Should I be worried about losing weight?

[torpedotor]

Alright. This post is gonna need a little backstory. Four weeks ago, I moved to a new state, started a new job, and made a whole bunch of other changes. I just graduated from college and moved out to the East Coast for an internship (that will hopefully lead to a job soon). When I first moved out here, I weighed 165-7 lbs, which for me was a good and healthy weight. I watch what I eat (mostly paleo with very little cheating) and I lifted pretty regularly (mostly barbell training) as well as sprinted on a track.

Now, however, I'm down to about 151-4 lbs. I have a few guesses as to what has caused this drastic weight loss: 1) Maybe I'm not eating as much as I used to and/or 2) Maybe the shift from barbell lifts to bodyweight exercises has caused me to lose weight.

 

I still feel good. I haven't noticed any huge decreases in energy level, or feeling tired all the time. I'm not extremely hungry. In fact, I feel pretty much what I felt like 4 weeks ago. The only thing that's changing is the number on the scale. (I know we don't measure ourselves by the number on the scale, I just want to know if I should change something in my diet or exercise plan.)

 

Has anyone else experienced significant unplanned and unwanted weight loss? Any thoughts?

[Guest asdf]

Well as long as you feel and look healthy there is really no reason to worry. You are probably just leaning down to a bodyfat count that you aren't used to but as long as nodobdy around you starts to worry or you feel sickly, you're probably fine. The only reason you would change your diet is if you decide you want to start bulking for more muscle mass, in which case you will probably need to increase your calories and protein.

[Brovatar Korra]

Out of curiosity, do you now live in NYC or a big city that involves a lot of walking and public transportation? In high school I lived in Texas, and led a very sedentary lifestyle that involved driving everywhere. Not surprisingly I was very overweight. When I went to college in NYC I started walking everywhere. I lost over 30 pounds! I didn't change my diet, I didn't go out of my way to exercise. It was all from a lifestyle change from suburban environment to urban and walking everyday.

 

Anyway, if you feel happy and healthy that's all that matters! I wouldn't worry about the scale too much.

[torpedotor]

Out of curiosity, do you now live in NYC or a big city that involves a lot of walking and public transportation? In high school I lived in Texas, and led a very sedentary lifestyle that involved driving everywhere. Not surprisingly I was very overweight. When I went to college in NYC I started walking everywhere. I lost over 30 pounds! I didn't change my diet, I didn't go out of my way to exercise. It was all from a lifestyle change from suburban environment to urban and walking everyday.

 

Anyway, if you feel happy and healthy that's all that matters! I wouldn't worry about the scale too much.

Haha. You know, I had actually wondered that. I did just move to an urban environment, from suburban. But I didn't think I was doing *that* much walking. It could be a contributing factor. Good point.

I'm not so much worried about the number on the scale as I would be of losing muscle. I'll keep an eye on my energy levels. After this six-week challenge, I should be able to measure my pre-challenge performance against my post-challenge performance and I'll be able to see if there was improvement or I took a step back.

Thanks to both of you!