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A weight loss story: How fast is too fast? Help!

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
I thought I would never see this day. As of today, I'm not officially not longer classified as obese! Just overweight.... With a fair share of muscle too (cyclist tights, I can dance my pecs a bit). However, I'm very worried this was too fast. I hoped this goal would take me 6 months, and its only being 3.

So, here my story. Please, be respectful, I don't think I have shared this before :( .

I have been a fat kid since I remember, the fattest kind the classroom. I have tried dieting before, specifically when I was 20. I also believe that it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. It was under a physician, with strict day to day portion and type meal plans, and yes, I lost a lot of weight to just a bit higher than what I'm now, only to win it all back and more in the next year when I got severely depressed in the following years. I don't believe that the diet in specific led to a depression, I believe it was a combination of factors. But the thing is, before the diet, I had managed to maintain an steady weight on my own, even though I was still growing (getting taller).

Since I was a tween, I have always tried to maintain an active life. Soccer games in junior high, ping-pong and fronton in high-school, along with crunches, dumbbells and mini climber machine at night. I didn't got slim, but I maintained an steady weight, until the diet and the depression that followed, a big blank in my life that I will never recover.

After years of crippling depression, and years of battling it under expert care (during my treatment, weight was the less of my worries), I managed to get my life in a sort of track and started to move forward again. At this time, I decided that If I were to lose weight again, I would do it on my own way. Foolish, perhaps, but I wasn't going back to a physician for that.

My first step, no more drinks with calories. This meant, no more soda, fruit juice, sweetened tea or beer. Also, I started to exercise again. Other than that, I wasn't picky on my food choices and even indulged in pizza or taco nights from time to time, desert after a main meal or a chocolate snacks by midday. Starting point: ~120kg. I was successful in the sense that I managed to get my weight under control again. I went to a month long trip to Japan, where the long walks along with the lack of calorie rich Mexican food meant that I lost about 4kg and never got them back. I even started to lose 1kg from year to year.

Step two, bought a bicycle. It was an electric bike, but still. I pedaled as hard as I could and sweated hard, like I hadn't in a long time. Starting point, ~115kg. Since it became my main mode of transportation, along with leisure cycling nights and weekend rides, I exercised like never before. After four months, I bought a regular folding bicycle and then, a high-end folding bicycle after the first was stolen. Riding the $3k bike is a bliss and I stopped using the electric one all together, even for long (10km+) trips. After more than a year like this, I was in the best shape of my life.

Step number three: (Temporally) changed countries, and bought my foldable bike with me. Starting point: ~107kg. That was 3 months I ago. I calculated that, since food was going to be more expensive, less calorie rich and smaller portions than in Mexico and my daily commute was going to be longer, my weight loss would accelerate. Kinda like happened in Japan. My goal was to return at ~90kg, with my PhD mostly done and ready to take the next steps in my life: find a long term income source and, hopefully, a kind life partner.

So, we are now in the present. A few weeks ago, I foolishly thought that my weight loss had stopped and reduced my calorie intake. My first time on a "real" diet since the depression. Yesterday, I had a carrot, 3 peaches, a cheese and jam sandwich and 4 protein bars. I also bought a scale. So, I woke up a few hours ago, and surprise... I weight 92kg! This means that my BMI is lower than 30 (no longer obese!) But also that I lost ~15kg since coming to Sweden, in just 3 months. That's fast, way too fast. Have I screwed my metabolism?

I'm I doomed to experience a yo yo effect? Please, help fitness GAF!

TL:DR Was 15kg in 3 months too fast and I have already screwed my body up?
 

whytemyke

Honorary Canadian.
I think you should be ok. The challenge is going to be trying to taper off and keep your weight steady without going up or down. But congrats! You did what I wish I could do.
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
15KG in 3 months is a lot but nothing too crazy. I'm currently on a diet myself and lost ~3KG in 9 days so far.
A friend of mine does a "only water-y soup for one week" diet each year and looses ~8-9 KG in just one week.

