# Why isn't it healthy to lose more than two pounds a week unless you have surgery? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518 "2005-01-13T06:13:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518/21 "2005-01-14T06:00:36Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > But the lock you are referring to is fitness, not weight loss. Walking for 90 minutes (approx. 4.5 miles at a 20-minute pace) will expend approx. 450 kcal, roughly the same as running 4.5 miles. Of course, if you ran for 90 minutes, you will have covered twice as much ground, more or less, and expend twice as many kcal. If weight loss is your goal, the amount of work performed, no matter how long it takes, is the proper key. We had a thread on this a while back. At that time I walked a set distance on a treadmill, and then after my heart rate had recovered, ran the same distance. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned about twice the calories running. Walking you always have one foot on the ground. Running you do not. This involves extra work. YMMV. Roland, last year on Jan 17 I weighed 275, and I started the Atkins diet. On July 1st I was 221. I’m 53 now and don’t lose weight nearly as fast or as easily as I used to. My sugestions? Find a diet you can live with, take suplements, get a good heart rate monitor, and do lots of cardio. Make a chart and keep track of your progress. Get in the habit on only weighing yourself once a week or so. Do it under the same conditions every time (for me it’s Sat as soon as I get up) Good luck buddy, if you have any further questions, my e mail addy is in my profile. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518/22 "2005-01-14T21:54:23Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > We had a thread on this a while back. At that time I walked a set distance on a treadmill, and then after my heart rate had recovered, ran the same distance. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned about twice the calories running. Walking you always have one foot on the ground. Running you do not. This involves extra work. YMMV. You’re still performing the same amount of work. Although you always have one foot on the ground while walking, you eventually have to lift both feet and cover the same distance on the ground. Running does involve somewhat more calories, but only slightly more, your heart rate monitor notwithstanding. It expends slightly more calories since your metabolism is increased which needs the extra calories. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518/23 "2005-01-24T22:23:30Z")
The [master](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050121.html) speaks on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518/24 "2005-01-24T22:50:19Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > The [master](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050121.html) speaks on the subject. [And his slaves mumble.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=298091) ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518/25 "2005-01-25T00:07:34Z")
IANAD, IANYD, etc. “My diet consists of about 1500 kcals per day with about 70% carbs (mostly complex) 20% protein, and 10% fat (plus I don’t eat after five at night).” 70% carbs and you wanna lose 2 pounds a week? If you can do it, more power to you. That sounds like a recipe for hell to me. I’d be constantly starving. Everyone’s body is different, though. You need way more than 1500 calories a day. You’re a guy, a big one at that. I’m a woman and need way more than 1500 calories just to function. Your metabolism is either gonna shut down or you’re going to go stark raving mad one night and hit the Oreos. 2 pounds a week is extremely fast when you think about it. That’s 104 pounds in a year. If I could do 10 pounds a month for the rest of the year I’d be deliriously happy. It’s all a matter of staying on your plan and whether or not your body will cooperate. When you hit a plateau, there’s nothing you can do but wait. With the plan you’ve outlined, if you keep it up chances are you’ll hit 220 before July 1st. The question is, how healthy are you gonna be when you do? On 1500 calories a day and all those carbs (for the love of God, take a multivitamin at least!), I’d say not very. Just chill, take it slow. And quit making dumb bets 🙂 PS: There’s nothing healthy about gastric bypass surgery and the extremely fast weight loss that follows. The thing is there’s also nothing healthy about weighing 350 pounds and being dead by your 40th birthday. I guess the doctors figure if you’re going to be unhealthy, your weight may as well be going down while you do it. ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518/26 "2005-01-25T05:14:38Z")
When you do the math, on how many calories you have to cut per pound, you realize that those with large weight losses are losing water. And inviting stroke. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-it-healthy-to-lose-more-than-two-pounds-a-week-unless-you-have-surgery/284518.md?page=1)