Am I too successful for my own good?
January 7, 2009 6:29 AM Subscribe
Am I losing too much weight too quickly? Is this normal? Details inside.
I am a 41 year old male who has been between 270 and 290 lbs for most of my adult life. Several years ago I took up inline skating, and at one point was down to about 240 lbs but for whatever reason stopped skating regularly and have since put the weight back on. I have decided to get back into skating, starting reasonably at three mornings per week going 6-7 miles at a pace of around 7mph. I have also been tracking my weight on a daily basis, first thing in the morning. My first day skating, I was 293 lbs, and the days since then have looked like this:
293
293.5
289.5
288
287
So where I had set myself a realistic goal of around 1.5 lbs per week, instead I have dropped six pounds in the last four days. Is that normal and healthy? I know it can't possibly continue at that rate.
From a diet standpoint the only thing I have changed is I am consciously drinking more water (and as a result drinking less soda), and I am also taking a daily multivitamin.
I feel fine, I am just wondering if it is common to see this kind of a big drop so quickly?
I am a 41 year old male who has been between 270 and 290 lbs for most of my adult life. Several years ago I took up inline skating, and at one point was down to about 240 lbs but for whatever reason stopped skating regularly and have since put the weight back on. I have decided to get back into skating, starting reasonably at three mornings per week going 6-7 miles at a pace of around 7mph. I have also been tracking my weight on a daily basis, first thing in the morning. My first day skating, I was 293 lbs, and the days since then have looked like this:
293
293.5
289.5
288
287
So where I had set myself a realistic goal of around 1.5 lbs per week, instead I have dropped six pounds in the last four days. Is that normal and healthy? I know it can't possibly continue at that rate.
From a diet standpoint the only thing I have changed is I am consciously drinking more water (and as a result drinking less soda), and I am also taking a daily multivitamin.
I feel fine, I am just wondering if it is common to see this kind of a big drop so quickly?
Yes, it's normal. Things will level out within a week.
posted by unixrat at 6:36 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by unixrat at 6:36 AM on January 7, 2009
Consider filling out a 'Hacker's Diet'-like 'weighted' weight loss curve.
Today's real weight is the average of today plus the previous two. That number will eliminate the day-to-day fluxuations.
posted by unixrat at 6:38 AM on January 7, 2009
Today's real weight is the average of today plus the previous two. That number will eliminate the day-to-day fluxuations.
posted by unixrat at 6:38 AM on January 7, 2009
It's common for people to see a big drop of weight during their first week, sometimes due to losing water rather than actual fat. Considering your starting weight of close to 300 pounds, I'd say you're in no serious danger having lost 6 pounds so far. Most likely you'll stop seeing such a quick drop after another week and a few days. But keep monitoring it, and if you're still losing weight so fast after a few more weeks, that's when you should start being concerned.
posted by Meagan at 6:39 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by Meagan at 6:39 AM on January 7, 2009
Yes, it's normal, in my purely anecdotal experience.
A way you can minimize the focus on the day-to-day changes is by calculating a rolling average each day of your average weight from the last five days. That buffers some of the momentary ups and downs, and smooths the data out nicely. Easy to do in Excel, and someone has probably set up an online tool to do this, too.
posted by Forktine at 6:39 AM on January 7, 2009
A way you can minimize the focus on the day-to-day changes is by calculating a rolling average each day of your average weight from the last five days. That buffers some of the momentary ups and downs, and smooths the data out nicely. Easy to do in Excel, and someone has probably set up an online tool to do this, too.
posted by Forktine at 6:39 AM on January 7, 2009
Your weight varies during the day because of water. On top of that spring-scales are notorious for being inaccurate and give different readings consistently. What you should do is weigh yourself daily and come up with a weekly average.
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:42 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by damn dirty ape at 6:42 AM on January 7, 2009
What everyone else says. Experts may call it water weight but I like to see it as a thumbs up from the universe. :)
Just don't get disappointed when your weight loss settles into a 1/2 lb/week routine.
posted by lunasol at 6:45 AM on January 7, 2009
Just don't get disappointed when your weight loss settles into a 1/2 lb/week routine.
posted by lunasol at 6:45 AM on January 7, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks everyone, I appreciate the vote of confidence. My paranoia springs from the fact that my dad started an exercise program after he retired, lost a ton of weight, went for a checkup with his doctor to show of how well he was doing, and was in the hospital within 24 hours diagnosed with colon cancer. Which, I see my doctor for regular checkups and he is fully aware of my family history, but I am still a bit paranoid. Mostly I just want to be, you know, healthy. I want to torture my wife with my existence for many decades to come.
posted by Lokheed at 7:12 AM on January 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Lokheed at 7:12 AM on January 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Put your numbers into PhysicsDiet.com, and you'll feel better. Pay attention to the trends, not the daily fluctuations.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:07 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by blue_beetle at 8:07 AM on January 7, 2009
One caution: if you're seeing a corresponding dramatic increase in urination and/or starting to experience discomfort or acute hunger at odd times, you should get checked to rule out diabetes or something similar. You haven't mentioned feeling ill, so it's unlikely, but, like I said, if you're going to the bathroom every ten minutes, that's a big red flag no matter how much water you're drinking.
posted by scrump at 8:49 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by scrump at 8:49 AM on January 7, 2009
Every time I've consciously started trying to lose weight, I've lost 4-6 pounds the first week. It's all water. If it keeps up for more than a week, though, then something's... odd.
posted by restless_nomad at 9:08 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by restless_nomad at 9:08 AM on January 7, 2009
If you go from minimal exercise to actually being active, you drop a lot of weight in the beginning. It's normal. Your body will figure out what's going on and even itself out soon enough. Don't let it discourage you, though
posted by phrakture at 9:33 AM on January 7, 2009
posted by phrakture at 9:33 AM on January 7, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by justkevin at 6:36 AM on January 7, 2009