The biggest challenge is not to immediately gain them again, which is much easier the second time. Keep an eye on your scale but start eating "normal" again (meaning not just some protein bars and a carrot). Most important thing is to keep ignoring sugar. You shouldn't try to lose more weight as fast as you have now.

Congratz tho.
 
I went from 135lbs to 105lbs in about that same time frame, OP, and 10 years later I'm still holding/doing great. No relapses, no adverse affects. Sounds like you're going about it the right way (working out and being healthier), so unless weight continues to slough off at an alarming rate (which might suggest you should see a doctor in case there are other factors contributing to the extreme weight loss), I wouldn't worry. Celebrate and keep at it!
 

theofficefan99

Junior Member
I honestly think that as long as you aren't having massive headaches and aren't feeling nauseous and dizzy from starvation, you're fine.
 

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
If you were obese, a kg a week is fine.You're a pinch above that, but the worst that can happen unless you have visible symptoms is skin elasticity issues.

15KG in 3 months is a lot but nothing too crazy. I'm currently on a diet myself and lost ~3KG in 9 days so far.
A friend of mine does a "only water-y soup for one week" diet each year and looses ~8-9 KG in just one week.

The biggest challenge is not to immediately gain them again, which is much easier the second time. Keep an eye on your scale but start eating "normal" again (meaning not just some protein bars and a carrot). Most important thing is to keep ignoring sugar. You shouldn't try to lose more weight as fast as you have now.

Congratz tho.

That's just water losses, though.
You can't lose 8kg in a week. A kg is a 7000 cal deficit, and basal metabolic rates are around 2500 cal.
And i strongly doubt anyone can pull 8h+ of strenous exercise per day while practically starving.
 
I lost 12kg in one month back in 2012. I was eating less than 1000 calories a day, doing spinning three times a week for an hour, and running around 10k everyday.

I went from 80 to 68.

Didn't seem to do any damage, but once I got under 70 I started to look like a skeleton and decided to go back up a bit.

I also lost around 10kg during lent this year after giving up pretty much all my vices.

I need to try and stay at a stable weight, around 75, but I indulge too much during winter. Hopefully, this year I can keep it reasonable with marathons planned at the end of October and February
 
If you were obese, a kg a week is fine.You're a pinch above that, but the worst that can happen unless you have visible symptoms is skin elasticity issues.



That's just water losses, though.
You can't lose 8kg in a week. A kg is a 7000 cal deficit, and basal metabolic rates are around 2500 cal.
And i strongly doubt anyone can pull 8h+ of strenous exercise per day while practically starving.

It IS possible, but only women can do it. ;)
 
15KG in 3 months is a lot but nothing too crazy. I'm currently on a diet myself and lost ~3KG in 9 days so far.
A friend of mine does a "only water-y soup for one week" diet each year and looses ~8-9 KG in just one week.

The biggest challenge is not to immediately gain them again, which is much easier the second time. Keep an eye on your scale but start eating "normal" again (meaning not just some protein bars and a carrot). Most important thing is to keep ignoring sugar. You shouldn't try to lose more weight as fast as you have now.

Congratz tho.

I have done a 5 day water(some coffee) fast just to test recently if what the science says is true. I can kinda confirm for a guy like me it's good for a pound weight-loss per day fasted.

Kinda surprised that lifting strength wasn't impacted negatively. But my body is used to burning fat for fuel because I use a ketogenic diet so I can stay mentally clear throughout the day while writing code and not be mentally exhausted in the evening. Surprising effect was how mentally clear I was when fasted. the Ancient people knew of this effect. Fasting equals mental clearance. Probably why it's such a big part of a lot of religions.

In the future I might try a longer water fasting period. Do not advise people to do a water fast without reading into the literature.
Because drinking water is not enough you need to supplement minerals and vitamins to avoiding muscles cramps.
 
My main concern about losing weight too fast is screwing with skin elasticity. If you're heavier, losing weight too quickly can lead to loose skin because your body doesn't have adequate time to adjust.
 
I think it's important to be aware of the amount of calories of your food and how many calories your burn for any long term access.
The short term stuff is rather silly because it doesn't fix your fundamentally broken diet.
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
That's just water losses, though.
You can't lose 8kg in a week. A kg is a 7000 cal deficit, and basal metabolic rates are around 2500 cal.
And i strongly doubt anyone can pull 8h+ of strenous exercise per day while practically starving.

