We all put on weight (fat) when our energy intake (food) exceeds our metabolic needs. We lose weight when our energy intake is less than our bodies needs. So what are our metabolic needs?
Our body uses energy in two ways:
So to lose weight we need to take in less food energy than our body needs. When this happens our body taps into the supply of energy it has saved up for a rainy day (fat). The two main problems with this situation are:
When our body is faced with an energy crisis (not enough food) it digests not only our fat, but also our muscle. If by dieting we allow ourselves to lose muscle at the completion of the diet our BMR is lower, so if we eat the same quantity of food we were eating before the diet we will begin to put on weight again. How unfair is that?
This vicious cycle is why conventional diets simply don't work. But don't despair! There are things you can do that have consistently demonstrated results, and yes, we are getting to that soon.
It takes a long time to put on weight and the simple reality is that it will take time to get the weight off. This means any diet you can't stick to in the long term will not work, where "will not work" means you will lose some weight but won't be able to maintain the diet for long enough to reach your goal.
How much weight can you reasonably expect to lose? The answer is it depends but about 1% of your current weight per week is the ballpark - for most people this is about 0.5-1.5 kg a week. Yes you can lose more than this but it will be very hard to sustain, and time is your friend when it comes to weight loss. You will lose more weight when you first start so there is a bit of a silver lining here.
Ultra low calorie diets will cause rapid weight loss but they will also cause loss of muscle mass (BMR) as well as putting you at risk of a variety of illnesses related to not getting sufficient nutrients. You know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true.....
So now we have covered the basics click on weight loss secrets - common myths and let's continue the journey together.
The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are: Hard work, Stick-to-itiveness, and Common sense.
- Thomas A. Edison