Have you lost weight since you got your Fitbit?

[Rnda]

I am the exact same weight as I was when I got my Flex 3 1/2 months ago!

How about you?

I'm hoping with Spring here and Summer around the corner, that my walking will increase. 

Moderator edit: title

[SunsetRunner]

Well yea eating right is good, but only eating 1,500 calories and burned 9,000 . That's 7,500 different.. that's seem like a lot.

[badavis0714]

That was one day. One hour of walking for me burns 1,000 calories. As bad
as it sounds, I guess that is the only "benefit" to being extremely
overweight. On that day, I did 35,000 steps. That plus the calories burned
from just being alive put it right at 9,000. My diet is setup and based off
of a 5,000 calories burned in a day. If I was to shoot for 9,000 calorie
per day goal I would definitely consume more calories.

[SunsetRunner]

Ok , sorry. I wasn't sure how safe or not.

[badavis0714]

No worries. I am aiming for a 3,500 per day deficit. Most days I nail it. Some short, some over. I'm fairly certain doctors and fitness experts wouldn't recommend it but they operate with a sense of liability so it would only make sense for them to say so. It is up to people to take any and all information into consideration before starting any diet and do what they feel is best for them.

[A_Lurker]

I do wish you luck, but if you don't mind I'll add my own quick cautionary tale.  The day I realised that I had hit 407 lbs I made a decision to do something about it.  Low calorie / increasing exercise worked well for a while.  When I hit a plateau the options were to decrease calories and ramp up the exercise.  I was working out every day before work (we had a gym) and bought a treadmill for home (it was winter).  The medical opinion is that somewhere along the way I had a cold (which I ignored) and ended up in the hospital with a pleural effusion.  They took more than a litre of fluid away from the lining around one lung.  I had lost over 100 lbs at this point (and I actually maintained around 300 for quite a while).

Years later I started again.  Without a tracker or a heart rate monitor I vowed to eat more.  I had a chest strap monitor and I suffered through wearing it 24 hours one weekend and I burned between 3000 and 4000 calories.  I discounted that amount and decided not to eat more than 2000 calories.  I know recognize that my weekends were my low burn days.  I was in a job where I was much more active than my current.  I felt I spent a lot of my days walking around the plant, very little at desk time.  I was working full time, taking classes at night, and my quality of food in wasn't as good as it had been in the past (less time).  This time my hemoglobin levels tanked.  (120-160 normal, mine 40)  Two sets of blood transfusions, iron supplements, and lots of red meat later I was good.  Multiple tests never did determine the source.

The problems with starting with low calories when you're very overweight is that there's nothing to cut when it's time.  Obviously, different people will have different reactions to rapid weight loss.  My past experience tells me that this doesn't work for me.  It may work for you, but as you get lighter you may struggle with what changes.  I could more easily burn higher calories almost 80 pounds ago than I can now.  I still found a couple of times that I was tempted to cut my calories back, but increasing actually helped my weight loss.  Now I eat 1000 calories less than I burn, but stop at 2500 calories even on days I hit 4000+.  However, doing this means that I'll have to naturally ramp up my activity, or curb my eating.  A hundred more pounds down and I'll likely bring that target closer together so that when I finally finish losing weight I'll be pretty much eating and exercising at a level I can continue.

So again, best of luck, but consider planning what happens at the next step.  Eating little and burning tons of calories may not be a lifestyle you want to maintain.

[shipo]

Just my opinion here, but burning 9,000 calories a day and only consuming 1,500 is not only unhealthy, regardless of the quality of the food, it will lead to the breakdown of critical organs and neuro-muscular systems.  I am an endurance athelete and can easily burn 6,000 calories in a day, and even when I was overweight, consuming even as few as four or five thousand calories would lead to severe exaustion.

[badavis0714]

I guess you missed the part where I said that was one day. Thank you for
your opinion though.

[badavis0714]

In my opinion, one day will not do any of those things you speak of. That would take a period of time and a body would most likely not be able to sustain that type of regiment. That's like saying you will get cirrhosis of the liver from one beer or lung cancer from one cigarette. Just my opinion though.

[Heybales]

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@badavis0714 wrote:
No worries. I am aiming for a 3,500 per day deficit. Most days I nail it. Some short, some over. I'm fairly certain doctors and fitness experts wouldn't recommend it but they operate with a sense of liability so it would only make sense for them to say so. It is up to people to take any and all information into consideration before starting any diet and do what they feel is best for them.

