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#11
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On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 12:01:22 -0800, "GaryG"
wrote: "Carol Frilegh" wrote in message ... In article , GaryG wrote: "Mike Turco" wrote in message news:IBvJd.1584$1t.297@fed1read06... I've been "dieting" for four months and have come down from 290 to 265. That comes out to about 1.3 lb/week. Considering that there were a couple of small setbacks maybe that's not so bad. I'm wondering other people experience in terms of average weight loss. Specifically, pounds lost divided by weeks of dieting. Its one thing to lose two pounds a week some weeks but not others, vs. sustaining that rate with no fluctuation or setbacks. My original goal was x pounds by such-and-such date based on losing 2lb/week. That just doesn't seem like a realistic way of looking at the situation. Maybe my real goal should be to stick with a healthy way of eating, and gradual weight loss is just one indicator of success. Thanks, Mike fat/still fat/not fat You have achieved a very respectable rate of weight loss. Most authorities recommend losing around 1 lb per week (2 lbs / week is feasible, but difficult for most folks to maintain over the long term). 1.3 lbs/week of weight loss translates into an average deficit of 650 calories per day. At this rate, you can expect to lose around 68 lbs in one year, but don't be in a hurry to lose the weight. You didn't gain it overnight, and slow and steady weight loss is generally healthier (and more likely to be successful). You don't mention exercise...if you're not doing so, try to incorporate some form of physical activity into your program. It will help with weight loss, and has many other health benefits. Finally, congratulations on your success to date, and keep up the good work! Gary and Mike, it's been my experience since 1967 that men metabolize a little differently than women and two pounds a week is indeed a safe and respectable rate. I believe men should have a higher daily protein intake than women at least that is a very old WW protocol. Exercis is great and important but don't be suprised if you build some muscle which is a different kind of weight. Also fat retains water weight more than muscle which is more compressed. if you start to exercise but don't lose at the same rate, don't be discouraged and do continue to exercise as fitness is as important as weight losss IMO. I agree that, for men, 2 lbs per week is a safe rate of loss. However, I'm not so sure that it is feasible to plan on achieving that rate, especially over a longer time frame. 2 lbs per week (1000 cal/day) requires a level of dedication to diet that many would find difficult to maintain. With an agressive diet and exercise program, it can certainly be done, but I suspect that rate of loss is exceptional for most folks. I also think the "exercise builds muscle which can cause weight gain because it weighs more than fat" argument has been overstated. Most obese folks already have excess musculature in addition to excess fat (the excess muscles are required to move their fat around). As fat weight is lost, the body no longer needs some of the muscles that were involved, so muscle mass is reduced proportionaly. This is natural, and as long as an exercise program is incorporated, it's not a bad thing. FWIW, I would love to see some studies done on this...there's so much talk about "preserving muscle mass", but I've not seen any research on how much muscle mass is normally lost when an obese person loses large amounts of weight. I suspect it's a fairly substantial amount, but haven't seen research to confirm my suspicions. I'd be curious about this too. In losing virtually half my body weight, I've no doubt I lost some muscle too, but it's hard to quantify. I am less strong, but that measure is a bit skewed (at least upper body strength) because I had a fairly serious shoulder injury that held back my training quite a bit for much of that time. I do think I did a lot of the things that are supposed to help preserve muscle, except that my increased cardio (primarily running) probably was somewhat detrimental to that purpose. I'd estimate that on the power lifts I'm lifting about 2/3 as much now as I was at about twice the body weight. (On the Olympic lifts, I'm closer to what I could do before, due to improved flexibility and speed (and just generally improving my form over time). ) Translating this into ratio of muscle loss to fat loss requires that I know how much muscle I started with, though. Chris 262/134/(130-140) started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004 |
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On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 09:46:19 -0800, "Mike Turco"
wrote: My original goal was x pounds by such-and-such date based on losing 2lb/week. That just doesn't seem like a realistic way of looking at the situation. Maybe my real goal should be to stick with a healthy way of eating, and gradual weight loss is just one indicator of success. I think you've made a very good point here, Mike, and you've probably answered your own question. Why not see how the healthy WOE goes for a few weeks, then evaluate any weight loss and decide whether the WOE needs tweaking. If you're losing steadily, even if it's less than 2 lbs a week, you may need to just be patient. After all, this is for ever, and don't forget changing to a healthier WOE has other benefits for your body besides just losing weight. janice |
