So... First 5 pounds are off and I feel pretty happy about it. Took me a week of living on a 1000 calories and two hours in the gym every day. But I'm here and still going and feeling superb. Goodness. Can't wait till I finally can link to my blog about it

Well, wish me luck!

Your determination and dedication is admirable, but you really should slow it down. 1000 calories and two hours in the gym daily probably isn't as healthy as it sounds. Most experts aim for 2 pounds a week, anything over that and you're losing more muscle than fat.

Good luck any how!

Thanks for the advice although it seems to be working out for me so far. Cant blame me for trying, right? It's much harder this week than it was last week though. A friend of mine was on a similar diet and she had a rule of thumb to lose a pound every other day. Worked like magic for her and she barely exercised at all. I'm doing twice the work she did and it's fine so far...

We'll see what turns out from this...

I wish you luck, but I recommend that you check out the Mayo Clinic website. It can tell you the lower limit on calories that you should be eating. If you're young and healthy you're probably not hurting yourself, if you don't do what you're doing very long. Just don't see it as a lifestyle!

If you lose too quickly you risk loose skin too. If you are losing more than two pounds a week you are most likely losing muscle, and muscle actually helps your body burn more calories on it's own.

In the end, it hurts your metabolism. I lost four pounds my first week and I was eating way too little. Now I work out by lifting weights and eat properlly and I'm at a rate of 1 pound or so a week and I have no loose skin. My body composition is getting better as well.

Congratulations on the first five pounds though, please take our advice into consideration for your own health.

It is a great motivator when we see the scale moving.

I have been working out and counting calories for 6 weeks today. I eat an average of 1550 cals a day, some days are a bit lower and some a bit higher depending on how hungry I am, if I am hungry I eat, but I try to make sure it is healthy , and I also take a multi vitamin daily. I am totally hooked on the C25K program http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/chic...g-get-fit.html and I think my jogging (I never thought I would be able to jog) has really helped keep my weightloss moving I try to work out 6 days a week. My muscles are getting more defined, I am wearing smaller sizes, and the scale is moving nicely. I can imagine myself living this new healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life.

I never could have sustained my energy and working out if I was eating 1000 cals a day.

Congrats on changing your life style. Losing 5 lbs is huge!

Just keep in mind that when you crack and end up eating your entire kitchen, that very few people can live on 1000 cals for a long time. It may take weeks or even months, but it is very likely you won't be able to sustain your energy or will power at that level. So when you do crack, get back on the horse, reevaluate your strategy, and hopefully you'll soon realize losing weight doesn't have to be painful. It may be slower, but if you want to keep the weight off even when you're at goal, you have to find something can live with for the rest of your life

Congrats!! I've been aiming for 3-5lbs a week but I keep my calories at 1200-1500 a day and just work out extra to make up the difference!