To think rapid weightloss in the morbidly obese isn't an accurate representation of weightloss for most people?

[Halfadamnlb]

I'm currently 10st 7 and want to get down to 9.5st, I'm overweight but not obese.

I've been making changes to my diet and lifestyle for a little over two weeks and giving it my all.

Daily walks for at least an hour, sometimes two hours.

No sugar in my hot drinks and I've switched from whole milk to skimmed.

I have cut out all unhealthy snacks like chocolate and crisps which I was eating most days.

I'm eating smaller portions at dinner time.

Drinking alot more water.

Doing some light cardio at home in addition to the long walks.

I have lost a measly 0.5lb, if that.

Meanwhile on a weight loss group on Facebook there are women bragging about having lost 12lbs in a bloody week.

The people who are posting this type of loss are, in their own admission, morbidly obese.

Therefore, in my opinion, such losses aren't representative of the reality of dieting for most people.

It's demotivating to work so hard on something and see such a miniscule loss then to read somebody has lost 12lb and done so well by "just cutting out takeaways"

AIBU?

Did you say hold old you are as it does make a difference to how quickly you lose weight I find

You should also look at the % of weight you need to lose rather than actual pounds/kg when comparing with other people

Different weight people burn different calories. If I go for a run, I burn say 300 calories whereas dp burns 800 calories doing the same because he's 6 foot 4 and over 100kg (and is % wise, more overweight than me) so he expends more energy

You have to focus on yourself. I find when losing a small amount it takes a while for your metabolism to kick in - last time I had to lose weight, it started speeding up after about 6 weeks of changes. Before then it was really slow

Biggest difference I made was cutting carbs at dinner time. If you have them for breakfast/lunch then don't have potatoes/rice/pasta/carby fruit/veg in the evening, for some reason it made a big difference!

@Imiss2019

You need to track your calories it’s very easy to underestimate how much you’re actually eating. When I was your weight I had to drop to 1200 calories a day in order to lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week.

Yes, me too at a much higher BMI. I do all the things the OP does just as normal lifestyle and need to count my calories to around 1,000 a day if I am to see any slow, gradual weightloss. We are all different, and whilst I understand the OP's frustrations, equally that's not the kind of "giving it my all" that I'd need to adopt for weightloss.

Someone that has five or ten stone to lose clearly has more scope to lose weight fast compared to someone that only needs to lose a stone.
And someone that starts their weight loss journey with 5+ stone to lose will probably find that the rate of weight loss slows down the closer they get to a healthy weight.

If it makes you feel any better I'm pretty obese but only lose at a rate of 1lbs a week. Whereas I only have to look at a bisvuit to put a lb back on.

If you have a lot to lose its important to do weights to help tone and that can minimise saggy skin

I also suspect I have some hormonal issues going on which may be contributing to the struggle to lose weight

Yes you do, but it's caused by your diet, not an illness (probably)

It's not as simple as "just maths"/ a calorie deficit.

As someone else mentioned, listen to The Obesity Code podcast, or read the book. It's a real eye opener in terms of how food and insulin and hormones work together.

If you were eating chocolate or crisps most days and only slightly overweight you are lucky with your metabolism. I can easily gain weight without eating anything unhealthy. I would suggest recording what you are eating and your daily exercise on my fitness pal. To lose weight I try to eat no more than 1200 calories a day or you can do the intermittent fasting type diets. Alternatively carry on with your current plan and accept that in a few months you will be your ideal weight even if the weekly loss is o.5 pounds. With regards to those you have seen losing large amounts on Facebook often on diets one can lose a lot at first and then weight loss becomes more gradual so doubt they will lose that amount per week for long.

@Bitbusyattheminute

I'm not! I'm 5'9 and was 11 stone when I last weighed myself. According to my watch, I rarely get to 2000 calories.

My fitness watch, and internet TDEE calculators give me a calorie burn of around 2200 calories, which must be about right because I eat and drink at least that much, probably more, and my weight it fairly stable.

