What is a Realistic Goal for Weight Loss?
A neighbour friend of mine told me that she’d lost 50 pounds. When I asked her how she’d done it, she said, “Very slowly.”
She lost an average of one pound a week for 50 weeks. It took her almost a full year to take the weight off but the good news was that she was keeping it off. She committed to making simple changes.
For example, she used to drink coffee with 2 scoops of sugar so she reduced it to one scoop. And she used to order a donut with her coffee but she vowed to quit that habit. Losing something like 5 pounds a week isn’t a realistic weight loss goal.
If you lose weight too fast, chances are you’ll gain it right back.
Also, if you lose a lot of weight very quickly, you may not lose as much fat as you would with a more modest rate of weight loss. Instead, you might lose water weight or even lean tissue, since it’s hard to burn that many fat calories in a short period. An eating plan that’s too restrictive doesn’t meet your nutritional needs and you’ll lose muscle along with fat. Very-low-calorie diets that result in rapid weight loss are often dangerously low in essential nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.
A lack of vitamins can lead to a host of health problems, including immune system suppression and bad skin, hair and nails. Chronic mineral deficiencies may also have long-term effects on your health. A lack of essential minerals can lead to fluid imbalances, cardiac arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat, muscle cramps and loss of bone mass. Losing one pound a week is more realistic, and results in long-term weight loss if combined with exercise.
Efforts are usually healthy and you’ll probably maintain as permanent lifestyle changes. Remember the fact that it may have taken you years to gain weight, so it’s not a good idea to lose weight too quickly by over exercising or following very-low-calorie or crash diets.
Crash diets may result in rapid initial weight loss but may have a negative effect on long-term health and diet compliance. The slower the weight comes off the less likely it will come back. (tweet this)
Slow and steady is the name of the game when you’re trying to lose weight.