So I weighed myself at home (over the Christmas break, it was Dec 30th) and I was 209 lbs. Weighing myself at the gym today I was 201.5!!!! I was wondering if this is normal...I'm a bit of hypochondriac and I'm afraid I've got some kind of illness, although I feel pretty healthy. My friend thinks I'm not eating enough, so I'm trying to eat more (healthily obviously). I have been working out pretty hard, I just threw myself into the gym. I do weight training (arms monday, legs wednesday and both friday) and 60 mins of HIIT on the elliptical. I also live in the city and I walk A LOT and I've just gotten a job as a cashier so I will be on my feet a lot. I've cut out fast food except for once a week and I'm trying to eat mostly fruits, lean meats and whole grains. I HATE veggies so I have Greens + drink that I have every other day.

Is this normal? I have lost weight quickly in past so I'm wondering if my body just doesn't like to be a higher weight...sorry for the rambling post, just got back from the gym and I'm tireddddd

I'm not expert but I think it is normal to lose weight fairly quickly at first then it slows down. Some of it may be water weight. I weight 303 last Tuesday, last night I weighed 291.5. I'm severely obese so I know that could pay a role in my "big" number loss but I am happy with it.
I went from eating (estimate here) 2300 calories a day to around 1600 and exercising about 15-30 minutes a day.
Congratulations on your weight loss! Keep up the good work!

Maybe when you weighed 209 on dec 30 you were a bit bloated or holding se water weight from holiday eating. However, I also lost 10 lb in my first two weeks so it is a Definately possibility and you should look at it positively

If you keep track of what you are eating then you wont have this unknown hanging over your head. Count and diary your calories, fat, sodium and nutrition intake. It helps out a lot. If you have an IPhone get the free app 'Lose It' it makes keeping track of all that stuff so easy! Also if you don’t have an IPhone, you can google calories of food and find out what you are eating.

Under eating will do you no good, bottom line, if you really feel hungry then you need some food.

In case of doubt, refill with water :-) I was loosing on average 4 lbs / week during 6 months and I'm in perfect health, so probably your loss is just pure benefit.

Same this side!

I always lose the first 10 or 20 pounds quite easily and quickly. Unfortunately, then it slows down.

This sounds normal to me. Since you weighed yourself around a time when you'd be eating more due to the holidays, its very possible that you were bloated. Losing 8 pounds in the course of 2 weeks really isn't bad, considering some of that could have been water weight as well. With you eating healthier alone, its sure to remove a pound or two.

My opinion - I'm not a doctor but just a "fat chick."

Keep doing what you're doing. And this is why: Yes, there are health consequences of losing weight quickly such as gallstones, muscle loss, hair loss, loss of menstrual cycle, and possibly nutritional deficiencies from inadequate nutrition. These are not to be sneezed at, but at the same time would be temporary. If you start taking care of your body and eating healthy foods and exercising - that can't be bad for you. The natural result, especially when you have more to lose, of eating in a healthy calorie range and exercising is weight loss. The more you have to lose, the faster the weight loss will be. If it takes 2200 calories to maintain your current weight and you start eating 1500 and exercising, you're probably netting 1200 calories/day. I don't see anything unhealthy about that, especially if your foods are the way you describe. But, you've just created a 1,000 calorie/day deficit. That's going to result (theoretically) in a 1lb loss every 3 days or 2 to 3lbs a week. That's actual body weight loss, not water loss or glycogen loss or "intestinal loss." Those losses typically come in the first week or two and can be a lot more weight than you think especially if you are at a higher weight to start with. I think the "rules" around how quickly we are supposed to lose are written for the 5'6" 150lb woman (that I don't think really exists - jk). If you are still losing more than 3lbs/week AND netting about 1200 calories/day in another couple of weeks, you might need to revisit but for the most part - CONGRATS on taking such great care of yourself.

without knowing what/how much you are eating, it's impossible to say whether it's too little.

But I can agree with everyone else that esp. when you first start a diet/healthy lifestyle, it's very common to see a big loss in the beginning, and then it tends to slow down a bit. And while 8 lbs in a couple of weeks is a wonderful and great loss, it's not really that extreme to the point of it seeming unhealthy or anything.

If you are tired all the time, or hungry all the time, then yeah, maybe need to eat a little bit more (as long as you are still making healthy choices). If you feel good, then I wouldn't worry too much.

If you're just starting out, it's not unusual to lose a lot, fast. I lost 12 pounds in my first two weeks on Weight Watchers. I know it was mostly water but it gave me the kick start I needed.

have you considered the possibility that one of the scales were wrong?

My first thought is you can't ever compare the numbers of two different scales! Even with allowing for water weight.

I do Jenny Craig and I don't have a scale at home. I only weigh at my center. I realize when I transition to maintenance I need to get one but that won't be for a while.

If huge drops continue, I would worry, but a one shot deal, *especially* after the holiday, I wouldn't worry about.

Also - try to always weigh on the same scale!!!

I agree with a lot of what's been said.

1st off 2 different scales rarely weigh the same! The 1st one could have read high, or it could have read low, same with the 2nd one.

2nd, totally totally typical to drop quick right out of the gate.

Remember this "problem" when you are not losing quite as fast.

yep. Just enjoy it but also realize it cannot keep this pace, so when it slows down (which it will), don't think you're doing something wrong. Lots of things go into the fast beginning - more weight to lose initially, so the caloric in and out is greater in the beginning. Water weight comes off in the beginning and our bodies haven't adjusted yet, so it allows quick drops, but will resist dropping later (by lowering metabolism slightly, etc).

Even now, with me, I dropped 7 pounds in one week, but I know almost all of it was water from eating tons of carbs over the holidays (which go until Jan. 7th). Next week I'll be happy with one pound!