Did I go too far? Weight loss journey

Hey everyone,

I’m reaching out here because I’m not sure who else to turn to for some actual expert—or at least experienced—advice....

Back in December, about two months ago, I was weighing in at 212 pounds. I'm 5'11" and my BMI was sitting at 29. I'm 25 years old. My job is strictly desk work, which means my activity level has been basically zero for the last three or four years, even though I was pretty active in sports when I was younger. I also smoke, and honestly, my lazy lifestyle has started to get on my nerves.

I finally decided to turn things around. I started studying calorie counts and cutting back my intake significantly. I used to average about 4,000 calories a day. I know that sounds high, but for context, I’d frequently crush eight eggs with ham for breakfast and wash it down with a quart of milk. 👎

Now, I’ve swapped all that junk for massive amounts of fruits and vegetables, which I’ve always liked anyway. I’m hitting about 1,500 calories a day now, but I stay full by eating huge volumes of tomatoes, onions, carrots—basically stuff that fills you up without the heavy caloric load.

I also started swimming three times a week for an hour and a half per session. If I can't make it to the pool, I try to compensate by doing as many sit-ups, push-ups, and squats as I can right there at my office desk....

The thing is, I’ve lost 13 pounds in just three weeks, and now I'm starting to worry. I need some input: am I overdoing it, or is this just water weight dropping off? Either way, my clothes are fitting completely differently—I've already dropped two belt notches.

PLS help... and THANKS!👍

Look, I’m no expert, but it doesn't sound nearly as catastrophic as you're making it out to be. I guess the main thing is just ensuring you feel okay and aren't dealing with any health issues from the rapid weight loss. It's not like you're starving yourself; you're just eating right and hitting the gym.

Losing 6 pounds in just three weeks is a bit too aggressive. Slow things down a touch and you'll be just fine. If you push it this hard, you might end up throwing your whole metabolism out of whack...

David Martinez61 said:Hey everyone,

I don't really know where else to turn for some expert—or even just experienced—advice, so I figured I'd ask here....

Back in December, about two months ago, I was weighing in at 211 pounds. I'm 5'11" and my BMI was sitting at 29. I'm 25 years old. I work a desk job, so my activity level has been basically zero for the last three or four years, even though I was super active when I was younger. I smoke, and honestly, my lazy lifestyle has started getting on my nerves.

I finally decided to change everything. I learned how to use calorie tracking apps and started cutting back significantly. I used to be averaging around 4,000 calories a day. Yeah, I know that's huge, but for comparison, I’d regularly crush eight eggs with ham for breakfast and wash it down with a quart of milk. 👎

Now, I've swapped out all that junk for massive amounts of fruits and veggies, which I've always loved anyway. I'm eating about 1,500 calories a day now, but I try to stay full by eating things like tomatoes, onions, and carrots—basically high-volume foods that fill you up without the heavy calories.

On top of that, I started swimming. I hit the pool three times a week for an hour and a half each session. If I can't make it to the pool, I try to make up for it with sit-ups, push-ups, and squats right there in my office whenever I can....

The thing is, I lost 13 pounds in just three weeks, and now I'm starting to get a little worried. I need advice—did I go too far, or am I just losing water weight???? Either way, it's obvious from my clothes and belt that I've actually shrunk quite a bit (dropped two sizes)....

PLS help... and THANKS!👍

Based on what you wrote, you are dangerously low on protein... especially if you're being this active...
Besides just learning those calorie charts, you need to figure out how many calories you're burning while swimming. Adjust your intake on those days and feel free to eat more than 1,500... that number is honestly pretty low.

Edward Sanchez72 said:Based on what you just wrote, you are dangerously low on protein... especially considering how active you are.
Beyond just tracking your macros, start tracking exactly how many calories you burn while swimming. Adjust your intake accordingly; feel free to go over 1,500 on those days. That’s actually quite low.