#13
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"Chris Braun" wrote in message
... On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 12:01:22 -0800, "GaryG" wrote: "Carol Frilegh" wrote in message ... In article , GaryG wrote: "Mike Turco" wrote in message news:IBvJd.1584$1t.297@fed1read06... I've been "dieting" for four months and have come down from 290 to 265. That comes out to about 1.3 lb/week. Considering that there were a couple of small setbacks maybe that's not so bad. I'm wondering other people experience in terms of average weight loss. Specifically, pounds lost divided by weeks of dieting. Its one thing to lose two pounds a week some weeks but not others, vs. sustaining that rate with no fluctuation or setbacks. My original goal was x pounds by such-and-such date based on losing 2lb/week. That just doesn't seem like a realistic way of looking at the situation. Maybe my real goal should be to stick with a healthy way of eating, and gradual weight loss is just one indicator of success. Thanks, Mike fat/still fat/not fat You have achieved a very respectable rate of weight loss. Most authorities recommend losing around 1 lb per week (2 lbs / week is feasible, but difficult for most folks to maintain over the long term). 1.3 lbs/week of weight loss translates into an average deficit of 650 calories per day. At this rate, you can expect to lose around 68 lbs in one year, but don't be in a hurry to lose the weight. You didn't gain it overnight, and slow and steady weight loss is generally healthier (and more likely to be successful). You don't mention exercise...if you're not doing so, try to incorporate some form of physical activity into your program. It will help with weight loss, and has many other health benefits. Finally, congratulations on your success to date, and keep up the good work! Gary and Mike, it's been my experience since 1967 that men metabolize a little differently than women and two pounds a week is indeed a safe and respectable rate. I believe men should have a higher daily protein intake than women at least that is a very old WW protocol. Exercis is great and important but don't be suprised if you build some muscle which is a different kind of weight. Also fat retains water weight more than muscle which is more compressed. if you start to exercise but don't lose at the same rate, don't be discouraged and do continue to exercise as fitness is as important as weight losss IMO. I agree that, for men, 2 lbs per week is a safe rate of loss. However, I'm not so sure that it is feasible to plan on achieving that rate, especially over a longer time frame. 2 lbs per week (1000 cal/day) requires a level of dedication to diet that many would find difficult to maintain. With an agressive diet and exercise program, it can certainly be done, but I suspect that rate of loss is exceptional for most folks. I also think the "exercise builds muscle which can cause weight gain because it weighs more than fat" argument has been overstated. Most obese folks already have excess musculature in addition to excess fat (the excess muscles are required to move their fat around). As fat weight is lost, the body no longer needs some of the muscles that were involved, so muscle mass is reduced proportionaly. This is natural, and as long as an exercise program is incorporated, it's not a bad thing. FWIW, I would love to see some studies done on this...there's so much talk about "preserving muscle mass", but I've not seen any research on how much muscle mass is normally lost when an obese person loses large amounts of weight. I suspect it's a fairly substantial amount, but haven't seen research to confirm my suspicions. I'd be curious about this too. In losing virtually half my body weight, I've no doubt I lost some muscle too, but it's hard to quantify. I am less strong, but that measure is a bit skewed (at least upper body strength) because I had a fairly serious shoulder injury that held back my training quite a bit for much of that time. I do think I did a lot of the things that are supposed to help preserve muscle, except that my increased cardio (primarily running) probably was somewhat detrimental to that purpose. I'd estimate that on the power lifts I'm lifting about 2/3 as much now as I was at about twice the body weight. (On the Olympic lifts, I'm closer to what I could do before, due to improved flexibility and speed (and just generally improving my form over time). ) Translating this into ratio of muscle loss to fat loss requires that I know how much muscle I started with, though. Did you get your body fat measured prior to losing all that weight? From that you could figure out how much lean body mass you had before, and how much you have currently. Alternatively, if have body circumference measurements from before and after (neck, waist, and hip measurements), you can estimate body fat percentages using the "Navy" formula, and use that to calculate lean body mass. The Navy method is build into my WeightWare program, or you can find it online he http://www.he.net/%7Ezone/prothd2.html . -- GG http://www.WeightWare.com Your Weight and Health Diary Chris 262/134/(130-140) started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004 |
#14
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Mike Turco wrote:
