Cfmama and H8cake, what diets are you on? I have to drop 123lbs and I know this is a daunting task, but I am on my own diet. How did you guys do it?
I'm a calorie counter. I started out at 1500-1600 calories per day and have dropped it down to 1200-1300 a day. I do the treadmill for 30-45 minutes 5-6 days a week. I have it on a pretty steep incline now, which really builds the leg muscles. I have gradually increased the speed so I'm always challenged. Sometimes I jog some outside too. I need to do some serious upper body stuff. I do lift 50 pound bags of sugar and flour and 50 pound boxes at the bakery all the time.
I try to eat whole foods as much as I can. You get more volume that way. I do have little bits of treats now and then, but include it in my calorie count for the day.
Don't look at the total of what you have to lose. Take it in small chunks. I focus on one decade of weight at a time. It's taken me 14-15 months to lose the 104 pounds. It's amazing how much better I felt after losing 25 pounds. Seeing the improvements drove me to continue on. Don't be overwhelmed, just dive in and make up your mind to stick to it. The year will go either way, it's up to you what you do with it.
I wish you much success! You can do it!
I'm not focusing on the speed. I don't care if it takes me 5 years. I'm concerned. I have lost 17 pounds in 12 days, and as weird as it may sound, I am sort of wishing it would level off. I don't want to get used to seeing the scale move that quickly because I know it is not sustainable. I'm also hesitant to tell people how much I've lost because of it. I've gone over and over my food journal, and my exercise journal and I'm getting plenty of calories from lots of good foods, my energy is fine (for a mom with a toddler at least..lol), so I'm just trying to see how long it was before other people saw the loss start leveling out. I should have explained more in my post, but as I said I'm a little hesitant about telling people how much I've lost and how quickly.
It sounds like you're being smart, but the thing is, you're probably not going to find enough consistency in anyone else's experience to help you much. If there's one thing I've learned in four decades of dieting, is that there is no "normal," or "typical" not only comparing yourself to others, but even comparing yourself to your prior self.
It is what it is, and that's about all you can say. I've known very heavy people who have never dieted before, who still can't pull more than a pound a week, even when they cut calories drastically. I've also seen women with 10 lbs to lose, who lose several pounds a week (those are real mysteries to me).
One thing I'd ask is what you counsider "plenty of calories," because often when you're dieting, you eat more filling foods, so you can eat far fewer calories and still feel like you're eating alot. If you're eating fewer than 1800 calories a day, you could be eating too little, even though it might seem like plenty of food.
in the beginning.. for te first 10 days i lost 14.3 pounds.. its been about the same since.. but you come to a time when it steadys and you lose about 1 pound everyweek... and sometimes less!!! dont be disencouraged if it happens! every body reacts differently and with patience you will lose it all!!
I think it's pretty normal to lose large amounts during the first few weeks of any healthier eating plan, especially if that plan involves eating less foods high in sodium. It does average out over time, so don't be discouraged if you have a week or two with smaller losses following the big drops - you're doing great!
Like many of the others, during the periods I'm on-plan, I lose about 10 lbs per month. This is an average of about 2-2.5 lbs per week, although the actual weekly numbers are all over the map, from tiny gains to maintains to losses of 5-6 pounds.
I've been at this two whole weeks (this time...)...the first week I lost 4lbs, this week I lost 5lbs. I know it will slow down to 2-3lbs per week soon, but when I was losing before (pre-pregnancy) I consistently lost 2lbs per week, which I was obviously more than happy with. I have to admit though plateaus really bother me. Last time I was losing, I think I only had one plateau that lasted a week or two. Drove me nuts...something I do definitely need to work on, being more accepting of them.
For me, the first 30 lbs came off really fast. I think its cause my body was like, whoa Nelly, what the heck happened here? Referring to reduced calories and carbs. Now it has slowed a bit, which is frustrating, but I gotta keep going!
Sept - 8 lbs - big drop in 1 week
Oct - 5 lbs - slowed down, wasn't working out to much
Nov - 11 lbs - more time at the gym
Dec - 17 lbs - ramped up the excercise big time, started to run
Jan - 3 lbs - plateau for 3 weeks, wasn't eating enough
Feb - 7 lbs - started eating more
Mar - 6 lbs - so far so good
)...the first week I lost 4lbs, this week I lost 5lbs. I know it will slow down to 2-3lbs per week soon, but when I was losing before (pre-pregnancy) I consistently lost 2lbs per week, which I was obviously more than happy with. I have to admit though plateaus really bother me. Last time I was losing, I think I only had one plateau that lasted a week or two. Drove me nuts...something I do definitely need to work on, being more accepting of them.