Hmm, I read somewhere—I think it was on a fitness blog—that if you maintain a 500-calorie deficit daily, you'll lose about two pounds a week. 🤷

As for protein, don't worry. I eat plenty of meat. It's not like I'm eating an entire deep-dish pizza; I stick to 4–7 ounces of chicken or turkey breast. Instead of fries, I'll have a salad, some tomatoes, or Greek yogurt (never sour cream). For dessert, I usually just grab some orange juice, grapes, or even just a few glasses of water.

I eat four small meals a day, and none of them exceed about two handfuls of food. That seems to be the sweet spot for me.

My main goal is to lose the belly fat and the "love handles." Since targeted fat loss isn't really a thing, I assume I just need to reduce my overall body fat percentage. Is that right?

THANKS

David Martinez61 said:Hmm, I think I read somewhere, maybe on fitness.com, that if you maintain a 500-calorie deficit every day, you'll drop about two pounds a week. 🤷

As for protein, I’m not worried. I eat meat—not like an entire pizza, obviously, just maybe 100-200 grams of chicken or turkey. Instead of potatoes, I'll go with salad, tomatoes, or yogurt (nothing heavy like sour cream)... And for dessert, usually just some orange juice, grapes, or a couple glasses of water....
I eat four small meals a day, nothing larger than what fits in two handfuls.... That seems to be my sweet spot....
My main goal is to lose the gut and those side rolls. Since you can't really target fat loss, I guess I just need to lower my overall body fat percentage.... Is that right?

THANKS

That's exactly it.... there's just one more thing to consider...
if you're active or playing sports... your daily protein requirements go up... and if you're doing a really intense workout, say at a CrossFit gym, your needs might jump to something like 130 grams of protein a day....
You'll survive without that 130 grams... definitely, and you'll still lose the weight you want... but you're going to lose muscle mass too.
I don't assume you're trying to look like a Greek god... you don't have to... and I'm just saying this as friendly advice, not judging how you want to look, but thinking about your joints, ligaments, and cartilage...
Just check how much protein is in 100 grams of chicken or turkey, or how much is in milk and yogurt, and adjust your intake based on how much you're moving.
Doing 4-5 meals is great... it's a solid way to do it... and your body will respond to the change... not just because of the calorie deficit, but because your metabolism is getting a serious boost...
But since you've got the discipline to make this kind of change, start looking past just the weights and the bench press...
Nutrition is a science that prioritizes health and quality of life first... then comes the bench press. 🙂

All in all... kudos to you for taking these steps!

Losing fat shouldn't be the primary reason for changing your diet... losing subcutaneous fat should actually just be a welcome side effect of building healthy eating habits...

It’s not a disaster. If you’re actually worried, bump it up to 1,800 calories. Once the weight loss stalls, drop it back down to 1,500. You won't die, so stop stressing.

To lose one pound, you need a 3,500 calorie deficit. Do the math.

David Martinez61 said:I used to crush 8 eggs with ham for breakfast and wash it down with about a quart of milk. 👎

Good grief, I don't even eat that many eggs in an entire year. 🤣

If you feel fine—meaning no fatigue or brain fog—and you can manage the hunger crash when dropping from 4,000 calories down to 1,500 without losing your mind, then there’s no reason to panic. Just cook up some lentils, beans, or whatever legumes you have on hand to bump up your protein intake. Period. Get blood work done every once in a while to see if anything is actually off so you can adjust accordingly.

Otherwise, props to you for the discipline and willpower. 👍

Thanks for all the support, everyone....

Honestly, the social aspect is the hardest part. You have no idea how brutal it feels to head out with the crew to McDonald's after a workout, sitting there starving while you watch everyone else just demolish their food, and you've got absolutely nothing. I actually avoided going out at first because I was paranoid about what I’d say at the counter—I’d be staring at the water menu and end up ordering a Big Mac instead. It was total chaos. But things are getting easier now. I've discovered some quick, simple recipes I can whip up at home that taste incredible and actually fit within this diet....
Right now, I'm sitting at 200 lbs, and my goal is to burn off enough to hit 185 lbs within seven months. I don't think it'll be much of a struggle once I get back into cycling and hiking....

Thanks again to all of you....