I can only tell you what he told me, and he said it works for him.

Do not advise people to do a water fast without reading into the literature.
Because drinking water is not enough you need to supplement minerals and vitamins to avoiding muscles cramps.
Yes! He reads a lot about that kinda stuff, so it's not like he was just trying some shit out he read online.
 

Shredderi

Member
My main concern about losing weight too fast is screwing with skin elasticity. If you're heavier, losing weight too quickly can lead to loose skin because your body doesn't have adequate time to adjust.

If you're fat enough it's propably going to happen no matter what speed you lose the weight. Me? I will definitely have a tummy tuck done if/when I'm left with a disgusting skin blob on my stomach. I'm not doing all this shit just to be still left with a body that I don't want to be seen without a shirt on.
 

big_z

Member
My main concern about losing weight too fast is screwing with skin elasticity. If you're heavier, losing weight too quickly can lead to loose skin because your body doesn't have adequate time to adjust.

Not true, the end result will be the same skin wise even if you go slow.

Skin takes a long time to tighten so you should try to maintain your goal weight for a year or two to see the final result. Losing weight faster might show a little more sag but it's temporary and the skin will still tighten to the same degree in the end.

How much skin you're left with after losing weight depends on two things. How big you were at the start and genetics.
 
Hello Lonely1! I've actually had a very similar experience. I've suffered depression for most of my life and have been overweight/obese for most of it too with most of my teenage/adult life I weighed between 220-240 pounds. When I was 21 I lost a good deal of weight getting down to about 170 however it didn't last at all and I gained it all back within about 6-8 months as I just wasn't able to care to keep it off due to my depression.

Last spring however I finally started making breakthroughs in my depression and had the drive to better myself physically permanently and like you I dropped and don't drink anything with calories (except the once every week or every other week large flavored dunkin iced coffee as a treat) and starting exercising (walking) starting at 1 mile a day getting all the way to 5 that I've been doing almost this entire year, and a strict balanced 1300-1500 cal a day eating.

Though while the last 4 months I've probably only budged 8-10 pounds I did managed to lose around 90 pounds total going from 240-ish to 150-ish and I'm super happy with my progress so happy to go from a 36 bmi to a just under 23! I've pretty much stopped trying to lose weight as my body kinda goes screwy when I calorie restrict anymore as I'm unable to sleep, heart palpitations, irritability. Plus the physical aspects where all my fat is mostly localized to my lower body and I have next to no upper body fat and any dieting just steals what precious face fate I have left and I hate the way it makes my face look >_<

Back to about you I don't think you need to worry! It's very common to lose a lot of weight early on, I too lost a pretty significant weight in the first few months about 38 pounds from May 20th - September 14th (My doctors have a patient portal that I can access to see my chart history) went from 235-197 in that span and was 169 this past March.

When I was dieting the YoYo effect was something that was on my mind a lot especially considering what happened with my previous weight loss. The key for me at least is to enjoy everything in moderation and if you mess up one day just shrug it off and go back to your scheduled diet the next. No one's perfect and you didn't gain all that weight in a single day and you won't lose it all in a single day either, just look at the progress you made after any cheat day and use it to remind/re-motivate what your working hard towards and go back to the usual plan! At least that's what works for me in keeping me motivated when I was dieting and what is keeping me now to maintain.

Hopefully some of the above is of some help and most important of all congratulations on your weightloss! ^_^
 

combine42

Neo Member
Its borderline too much. I doubt you've done any damage to your kidneys or anything though. Just be careful and try to not lose more than 2.5 kg a week.
 

despire

Member
Did you lose a lot of muscle? If not, then it wasn't too fast. Can you maintain your current diet regimen and don't have crazy cravings? If yes, then it wasn't too fast.
 

Fistwell

Member
TL:DR Was 15kg in 3 months too fast and I have already screwed my body up?
I was at -1.5Kg/week (~6Kg/month) for a while and turned out OK save for some loose skin. The diet thing is more of a problem. Long term, healthy changes bring long term benefits. Short term diets, well...
 