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Please keep updating this thread with results - perhaps bi-weekly.

I've never, ever in 5 years of forums on MFP or almost as long here on Fitbit seen anyone return with success from those kinds of plans, despite confidence in the plan and saying they would. Couple updates then gone in the wind. And in checking profiles down the road, it's not because of success.

Perhaps also research the results of the study of the Biggest Loser study and why their daily burn is so much less than it could be - leading to failure to maintain.

Also keep in mind your ability to burn as much daily as you weigh less will drop, and the level of activity required to keep that burn level up will be enourmous - and that is then where that big a deficit will impact the workout levels - unless you just plan on walking fast hours and hours daily.

Here's the why behind what has been found and the potential end of story if even reached.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i_cmltmQ6A

Just trying to help in a longer term than you may be aware - only because of the experience of what I've seen by everyone so far attempting it.

By all means go for it - just be aware you are almost guaranteed to end up in a worse state later for when you attempt it again - harder and longer.

[tractorlegs]

44 pounds lost since March 10, 14 to go to get to goal! My plan will put me at my goal in 10 more weeks (by December 😎 at about 1.5 pounds lost per week. 

[Newt123]

I have lost a total of 40Ibs in the 18 months I have had my Fitbit. I had lost 10Ibs prior to getting the Fitbit and I am the slimmest I have been for about 26 yrs. I find the Fitbit does motivate me to be more active.

[USAF-Larry]

That is great, @Newt123!  Just seeing the stats on the Fitbit does motivate to acomplish more, and it is good for our health and wellbeing.

[Cristonium]

I first got my Fitbit Charge (August 11, 2015). I Started out 180 lbs, Age 16. One year later on (August 11, 2016) I was 158 lbs, Age 17. Its not alot but i went from Overweight to Average and its truly amazing!

(I Now have a Blaze, and my weight is going down. Currently sitting on 151 lbs, 3rd October)

[USAF-Larry]

That is great, @Cristonium! And, your body thanks you for taking care of it!  Keep on stepping!

[MarianneM]

I've had my fitbit HR for 18 months and hit 50lbs lost today, still have a way to go, I started at 256.8 and am now at 206.8, can't wait to get below 200lbs...my first goal is 180lbs, but ultimately want to hit 150-160.  I stay at a 1000 deficit, on extremely busy days I might be 1500-1600 under but I only eat to 1500 or 1600 calories a day, occasionally I will splurge to 1800.

[medas2005]

I am almost exactly with you.  Got to 199 one day, but have settled in around 205 after starting out last Christmas @ 265.  At some point I want to make a push for 190 or so, but I am feeling pretty well about where I am right now.  Lost 6" off my waist.

[Mach777]

Went from 217 Lbs to 166 lbs in a little over a year.       

I had hit a wall around 175, but doing challaneges and changing up activites help me plow through that wall too.  

[rachlsilver]

I've lost a little weight the first month, but now haven't lost very much since then. If you take progress pictures or pay attention to how your clothes are fitting now it could help. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are losing a lot of fat but gaining a little muscle at the same time, your weight could remain similar to before. You can check out what your body fat percentages are and measure yourself every now and then to keep track of it better. I hope this helps 🙂

[shipo]

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@rachlsilver wrote:

I've lost a little weight the first month, but now haven't lost very much since then. If you take progress pictures or pay attention to how your clothes are fitting now it could help. Muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are losing a lot of fat but gaining a little muscle at the same time, your weight could remain similar to before. You can check out what your body fat percentages are and measure yourself every now and then to keep track of it better. I hope this helps 🙂

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Two comments regarding the "muscle weighs more than fat" thing:

• A better way of saying the above is, "muscle weighs more than fat for any given volume"
• The thing is, there really isn't a huge difference; at best a pound of muscle will occupy about 12% less volume than a pound of fat.

[Gayle1018]

I've lost 30lb since June,  keeping aware of what I'm eating and trying to keep it <1000 a day. plus 10K steps.  Getting much better about everything..... feeling much better, and noticed pictures taken this week looking better too!  20 more to go..

Love the challenge- gets me motivated when I'm thinking of being a slug again...