Losing 9-10 pounds in a week? This is the amount of weight lost by 3 of the participants. I think these guys really should be on the Biggest Loser television show! And, unlike the tv show, they don’t have the luxury of working out 7 hours a day and having a chef serve diet meals.

So the results are in for the week 1 weigh-in:

Remember, these results are not typical (I sound like a tv  commercial!). It is difficult to lose more than 1-3 pounds of body fat a week. Losing more than that is weight loss from water and perhaps even a little from muscle. We all know that weight tends to come off quicker the first week or so of a diet - especially if the diet is low carb.

Here is the math for calories and weight loss:
Let’s say a guy weighs 235 pounds and is exercising about 4 - 5 times a week. His caloric needs to maintain his weight are approximately 3200-3400 calories. Each deficit of 500 calories that he cuts out of his diet would promote a pound weight loss.
- For example, if he were to consume 2800 calories a day, he would lose one pound a week.
- 2300 calories would promote a two pound loss a week.
- 1800 calories would promote a 3 pound loss a week.
- 1300 calories would promote a 4 pound loss a week.

So you can see how it would be impossible for someone to lose a 10 pound loss of body fat in a week. Without knowing details as to how many calories the participants consumed, I would estimate that the big losers (9-10 pound weight loss guys) lost 3 1/2  pounds of fat.
This is a pic of me holding onto 5 pounds of fat!

Expections for future weight loss:

1. As I said previously, much of the weight lost from the bigger losers is from water.

2. Sometimes when people lose a lot of weight in a week, they may not lose anything in the next week or two. This is because the body is holding back onto water. So don’t get discouraged if you weight doesn’t change much at the next weigh in.

3. These guys should be looking to lose an average of 1-3 pounds a week (after the initial water loss which occurs in the first 1-2 weeks). The more you weigh, the more you could generally lose. A guy who weighs 190 would not lose as quickly as someone who weighs 230. And a woman who weighs 140 pounds and is trying to lose 10, may only end up losing 1/2- 1 pound a week. 

4. If you consistantly lose too much weight on a weekly basis, you will be losing more muscle. This is not a great idea! Not only does it make you look more flabby, it will also slow your metabolism.

 5. I believe most of these guys are exercising. This is really important to help preserve muscle mass and keep the metabolism going.

Good luck to all the participants and keep up the great work! I look forward to following your progress as the weeks go by.

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