McLovin

Member
Depends I was at 350 at one point and managed to knock 60 lbs off in 2 months, never got it back. I did yo-yo a lot after I hit 280. Was at 265-280 for a minute. I think what mainly helped was throwing out any pants bigger then 40 inche then later 38. Any time clothes got tight I started watching what I ate and hit the gym more. I'm xl shirt pants size 36" now, not bad coming from a xxxl shirt 48" pants. Ever since I reduced carbs I haven't yo-yoed as much.
 

TaterTots

Banned
Depends. When I weighed 400+ I lost almost 40lbs in one month. The smaller I get, the more difficult it is to shred weight. As long as you aren't starving yourself.
 
That doesnt so too crazy.

Just a rule of thumb, make sure you eat at least 1500 calories a day, dont do anything crazy like some people do with sub 1000 calories a day, thats not good.

Get enough protein, fiber, pottassium and vitamins. Dont get on a diet that isnt sustainable. You want something that you can follow every day for the rest of your life so you dont fall off of it.
 
I lost 85 pounds in 2 1/2 months when I was 17. When I turned 21, I had to have my gall bladder removed due to rapid weight loss. This will most likely happen to you.
 

JackDT

Member
So 2.75 pounds a week.

That is fast but not too fast given your highish starting weight. It's about right in terms of percentage of bodyweight lost. You should slow down now though, don't keep up that rate.
 

HariKari

Member
The 2 pounds per week thing is based on diet adherence, not physiological reasons. 2 pounds per week is nothing for someone that weighs 300+ but is a ton for someone that's 150 pounds. You also won't permanently screw up your metabolism in any way.

You will only gain weight back if you abandon the food choices and lifestyle that have lead you to this point.
 

Keric

Member
My office does an annual "Biggest Loser" competition. And since I've developed quite the "Dad Bod", I decided to join this year. I ran everyday and limited my calories to 800/day. I went from 182 lbs to 148 lbs in 9 weeks, and won $1,200.00! It sucked, and my clothes don't fit. But I feel great now and I'm in the best shape of my life!
 
I put my bf on the post op diet for weight loss surgery. He'd been contemplating it for a long time and decided he wanted to move forward with it. So I told him he could if he could stick with the diet. He had ballooned like 25lbs higher than average just before he started the weight loss, but he managed to get it off plus about 10lbs below. He's had the surgery and its been very sucessful for him, and all his blood work comes back great.

But please please keep in check with your doctor, rapid weight loss can also be attributed to type 2 diabetes if it goes unchecked.
 

HarryKS

Member
You're ok. Personally did 40 lbs in 1 month. I shouldn't have. Lost a lot of hair and had low blood pressure.
 
I lost 25kg (55 pounds) in 4,5 months years ago (from 125kg to 100kg). But I'm still at 100kg and can't lose anything. My best effort was going to 96kg, but then reached again at 100kg in a few weeks. Damn you pizzas and chocolates. :(
 

Maximo

Member
Thats a pretty decent weight lose alittle on the fast side but you said you were classified as *obese* so a bigger person can lose more without major issues, large swings can swing back its the mental fight to keep the weight off that is the hard part in the coming months.
 

Usobuko

Banned
TL:DR Was 15kg in 3 months too fast and I have already screwed my body up?

No, I once loss 9 kg in 6 weeks. From 74kg to 65kg.

I was on a strict diet and training to improve my physical ability. The weight loss came naturally.

For your case, 5kg a month which is 1.25kg per week is a fine process. Also note that you started out from being extremely obese / heavier, so the drop is even less significant.
 

Liljagare

Member
You might also just be happier or less stressed now and that can also contribute to weight loss. Plus, you might also have noticed that you get a lot smaller portions in Sweden (on average) than in other countries. I don't know much about Mexican food portions but there is a difference between the size of a typical US food portion and that of Sweden. This can also contribute to weight loss.


