I just wanted an opinion...

Last week, it felt like I was plateauing. I had only lost two pounds the first five days. This followed a two month period where I was consistently losing an average of five pounds a week.

I was also run down. I had run out of my multi-vitamin. I didn't think it was going to make a big difference, since I was taking a lot of vitamins and supplements already, but it did. I bought a fresh supply, plus I added vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements. I am no longer run down - I feel great!

At the same time, I decided that I was not going to the gym enough. That week, I had only gone twice during the week, due to work conflicts. I decided to up it to four workouts per week, and to do three sets of circuit training and my regular treadmill time (now up to 55 minutes). I know I am burning a lot of calories because when I am done my workout, I am literally covered in sweat. I look like I got caught in the rain!!!

The result - I have lost 11 pounds in the last 11 days! That makes 54 since fully committing to this WOE/WOL on June 29th, and 78 in total (months of dabbling in this WOE, not completely knowing what to do).

So, what do you think? Given an increased workout routine and frequency, and vitamin replenishment, am I now losing TOO fast??? Or should I just keep plugging away and be happy that this WOE/WOL works so well for me?

That's a good question and you're smart to ask it! A 1% loss per week is considered a healthy pace. So for you that would be 3 lbs/week.

Have you been tracking your food intake on www.fitday.com? Do you know how many calories you're eating on average per day? If you're calories are too low, you'll lose weight for a while and then it will slow down as your metabolism makes adjustments....which is NOT a good thing.

It's almost impossible to give you a good answer unless we know more about your calorie intake. Can you provide food counts for the next few days in your journal and then grab one of us to take a look?

I really don't have time to give a food count right now. That's never been one of my strongest suits anyway - despite my strong mathematical and problem solving skills, I would never make a good accountant! That's probably one reason why plans like Weight Watchers or Deal-a-Meal never work for me, besides the fact that they are low-fat. I would have to wait until I get settled down after my trip back home to Canada (Windsor, ON), later this week.

I have never even heard of fitday.com - I will check it out.

I can, however, tell you that I think I am eating more than enough. I eat until I am full, and I eat a lot. Take last night for example. I had four six-ounce cheeseburgers (without the bun, of course), with mayo, ranch dressing, and mustard, and lots of broccoli and celery with ranch dressing for dipping. My drinks were water and Crystal Light in the bottle (the bottles have sucralose, not aspartame). That's fairly typical. I ate all that, and STILL lost a pound.

However, my dinner is my largest meal of the day most days. I am on Herbalife Gold plan, so my first two meals consist of protein shakes and protein bars. Sometimes, I will go out for lunch, but that's only about once or twice a week. I usually have the protein bar later in the afternoon, rather than at lunch. I ran out of the Herbalife bars, so I am using Atkins bars right now. I will also occasionally have a can of tuna with mustard, garlic and dill spices at work if I feel like a snack, or macadamia nuts, which are high fat and low in carbs. I have nowhere to store anything cold, so I don't use mayo at work.

I strongly believe that it's an increased workout routine that's helped me lose, but I could be wrong.

I don't know if you are losing TOO fast or not. For someone your (and my) weight I don't think that anything up to the range of three to four pounds a week is unacceptable - if it's being done right. Five pounds is probably pushing it a bit but probably not by a huge amount. The key is in how you are achieving these results - IF you are truly eating enough calories (probably something on the order of 2500 at the mininum for you) and you are exercising vigorously, then 5#/wk for at least a good little while is probably not too dangerous. What you have to watch out for are three things - if you are losing this fast because you are not eating enough calories then you might be burning up lean muscle. That's not good. Then, even if that five pounds is fat (and is likely more if you are eating enough and building muscle from all the exercising) you have two concerns. One is from the various toxins and hormones that can get stored in fat cells and that get released into your system when the fat gets burned. If that happens at too high a rate it can cause problems. Being sure to stay very hydrated will help out there. The other problem is the adjustments that your body has to make in response to weight changes and the limits on how quickly it can make them - particularly things like your electrolyte balance.

As long as you are feeling good and are SURE that you are eating enough to meet your BMR calorie needs and are staying hydrated you will probably be okay but I would keep an eye on things and be prepared to slow your pace down if things seem to be going astray - and I would also expect your weight lose to slow down anyway of its own accord.

