I’m very familiar with this having recently lost exactly 2lbs per week for many weeks to hit a 35lb total. At least in my experience it really is much easier to

I’m very familiar with this having recently lost exactly 2lbs per week for many weeks to hit a 35lb total. At least in my experience it really is much easier to lose weight initially. Not sure if there are studies on this or just anecdotes. When I was borderline obese, losing weight was simply a matter of being vaguely mindful about “eating better”. After I lost a decent amount that way losing more took deliberate effort and tracking calories. The people in the study didn’t even lose the weight you would expect from the effect of losing glycogen and water retention.