I currently belong to Weight Watchers and have lost a good bit of weight with them. Even though their food is the same as what I have always eaten, they stress portioning and having a sense of well being. That plus excercise can really make the weight come off.15k in that amount of time is not unreasonable.
 
I recently lost about 97 pounds over about a year. For the first 6 months I lost 10 pounds a month and then it naturally slowed. I wouldn't worry about losing too fast too much. Just make sure your eating enough to live and don't hurt yourself. The challenge will be, when it's all said and done, you have to decide what you want to do food and exercise wise. I'm going through this now, although I could still stand to lose a few more pounds. The decision to not eat a muffin becomes harder when I can actually eat this muffin. There is no app tracking my calories and no specific weight goal. It probably won't make a dent but these things add up. That's how people yo-yo.

Playing Overwatch while riding an exercise bike is pretty dope. Exercise is addicting.
 

Hisoka

Member
I think that's totally ok!

Just keep up with sports! To me that's the most important part, even more than a diet.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
The 4 protein bars were ~800kcals in total. So, yes, it was more than 1000kcal in that day. But I agree, it was too little, hence why I was worried. :p
 
Congrats on the weight loss.

Lost 15kg in about 6 months about a year ago through a healthier diet but I seem kind of stuck now at about 91-92kg (been there for months). I guess actually going out and excercising is the next step ... &#128542;
 

RDreamer

Member
I lost a bit over 60 pounds in the first three months of my diet. I seem to be healthy and fine about 2 years later now after losing about 100 total and keeping it off.
 
1Kg per week is the sweet spot. With that diet you are killing your metabolism and you better be prepared to a HUGE rebound effect.

Eat better and do not surpass a 500 calorie deficit or you will regret this in the long term.
 

DonShula

Member
Whatever you're doing to lose weight needs to be sustainable.

You can't expect to go on some whack diet and lose a bunch of weight and then... try to eat "normally" again.

Part of the weight loss journey is learning how to take care of yourself again. The longer it takes you to lose weight, the more likely it is that you keep up those healthy behaviors after you reach your goal. When exercise and decent eating become part of your routine and not just means to an end, you're in good shape.
 

oneils

Member
You're fine. What you should work on, though, is a plan for what you will be eating day to day. Jam sandwiches and protein bars won't be sustainable. Develop a plan for how you will eat, say, 1800-2200 calories per day.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
1Kg per week is the sweet spot. With that diet you are killing your metabolism and you better be prepared to a HUGE rebound effect.

Eat better and do not surpass a 500 calorie deficit or you will regret this in the long term.

Now you are scarring me. The protein bar + carrot was just a one day thing that I won't repeat again :( .
 
As long as your body doesn't hit starvation mode you should be fine.

I think for most as long as you keep above 1000 calories a day (1200 to be safe) you won't trigger starvation mode.

I can't exactly tell you whether it's weird, but with heavy exercise 3-5 times a week in 30 minute sessions, counting calories and drinking 0 calories drink I went from 215 lbs to 195 lbs in 3 months. 15 kgs is what 30 lbs? If you went through a more drastic calories deficit than I did and do more exercise (which it sounds like you do by using your bike so much), an extra 10 pounds in the same time period isn't impossible. You should be fine.


If you're worried about rebounding, then prevent yourself from rebounding by counting calories or using an app/system like weight watchers to help you keep track of what you're eating and what your daily intake of 'points' needs to be to maintain your weight alongside the exercise you're doing.

Now you are scarring me. The protein bar + carrot was just a one day thing that I won't repeat again :( .

the reason people rebound from diets is because they don't change their lifestyle bro, not because you start eating normally again. Everything is fucking simple: don't eat more calories than your body needs per day if you don't want to gain weight. Don't eat more carbs than necessary (sugar, bread) if you want to lose weight. If you want to gain muscle, make sure you eat the right amount of carbs and protein at the right moments of the day.

It's not something to stress over. If you already changed your lifestyle for the better with all of this exercise, all you need to do is learn to how to healthy the MAJORITY of your time. Don't go over your daily caloric needs, and eating badly for one meal a week isn't going to kill you if you're being healthy with exercise and a proper diet 90% of the time.
 
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