Now, having given you all these pearls of wisdom, you have to take them at face value knowing that I am NOT a doctor or in any other way qualified to give firm, expert advice in these matters. This is based on my experience, my readings and my interactions with others. As always, the best advice comes from a physician (one that is LC-friendly in general) and, if you want to maintain that type of weight loss for much longer, I would recommend seeing one. If nothing else, it will ease your own mind to get your electrolytes checked periodically.

Best of luck to you.

I appreciate the reply, wbahn. I've seen you around here a lot.

I think I have had some electrolyte problems - twice during this low-carb WOE started back in June. Supplements have corrected the imbalance on both occasions. Right now, I feel great.

I think that if I decreased my physical activity, my weight loss rate would also decrease to a more standard rate. My physical activity is about as much as it can possibly be at this time.

I will continue to monitor my rate of weight loss. I think it will naturally decrease on its own. I also think that I will be due for a plateau in another 10-30 pounds or so, as 270-290 was a weight range I had been at in the past.

When I started this weight loss journey back in February, I weighed 380. When I started watching carbs, I was 366 in May. On June 28th, I signed up for Herbalife's low-carb Gold plan, and weighed 356.

Today, I weigh 280! One hundred pounds gone!!!

Hi, bmeloche--
I don't really have anything to add to the excellent advice you have received here, I just wanted to say, WOW! I am so impressed with your dedication and your weight loss efforts--and keep up the good work!

Oops! I didn't mean to say just efforts, but RESULTS!

I can't comment on weather you are losing too quickly (it may be part of jelousy since I'm "stuck" right now) but I just wanted to comment on how TERRIFIC your doing!!!!! Certainly doesn't sound like your starving, your eating veggies and exercising - win! win! win!
Keep up the great job!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Marie.

I guess I just count myself lucky. I have struggled with my weight for so long. I had given up a few times, and until recently, I thought I didn't have the strength to do what it would take to lose the weight.

Something changed in me. It wasn't instantaneous, but it wasn't gradual, either. It came in waves. Determination came before I had the technique down. I became determined in the period from late May to late June. I started seeing more results, and it appeared like I was going to be able to do it this time. As time has passed, I have gotten stronger, and more determined. The job change and move will not stop me (see my journal for details). Only grave sickness or injury could stop me, but I don't think that even those things could stop me now (unless my life was threatened).

My weight loss has been rapid, but it hasn't been unhealthy. I am not just losing weight; I am transforming into a new person. I will not stop until the transformation is complete.

I just went back and read wbahn's message. I think I have been increasing my lean body mass, especially recently. In the last month, my strength and stamina have increased dramatically. I think if I go off of exercise for a while, my weight loss rate would decrease. The rate of decline slowed a bit when I went back to Canada, and it probably will again in the next couple of weeks as I go to the two conferences in Orlando and move to West Virginia (see journal).

The most I've lost in a week is 11.3 pounds and I just looked and there have been 60 days in the 280 that I've been on this diet in which I've lost 6 or more pounds in a week. And 31 days that show 7 pounds or more lost in a week.

I started on February 4th at 330 pounds and managed to get to 271 today. I only have 21 to go to reach my goal of 150.

I am now walking 13.5 miles/day and doing lots of other things that burn up calories. Like repainting my house inside and out.

Losing weight that fast has never made me feel bad in any way and I'm pretty well convinced that I'm a lot better off without the weight than I ever was with it.

For more of my story feel free to come read my journal at the link below.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...4879#post614879

For what it's worth there have only been 12 times that I've lost nothing or gained weight in a seven day period. And most of those have been in the last month or so as I've gotten closer to my goal weight.

Don

I have just moved from Jacksonville, FL to the Charleston, WV area, and my weight loss has slowed as a result. I have lost only four pounds in the last two+ weeks. I expected this, since I knew I was going to be forced to work out less.

I finally worked out for the first time last night since arriving. My workout wasn't as good as it has been in the past, but I attribute that to dealing with new equipment.

Dvellio: It sounds like you've been working out like crazy, too. It certainly makes a big difference.

bmeloche,

Congrats on the 100 lbs gone! You must feel wonderful. I know I do since I have lost 60+. I still have a ways to go, but knowing I could lose that much, another 30+ doesn't seem so bad.

My weight loss has slowed down a lot lately, but that's ok. I figure if I stabilize for a bit, I'll go back to losing again at a regular rate. I hope anyway.

Again, Congratulations on the hard work and success!