Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
As of July 11th, I’ve been tracking my weight, what I’ve eaten, and Fitbit calorie burn in my 12-week fitness challenge spreadsheet. And over the course of two days, I lost more than 4 pounds. That’s two pounds per day! But, it’s not exactly what you might think.
I wasn’t doing any special diets, starvation tactics, or intense workouts while eating like a bird. No, the truth behind losing such a large chunk of weight is actually much simpler than that.
Overate Two Days Before
The first thing to keep in mind is that I had quite an emotional week. Not only did I kind of binge at my birthday party with my brother, but I had a close family pet die in my arms the days after.
And being a stress eater, the death was more than I could handle from a fitness perspective. I needed comfort food and binged on a few things that I probably shouldn’t have eaten.
This alone can vastly increase the weight you gain. In fact, I went from 235.8 to 239.2 in just two days. That’s a gain of 3.4 pounds just in junk foods.
As I said in a previous post about eating too much and how to handle it, my body simply digested all of the stuff I ate from the days before. So, a large portion of what I ate during those two days passed through my system.
This sent my actual weight back down to where it should be…coming in at 234.2 this morning.
Kept in Caloric Deficit After Bingeing
Something else that helped burn off 4 pounds in two days was the fact that I kept myself in a caloric deficit after bingeing.
Over the span of three days, I averaged an intake of 1,646 calories. I burned an average of 3,033 according to the Fitbit calorie counter. This means I averaged a deficit of 1,387 calories.
If the estimated average of one pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories, I technically burned 0.4 pounds per day. Combine that with digestion and passing food through my system, it explains how I was able to drop more than 4 pounds in two days.
Though, you have to take the “pound of fat” estimate with a grain of salt. It’s based on studies conducted back in the 1950s. However, by using the Fitbit and closely monitoring my own progress, I know that I can lose one pound of weight for every 3,400+ calories burned.
So, it’s still semi-accurate in my case.
Making Sure I Do Physically Active in Some Form
One of the most effective ways to lose weight, outside of being in a calorie deficit, is keeping active. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to join a gym for some cardio classes.
In reality, any physical activity that raises your heart rate is beneficial for burning calories. In my case, I burnt quite a few by going on walks, cleaning house, or even bouncing on the stability ball.
You can technically even burn calories by going to the store. It’s all about keeping your body in motion.
This way, you can burn off what you ate relatively quickly while improving your physical health overall. As long as you stay moving and keep your caloric intake at a deficit, you can easily drop 4 pounds in two days by simply letting your body digest what you ate.
Without adding more to the problem, that is.
Will I Consistently Lose Two Pounds Per Day?
Two pounds per day is actually an incredible amount of weight to lose. In fact, it’s extremely difficult without putting yourself at risk of other health problems. For one thing, I’m not a fan of starvation diets.
No, I don’t subscribe to intermittent fasting. For me, it doesn’t make sense to starve myself of daily nutrients in the hopes that I’ll drop weight. Plus, some studies suggest that intermittent fasting has no real benefits for weight loss compared to someone who “cuts calories.”
Not only that, but I have a problem with low blood sugar as it is. Fasting would cause all kinds of issues for me, such as passing out. Besides, I rather enjoy the foods I eat every day.
As long as you’re serving proper portion sizes according to your physical needs, you really don’t need to fast.
Now that I’ve processed all of the foods I ate a few days ago, I should revert to my average of about half a pound per day. Which isn’t really all that bad, all things considering.
Healthy living and losing weight isn’t a race. Pushing yourself too hard to drop the pounds immediately could lead to all kinds of issues, especially if you follow some of these unhealthy trends on Tik Tok.
So, it’s highly unlikely that I’ll lose 4 pounds every two days after last week’s binge eating. Furthermore, I am working on adding muscle mass. So, weight total is kind of misleading as I’ll pack on the pounds from sheer muscle.
Then again, I’m not looking to become the next Dwayne Johnson.
I Can Normally Lose Half a Pound Per Day
Because I keep track of everything in spreadsheets, I know that I can lose half a pound per day if I maintain my Net 600 Calorie Diet and keep active. So when I see major fluctuations like this, I know that it can be a number of things.
Though, I’m sure it’ll slow down once I get closer to my goal weight. This is why I’m not overly concerned with what the scale says.
Instead, I would rather focus on body fat percentage and measurements. Technically speaking, The Rock is considered obese by the BMI scale.
According to my own diet plan, I should lose roughly 0.5 pounds per day while being able to eat whatever I want. Though, I do eat a lot of healthier foods nowadays while trying to keep the “bad” snacking to a minimum.
Just because I can eat 1800 calories today doesn’t mean that I can have 9 cupcakes from Walmart. It’s all about balance and moderation; the amount of food I eat versus how active I am for the day.
If I’m more active, I can “afford” more food. This ensures that I stay in a deficit to lose weight. Granted, it’s not 4 pounds within two days. But, 3.5 pounds per week isn’t all that bad.
It’s how I’ve lost more than 70 pounds so far.
4 Pounds in Two Days is A Lot
In reality, getting rid of two pounds per day is an extreme loss. I know there are some people out there who have done it, but I have yet to meet anyone in person who could do it while working out.
It’s not just the fat I want to lose. I want to be healthier overall, which means adding strength and stamina. It also means relying more on healthier foods so I can get the nutrients my body needs to maintain proper functionality.
No matter how you slice it, though, there is something positive to be said about a caloric deficit and working out.
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