If I can actually cut down, I do start to lose, but don't manage to keep it up for long enough to actually get anywhere - I would like to lose around a stone.

It's also an age thing. When I was younger, up til my mid-thirties, even forty, I only had to think about limiting my intake for a day or two to lose a couple of pounds, and doing anything like upping exercise would have it dropping off.

Now I'm older, over 50, the exact opposite is true. I can cut down portion size of carbs, cut out treats except once a week, up my steps, eat within 1200 calories- a kg comes off and then my body just adjusts easily to the new lighter calorie regime and I stick at that weight. In some ways it's a bonus in that I don't put on weight that easily, in another, I'm stuck at least a stone or more in the overweight category and would have to live a very drastic life and diet to get rid of it which I don't want to do as it's not sustainable.

One thing that might make a difference is medication- I'm on a medication associated not only with modest weight gain but that seems to slow the metabolism a bit as well/make people not want to exercise, so there's that issue.

Very frustrating, you would think eating tonnes of green veg, very small carb portions (none some meals), lots of high quality proteins, moving more, would have the weight coming off but it is slow going and I do hear you! I am persisting through the plateau though as I definitely don't want to get heavier and eventually I'm hoping my body will realise it could lose a tiny bit more without me having to be basically starving all day.

OP I'm 10st3 wanting to get to 9st 4 (not overweight but top end of healthy BMI) and I lost 2lb last week. I use MFP to calorie count and ensure I eat less than 1200 calories a day, I'm running 3 times per week and going for a long walk on the other days. MFP can show you how much you are predicted to lose based on your in and outgoings. 2lb is entirely possible even at a lower weight. Although I suspect I will average 1.5lb a week as that's what happened a couple of years ago when I did the same thing (usually slipped on the weekend a bit!)

2lb a week is a relatively high loss that I dont think will be achievable with your method as it's quite a relaxed approach for a demanding loss. It's fine if you want to lose weight very gradually but I'd probably track your calories if you want to ensure you're reducing your portions enough and not eating too calorific food.

When I did Slimming world classes there was one lady who won slimmer of the week every single week. She would lose at least 6lb each week, usually more. In her first week she lost 16lb!! Yes she was very very big.
I admit it was a little frustrating for me but mostly I was pleased for her cos it kept her on track. It took me 3 months to get to target (1.5stone loss) and in that time she had lost almost an entire me 🤣 but she still had a long way to go.

As you already know the exercise calories are massively out on your MFP. A more accurate (but not totally) accurate way to track this would some sort of wearable monitor. 700 calories just from walking is absurd, and goes to show how little people know about calories and how much your body works. Do you also eat these calories back? So you’re actually eating 1700 calories but burning 500 so your “total” is 1200?

Are you accurately recording everything you eat too? Because your screenshot of your breakfast you say you had 3 weetabix with milk but you didn’t add the milk into the calories from what I can see? So there’s what 100 calories depending on quantities. You need to focus more on you and less on others.

I'm currently 10st 7
A lot of the people you are comparing yourself to will never make it to your starting weight.

It’s really tough to lose a stone if your weight has been the same for a long time and you don’t have much to lose. Plus your body will take longer to adjust to the changes you are making.

Keep going with the changes you have made and reassess at the end of Jan.

You're doing it wrong. If you have 40 minutes to watch TV over the next few days, watch this.

Take it from the PhD who studies meta-analyses of meta-analyses and presents for the Public Health Collaboration in a way that we can all understand. 3500kcal dietary deficit will not result in 1lb of fat loss. And there is no reason why it should. It's a nonsense we're fed by big food and big pharma, who have their own motivation, which is money, not 'you being thin'.

The Der I get, the longer it takes before seeing the weight loss, but when it starts, it goes down well.

My last diet was 2 years ago and it took 5 weeks to lose 1lbs, but then was amazed when I put on a pair of trousers I hadn't worn for months and it felt loose.

I'm now on week 3 and have actually put a pound on. I know it's ok, I'm cutting down the calories and fasting. I hope to start seeing the difference in 2 to 3 weeks.