I wasn't ready back then, maybe. I didn't stick with it. Welcome back, Mike. You're doing just fine and have a great attitude. Just keep it up. It will work for you! -- Snowshoeing!! Laurie in Maine 207/110 60 inches of attitude! Start: 2/02 Maintained since 2/03 |
#15
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A pound a week of steady weightloss is great progress. It is tempting to
compare to people's reports of 5 pounds in a week, but they don't tell you when they gain 6 pounds the next week. Steady progress wins the race. Keep up the good work. "Mike Turco" wrote in message news:IBvJd.1584$1t.297@fed1read06... I've been "dieting" for four months and have come down from 290 to 265. That comes out to about 1.3 lb/week. Considering that there were a couple of small setbacks maybe that's not so bad. I'm wondering other people experience in terms of average weight loss. Specifically, pounds lost divided by weeks of dieting. Its one thing to lose two pounds a week some weeks but not others, vs. sustaining that rate with no fluctuation or setbacks. My original goal was x pounds by such-and-such date based on losing 2lb/week. That just doesn't seem like a realistic way of looking at the situation. Maybe my real goal should be to stick with a healthy way of eating, and gradual weight loss is just one indicator of success. Thanks, Mike fat/still fat/not fat |
#16
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I've been graphing since last September when I started, and my average
has been a steady 8-10 lb a month - not that the week to week loss is steady since it does hang and then jump down, and then go down slooowly and then hang.....and then take another leap. It kinda cheered me up to graph the overall pattern and see a remarkably straight line emerge from what seemed like random numbers spattering around. I've tried it out for predicting where I'll be by a certain date, and its been dead on, and MUCH more accurate than what the doctor's office thought. Mary G. 194.6/142.6 as of today. |
#17
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On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 23:14:55 -0800, "GaryG"
wrote: Did you get your body fat measured prior to losing all that weight? From that you could figure out how much lean body mass you had before, and how much you have currently. I didn't, unfortunately. Nor have I had it measured now. I'm skeptical of the accuracy of the caliper method for someone who's lost this much weight, anyway, since I think a lot of it would be measuring excess skin. Alternatively, if have body circumference measurements from before and after (neck, waist, and hip measurements), you can estimate body fat percentages using the "Navy" formula, and use that to calculate lean body mass. The Navy method is build into my WeightWare program, or you can find it online he http://www.he.net/%7Ezone/prothd2.html . I could maybe guess the before waist and hip measures, but not neck. That isn't a measurement women usually take :-). The problem is, the few calculators like this that I've used give wildly different results, so they don't really have any credibility with me. Maybe someday I'll have an immersion test, but of course that won't tell me anything about the before measure. Anyway, I don't know how exactly the loss of lean tissue translate to loss of muscle. I suppose it's close, since one isn't losing bone or anything, but I think there is some downsizing of connective tissue and such. Chris 262/134/(130-140) started dieting July 2002, maintaining since June 2004 |
#18
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"Barbara Hirsch" wrote in message For me more weight came off in the beginning and less weight later. Thanks for posting that. I suspect mine is going to look quite similar, except that I shan't be at my ultimate goal weight for at least two years, so there will be a few more months. Barbara 210/124 since November 1997 I'm really impressed at the maintenance. Moira, the Faerie Godmother Day 26 of my new WOL 136.8kg/131kg/90kg |
#19
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"Cubit" wrote in message A pound a week of steady weightloss is great progress. It is tempting to compare to people's reports of 5 pounds in a week, but they don't tell you when they gain 6 pounds the next week. Also, and I'm a newbie here, it is important to bear in mind that newbies lose a lot of weight initially, posting enthusiastically while things are going well, and then no longer being around when things slow down or they fall off the sensible way of living wagon. Steady progress wins the race. Keep up the good work. Encouragement to stay with the programme is vital. Thanks. Moira, the Faerie Godmother Day 26 of my new WOL 136.8kg/131kg/90kg |
#20
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wrote in message I've been graphing since last September when I started, and my average has been a steady 8-10 lb a month - not that the week to week loss is steady since it does hang and then jump down, and then go down slooowly and then hang.....and then take another leap. It kinda cheered me up to graph the overall pattern and see a remarkably straight line emerge from what seemed like random numbers spattering around. I've tried it out for predicting where I'll be by a certain date, and its been dead on, and MUCH more accurate than what the doctor's office thought. Mary G. 194.6/142.6 as of today. Fabulous! That's over 50. Moira, the Faerie Godmother Day 26 of my new WOL 136.8kg/131kg/90kg |
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