Argh! I am so mad right now. Ok, so my mom knows about my weight loss and had told one of her friends about it (which is fine with me. I don't really care - they are in San Diego anyway). Well, her friend came up to her today and asked how much I had lost so far. My mom told her that I had lost 29 lbs since the beginning of the year, and the woman freaked out. This is what she said, according to my mom:
"Hey - (name removed) asked me how you were doing yesterday and I told her that Wednesday was always the day. So she came by today and I told her you lost six pounds this week, making 29 total since Jan 1. She flipped out and said I needed to find out what kind of drugs you were on because that wasn't normal weight loss, even her friend who had stomach surgery didn't have that type of weight loss, blah blah blah. I told her you weren't taking anything, you were eating much less and exercising like a fiend. She can't believe it and says I should be worried, that you must be taking a ton of dieuretics or something. She looked as if she were going to cry."
SO I have a couple questions. First off, is it that bad to lose this weight that fast?? I am sure most of it is still water weight and it will slow down soon. But I'm not on any drugs besides a daily women's vitamin. The only lifestyle changes I've made are that I eat a lot less (I used to average 3500 cal a day) and I exercise for an hour every night. I feel really healthy and not run-down or anything.
Second question is have you run into people like this? The woman is very heavy herself and I wonder if she is just saying that because she can't control her own weight? I don't know. It just makes me mad that she is trying to make my mom worried about me.
First I don't know if this woman has any idea what you weighed initially.
When you are higher you can lose weight in larger amounts. If you were 180 lbs and lost 29lbs in 6 weeks then it might be an issue.
You have made a HUGE lifestyle change and you are doing it safely.
You have gone from what I assume is no exercise and 3500 calories a day
now you are exercising an hour a day and eating less calories. I'd say if you aren't going below 1000 cals a day you are doing just fine. I think ideally you'd want to eat close to 2000. I'm not a dietician though.
some people just don't understand and that was really busy bodied to even comment instead of saying 'That is great'
They say ideally you should lose 2.5 lbs a week (2-3 lbs), plus if you have water weight its easily 10 lbs. I think you are right on track. I wish I could have lost 29lbs I've only lost the 4 lbs from the two weeks before Christmas!
Quite complicated issue here…except for one thing: The person you refer to in your post should mind her own business…..that’s it. If she is not capable; tell your mom to stay discreet with that person about your weight loss journey.
Now as for losing 29 pounds in 5 weeks; there are pros and cons. When you first start dieting, it is normal to see numbers dropping down very fast; and yes it is possible that you’ve lost an important volume of water.
On the other hand, I have to admit that 6 pounds a week loss is a lot. However as long as you do not starve yourself and do not feel tired all the time; then i guess it would be OK. Just to be sure, you may want to check with your doctor
I guess I should explain a bit more. I started my weight losss journey 6 weeks ago - so it averages a little less than 5 lbs per week. I actually feel really good. I eat about 1400-1800 calories a day, which is more than enough food for me. And I exercise about an hr each night (usually on the elliptical). Oh, and I also started playing rugby so I run around a lot on the weekends.
I checked with my doctor when I started and he suggested eating between 1600-2100 calories, so I'm a little less than that, but otherwise the weight just seems to be falling off by itself. Especially since I started at 318.
First of all, congratulations on your loss!! GREAT JOB!!! Sounds like you're doing all the right things and it's definitely paying off!
Liz is right; at a higher weight, you do lose more initially. It's perfectly normal and frequently occurs for folks in your current circumstances at the start of a significant lifestyle overhaul.
In answer to your first question: in a word, NO. If you were 160 pounds, yeah, but going from 318 to 289 in a month is not only not a problem, it's ADVISED! I can't remember what I lost my first month, when I started at 284, but I do know it was well over 20 pounds -- and I was checking into a doc during that first month and he was nothing but pleased....particularly as he was watching my blood pressure steadily decrease.
As for the second question: Yes, I HAVE run into people like this, and I just keep on walking. In the words of my beloved, "Don't you worry your pretty little face about it." Seriously! No matter her intentions, her behavior was irresponsible. I would concern yourself less with this poor foolish woman and more with informing yourself about the safety of your current choices and sharing that new knowledge with your mom. She needs to know that you're doing just FINE for yourself, and that it's perfectly ok to keep on being proud of you.
I applaud you, and am very proud of you. Now don't you worry your pretty little face! And enjoy this loss while it's occurring....then be at peace and keep your eye on your longterm goals when the loss slows down.
