, if you're doing a VLCD, you can suffer hair loss and miss periods.
Piggybacking onto this thread I'm a little alarmed by my weight loss. 2 weeks ago I was 85 kg (6ft), admittedly this first weighing wasnt at a controlled time of day so could have had extra food / water weight. Aimed for 1000 cal/day deficit, the main change was cutting out binge eating at weekends - with training its frankly a struggle to even get up to the 1000 cal deficit. Had a few days its been more like a 1500 deficit.
End of first week - 82.5 kilos, weighed first thing in the morning. This morning I was 80...
I feel fine, if slightly tired from training but nothing unusual. Should I worry?
training isnt even anything too severe - in a week I'm covering 85 or so road bike miles, 10 mtb miles, 8 miles running and a couple of miles walking.
End of first week - 82.5 kilos, weighed first thing in the morning. This morning I was 80...
I feel fine, if slightly tired from training but nothing unusual. Should I worry?
training isnt even anything too severe - in a week I'm covering 85 or so road bike miles, 10 mtb miles, 8 miles running and a couple of miles walking.
I'm averaging about 1kg per week, had a bigger drop in the 1st - 2nd week (closer to 2kg) but it seems to have tapered off since then. I've found it's important to weigh yourself at the same time each day (I do first thing in the morning after waking up, once a week), if you start doing it at different times then it fluctuates too much to be meaningful.
shouldbworking said:
Piggybacking onto this thread I'm a little alarmed by my weight loss. 2 weeks ago I was 85 kg (6ft), admittedly this first weighing wasnt at a controlled time of day so could have had extra food / water weight. Aimed for 1000 cal/day deficit, the main change was cutting out binge eating at weekends - with training its frankly a struggle to even get up to the 1000 cal deficit. Had a few days its been more like a 1500 deficit.
You are eating too little, you really shouldn't be 1000-1500 calorie deficient, you really should be eating for at most a 500 calorie deficit. Even if your exercise isn't overly excessive its still not the point.
Thanks guys. Hopefully it's just the initial water loss, so I'll carry on as I am for now.
I have to go cold turkey on the snacks. It's simply a habit; I pop into the kitchen for a glass of water and grab a snack from the fridge at the same time. Sometimes I don't even know I've done it! I'll stay off them completely for as long as it takes to break that habit. Then, if I really fancy one, I'll have one but I need to stop doing it subconciously!
VLCD? I would implode! Yesterday I had four weetabix with honey and bananas for breakfast, burgers for lunch and pasta for dinner. It's quite hard to estimate portion sizes but having just gone onto the net to find out how many calories are in things, I think it would have been about 2400 cals. I reckon it was easily a 1/3 reduction on my usual intake. It wasn't a lot and I spent most of the day hungry but the recommended amount is 2500 so it has to be enough to get by.
I have to go cold turkey on the snacks. It's simply a habit; I pop into the kitchen for a glass of water and grab a snack from the fridge at the same time. Sometimes I don't even know I've done it! I'll stay off them completely for as long as it takes to break that habit. Then, if I really fancy one, I'll have one but I need to stop doing it subconciously!
VLCD? I would implode! Yesterday I had four weetabix with honey and bananas for breakfast, burgers for lunch and pasta for dinner. It's quite hard to estimate portion sizes but having just gone onto the net to find out how many calories are in things, I think it would have been about 2400 cals. I reckon it was easily a 1/3 reduction on my usual intake. It wasn't a lot and I spent most of the day hungry but the recommended amount is 2500 so it has to be enough to get by.
Token follow up from my piggybacking on to this thread
Bit of a hypoglycemia moment for me yesterday - cycled home (17.5 miles) at a relaxed pace. Girlfriend was coming over for dinner so had to wait a bit longer than normal before eating. Found it non-trivial to stand for more than a couple of minutes, little bit of shaking. Realised what was going on and all resolved by dinner but still, a cautionary tale.
Bit of a hypoglycemia moment for me yesterday - cycled home (17.5 miles) at a relaxed pace. Girlfriend was coming over for dinner so had to wait a bit longer than normal before eating. Found it non-trivial to stand for more than a couple of minutes, little bit of shaking. Realised what was going on and all resolved by dinner but still, a cautionary tale.
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