I'm assuming this healthier way of eating is new for you and that you haven't been doing it for very long, correct?  If so, then a lot of what you lose in the first week or 2 is water weight. It is very normal to have big losses for the first few weeks, but they will slow down as you continue on.  Lots of the #%@&! in junk food and unhealthier choices cause you to retain water, so when you stop eating those foods (or as much of them), your body lets go of some of that water.  Additionally, if you have started drinking more water and eating healthier foods, you are giving your body more water, which also helps to get ride of water you may have been retaining (when you don't get enough water regularly, your body holds onto as much of it as it can since it realizes it's not getting a sufficient steady supply).

In any case, congrats on the loss!  If you are still losing as rapidly after a month of your healthier lifestyle, that might be a bit of a red flag, but in the beginning, it's pretty normal.  Also, the more you weigh to start with, the more you can safely lose each week.  A max loss of 2 pounds a week might be fine when you only have, say, 20 pounds to lose total, but it's pretty normal to lose quicker at first when you've got a lot of weight to lose (I'm not sure what your goal is, so I don't know how much you have to lose, but I belong to a group of women who started at 300+ pounds, and losing 5-7 pounds a week is pretty common there).

I would say as long as you've lost the weight by making healthier choices and habits (no 500-calorie-a-day crash diets or any such nonsense ), then keep up the good work!

Last edited on 23 Mar 2007 07:04 pm by jillybean720