Dieting, Why Am I Losing Weight So Easily?

[RATTER15]

So in six days I have lost almost 3kg although I have cut my food intake and ruled out many sweet things, I wasnt expecting to loose weight so fast. The second day I felt unwell and had to have some sugar, then I felt better again. I am not calorie counting, im still eating the equivalent or 4 pots of yogurt a day, ive replaced most of my meat with fish and still eating a small roast dinner, I have gone from 4 weetabix down to 2. Im still eating fairly good size portions but smaller than I was. I am not exercising apart from a dog walk and just my normal work activity. I am 62 but not really a heavy build but feeling overweight and due to heart disease in the family I think its time to lose a bit off of my belly. I imagine the weight loss will slow down soon. I just thought it would be much harder and take longer. So far......
14.06.2020 101.07kg
15.06.2020 101.00kg
16.06.2020 100.06kg
17.06.2020 100.01kg
18.06.2020 99.06kg
19.06.2020 99.06kg
20.06.2020 98.09kg

[Rosie29]

If there is more weight to lose it tends to come off quicker . It will slow down. To aim to lose about a pound or so a week is best. Slow but sure !

[rowanwitch]

Sounds like you have had a fluid shift, I have lost a stone in a first week before. It will slow down. Enjoy it while it lasts

[Ken4155]

Ratter, I can only assume it was there to be lost. When I shed 6 and a half stone (2010, took about 18 months), I weighed myself on the first of each month, and the weight initially dropped off me. All I had really done was to change my diet (wholemeal bread and rice instead of white, more veg than meat, etc) and walk everywhere instead of taking taxis and lifts. After a few months, the weight loss slowed down. Sometimes to such an extent that there were the odd months when I lost nothing at all. I do believe you'll soon stop weighing yourself on a daily basis.

[Ken4155]

Sorry, I forgot to add that I weighed in at 18 and a half stone when I had the heart attack and the Diabetes diagnosis in Oct 2009. Like i said, it was there to be lost.

[ToraToraTora]

you cannot lose 6.6lbs of fat in a week, you'd need to be deficient by 17680 kcal and that is roughly the energy you use in a week I assume you have consumed some food. When dieting, you lose mostly water in the first week and water is heavy. Glucose is stored as energy in water all over the body. When that is metabolised the water is excreted. Once that is all gone you'll start using the fat.

[ToraToraTora]

the number above should be 23100.

[MargoTester]

Well done you for making a start. The weight loss will probably slow down but don't be disheartened by that it's natural.I would limit yourself to weighing once a week at the same time. Good luck

[RATTER15]

Thanks all, I am not severely overweight just a big belly really and that is dangerous for people with heart problems in the family so its time to reduce it. Yes TTT, you are probably right, mostly fluid. I like to weigh myself on a daily basis, I find it inspiring to see the weight come off but like you say, after a week or so the weight loss will slow down, then I will probably weigh myself less often. The only days I struggle a little is on my days off, when I normally eat more but now I have to be fairly strict.

[Rose Maybud]

Well done you for making such a good start!

I found Dr Michael Mosley's Fast 800 Diet was the one for me, and lost 2.5 stones last year which has stayed away, bar a few pounds at Christmas. I feel a lot better, the blood pressure came down, and the get-up-and-go which had got-up-and-gone has to some extent got-up-and-come-back ;)
There are copies of the book on ebay, or the website is: thefast800.com should you wish to check it all out. Dr Mosley recommends weighing daily - it's a great motivator to see the weight coming off, but don't be disheartened if it goes back on one day. There's a certain amount of that while you find out which foods / drinks cause it, but if the overall trend is downwards then that's great. Good luck!

[RATTER15]

Thanks Rose, To be honest, I cant be doing with these prescribed diets as such. I eat what I want when I want but being more sensible with portion size and limiting sweet things, which does seem to be working at the moment. I'm also drinking a lot of chamomile tea instead of coffee which cuts out the sugar and milk. but I do intend this change of food intake to be a permanent lifestyle change rather than a 5 minute fad diet.

[KARL]

It is quite probable that the loss you have recorded at the beginning has two significant components to it: Reduced contents of digestive tract and general loss of fluid (water). The former is a direct and immediate result of reduced intake and can also result from the different make-up of what you consume, especially a reduction in sugars. This will soon (within a few weeks) result in a feeling of being (slightly) slimmer around the middle and if you keep it up that will continue and before long be very obvious. One way of helping the process is to return to the youthful use of stomach muscles in breathing and generally holding your innards in (not sagging toward the pelvis). Your weight loss will likely very soon fall to around a kilogramme per week or just under. That is perhaps 629/653 of a stone or so - congratulations on using kilogrammes (while so many cannot). Good luck, excess weight is not just unnecessary but harmful (as you are obviously aware).