I would be really pleased for them and not compare myself in any way as it’s obvious they are going to lose a lot in the first week. I would rather be 11 stone trying to shift 8 pounds than 16 stone and trying to lose five stone.

It’s not a comparable journey in any sense.

I think your diet is too sugary. I find with weight loss that I need to find a way of regulating my blood sugar which is much more easily achieved eating protein and veg.

I don’t do anything extreme so would have two poached eggs on toast for brunch, a snack in the afternoon (few small pieces of cheese and berries or something), then marinated chicken and roasted med veg in the evening with a small portion of roast potatoes or rice.

I don’t think all calories are equal and those that trigger insulin release leading to insulin resistance are more damaging to weight loss.

I lost around 20lbs from 10 stone 10 down to 9 st from Feb to June last year. It was slow going and some weeks I lost nothing. I was eating 1200 calories, exercising (running and HIIT) but not ‘eating back’ any calories. I did have the odd drink and takeaway in that time.

I found I needed a sharp shock initially so I exercised strenuously daily and overhauled my diet completely. I still didn’t lose big numbers but it helped set me up for weight loss I think.

Best of luck. It isn’t easy even to lose weight slowly, but you’ve more chance of keeping it off.

You sound like you are getting obsessed OP. Jealous of people who have achieved greater losses than you. Getting hung up on the advice of a for profit weight loss app rather than relying on your own (extensive) knowledge and common sense.

By the most conservative of standards you are only just in the overweight range. It is cloud cuckoo land to want to instantly lose several pounds and ping straight into the healthy range. It's also dangerous to base your expectations of your body on statistics than encompass everyone from a tiny framed 5ft tall, 18 yo girl barely out of puberty to a strapping 6ft 2in, middle aged body builder The ranges given are based on averages and your own particular 'healthy' could be within those or outside them based on many, many variables.

Just do you. Don't compare yourself with strangers. Eat healthy food in moderate quantities. Exercise healthily. Chuck the scales away.

2lb per week at your weight is quite a lot. I would be less ambitious TBH.

@PyongyangKipperbang

My sister and I were both the same weight. I lost masses very quickly through trauma, basically I didnt eat for 6 weeks and now (2 years later) I have no idea how to eat normally so usually only eat when the hunger pains are too big to ignore. Usually once every 2 or 3 days. I have now come to accept that I have an eating disorder.

In the same period, my sister has done it "properly" and got very pissed off that she has dropped 2 dress sizes (22 to an 18) and I have gone from a 20/22 to a 10. But I have no energy, saggy skin, droppy tits and a severe Vit B & D deficiency.

Keep doing it your way.

i hope you're seeking help with this - its not healthy! also hope whatever trauma caused it, has lessened somewhat and that you're ok now. xx

Also OP don't forget the impact of your hormones. The week of my period it will look like I maintain but the following week I would then have a bigger loss of 3.5lb, so I was losing weight but water retention or something was masking it. So I'm only going to weigh once a month now because even though I know why, it's so disheartening seeing a maintain!

Is it myfitness pal driving you crazy?
You have to ignore it! it told me ''if you ate like this every day for 3 weeks you'd be 8 stone 10lb''. I NEVER got to that weight.

It is just an app. Take it with a pinch of salt. Use it as a tool to help you.

Yes, yabu. But it's only demotivating if you let it.

I'm obese, I lose quite a bit each week, not 12lbs but a fair bit. It's great but it'd be much nicer to be 10st and have your problem.

@shenanigans5

I don’t think all calories are equal and those that trigger insulin release leading to insulin resistance are more damaging to weight loss

That's true about insulin. The fat storage hormone.

Also, if you eat pure carb (which nobody does, but go with me), your body uses about 10% of the calories to convert that into something you can use. So 100kcal of carb = 90kcal for the body to use. If you eat pure protein, it's much harder to convert into something we can use, it takes roughly 30% so 100kcal of protein = 70kcal for the body to use.

There's nothing complicated about this. The body needs sugar for fuel, and it's much harder to turn protein into sugar than carbs, because carbs are already sugar.