I don't really know you but here is my two cents. Not all people are gifted with intelligence (not saying I am either). This is something I always have to remember. Everyone does have there moments. Normally I have to come up with something smart to say back to people like that. Probably something like, yes I have been doing something extreme and I just know it would work for you too! Then I would tell them exactly how much exercise and dieting I had been doing.
I love Rugby by the way. I want to play for the University here. My boyfriend just thinks they would love me (he played when he was going there). I can't run how am I gonna play?
Suz...Congrats on the loss and the lifestyle changes you have made for yourself. You should be extremely proud of yourself. We are all proud and inspired.
I have to agree with the others. First, it is ok for you to lose as much as you have so far. It will slow down a bit as your weight drops.
Second, pple will continue to give you their opinions and unfortunatly, sometimes, they will say things that will upset you. When I lost 60 lbs a couple of years ago, I weighed at 195 lbs, my uncle sat me down and told me he was worried about my weight, because I was getting too skinny. Too skinny at 195 lbs???? Yeah, go tell society that.
I would just assure your Mother that you are losing weight as you are. And politely ask her not to really discuss details with strangers.
Again...my hats off to you for all of your hard work.
Hi,
I say forget her!!! I think everyone has made some very valid points about your starting weight and your huge lifestyle change. Of course everyone's body responds differently to lifestyle changes and one person may lose none and another 7. That's life. When you are trying to lose weight people always want to give their opinions (even if you don't ask) or try to "help" you (even though you didn't ask), but ultimately it is up to you. Live your life and do what you know is best for you.
Well, the others who have already responded have said a lot of what I would have said to you, but I just wanted to add my encouragement and support. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. I believe that our bodies tell us what we need if we listen. And it's true that the heavier you are, the more you lose at first. Listen to your body and keep up the great work!
Also, there will always be people who have some comment or other to make. I actually struggle with this because I am more of the shy type and I think people try to get into other people's business too much. I hate when people comment on anything related to my personal life, especially my weight - even if it's positive (I know, I have a problem). That is one of my major struggles in this journey. But I am realizing that these people don't have to live with me every single day - only I do - and I need to do what is right for me.
One question & one question only--IS SHE A DOCTOR???!?!?!?!?!?! If not, it's nice that she is concerned for you, but that's as far as it should go. You are doing great!!!
Suz - congrats on the weight loss... and more importantly the change in diet and exercise (the weight loss is just a symptom of those, yes?)....
If you're concerned about your amount of weight loss, check with your doctor... but I personally don't think it's alarming but rather more of what would be expected given the major lifestyle changes that you've recently undertaken.
In my experience with weight loss efforts over the years, one of the things that you need to deal with is mom... and other people's comments. Don't let them sabotage your efforts... and if find those comments are discouraging to you... develop some boundaries and don't discuss the details of your weight loss with those folks... just tell them it's going fine, thanks for asking. And then look for support, first in medical terms with your doctor... and then develop your own support team (like on this site)... there are many people who want to sabotage your efforts (and may not realize it consciously)... so part of this is learning skills to deal with that.
If you're losing like that, feeling good, and your doctor is okay with it... GO FOR IT!!!
Your weight loss is similar to mine: I lost 37 pounds in seven weeks when I started and I'm still alive. And I'll tell you it does slow down. I think if it didn't, then we'd have problems.
I usually find people who make disparaging comments about someone's weight loss are jealous.
I called if fluffy fat. I don't know about you but I was verrrry sedentary and really ate alot. So when I jumped on the bandwagon ... 1200 cals and walking ... I lost large chunks of weigh at the beginning.
Little changes cause little changes. Big changes cause big changes. Pretty simple really.
If you lost 6 pounds every week I'd say that may cause a problem but you do lose more at the beginning (mostly water, etc.). The first week I was on WW, I lost 9.4 lbs and in 8 weeks, I had totaled 24.2, so it slowed down to the normal approximately 2 lbs a week that WW suggests you lose. I still have weeks where I lose 1 lb and weeks I lose 4, so I think that woman overreacted.
Disbelief
Seriously! No matter her intentions, her behavior was irresponsible. I would concern yourself less with this poor foolish woman and more with informing yourself about the safety of your current choices and sharing that new knowledge with your mom. She needs to know that you're doing just FINE for yourself, and that it's perfectly ok to keep on being proud of you. 
