Is Losing 4 pounds a week healthy?

Answer 1

On Feb 1, 2007 I was 230 Lbs. I am a male at 5'9" in height. I changed my diet to 6 small meals a day. I eat every 3 hours starting at 7 am with my biggest meal for breakfast about 500 calories then about 350 calories for second meal and decreasing about 50 calories per meal from there. I get a workout IMMEDIATELY BEFORE breakfast, this kickstarts my metabolism, and then I usually eat an apple then oatmeal with whole grain bread and milk. The oatmeal is digested SLOWLY so my boosted metabolism causes my body to digest my bodyfat (at least thats what I've been reading). I incorporate alot of vegetables into my meals, it helps to satisfy my hunger without excess calories, plus they have vitamins galore. Talking about excess calories, I cut out fruit juices, soda, or any liquids other than water and milk. Fruit juices and soda usually contain alot of sugar I find, which your body will use to fuel your body, instead of digesting your food into glucose(sugar), your body will store it as fat. I try to do something anything that will cause me burn calories, exercise, housework sometimes shadowboxing or exercycling ,anything before I eat, this keeps my metabolism up to speed. Planning your meals is important and don't prepare too much food or you might eat it all, a lesson I learned my first week. Self control and planning are critical. It is now March 3, 2007 I weighed 212Lbs, 18 pounds I lost ,I still can't believe how easy it is really. 18 pounds shed in 30 days, thats 0.6 pounds per day or 4.2 pounds per week, I feel great and I look so different. People say my skin is so much brighter and I look different and that makes me feel good. I am full of energy and I am so much happier so I must be healthy. So...I say yes It is healthy to lose 4 pounds a week( but I am not a doctor LOL).
Veggies, fruit, whole grains, lean meats and WATER. I am lactose intolerant so I dont get much dairy, just enough milk to get some calcium. Its important to eat, as eating increases your metabolism as well. I must add that my weight loss wasn't immediately apparent as I was gaining muscle mass when I started working out. Muscle is heavier than fat and more muscle means more calories burning throughout the day. Also, less sodium in my diet meant my body shed excess water as well. Don't eat out of a can and don't drink out of a can. Canned foods are usually high in sodium and/or sugar. I didn't have to buy anything special I'm actually saving alot of money, the healthier foods cost far less and tapwater is cheap.(well my water bill is 100 dollars every three months so I'm gonna start drinking the stuff instead of just flushing it down the toilet). Just one more thing, fasting will reduce your metabolism and the amount of sodium in your body, and you will drop weight fast but its all water weight which you gain right back plus more when you start eating again because your metabolism is so low.

Answer 2

This all depends on how much you currently weigh now. If you are a 5'0 90 lb person, no it's not healthy. If you're 269 pounds and only 5'4, yes this is healthy. I know - I've been there. On the Biggest Loser, those contestants were sometimes losing up to 20 pounds or more in a week - this is because they had a lot to lose.

Again, it's all a matter of figures - what do you weigh - what's your BMI - how's your muscle mass - what's your height? ETC.

Answer 3

If you are very heavy (as in, over 100 pounds overweight) , and you are just starting out, then it is actually normal. Your body is kinda shocked into it. However, it should slow down in a month or so to 1-2 pounds a week.

Answer 4

not typically

losing about a pound or 2 per week can be done in a healthy way consistently, but 4 pounds per week for an extended period of time can do some damage to your body..

make sure you are keeping a healthy diet and a healthy exercise schedule

crash dieting will only hurt your body

Answer 5

No. You should only lose 2-3 pounds a week.

Answer 6

2 pounds a week is what you should lose a week at the most. Any more would be to much.

Answer 7

As long as you are doing it in a healthy way and not taking a bunch of pills to help curve your appetite. There is no harm, the weight lose will slow down on it's own after a little while.

Answer 8

They usually say about 3 pounds is average but the more you are overweight the more that you tend to lose.

Answer 9

No it 's too much, 2 pounds is more than enough, slow and steady wins the race.

Answer 10

Yes, it can be healthy depending on how overweight you are to start out with and what kind of diet you're on.