Weight Loss Pace

13 Apr

Slow vs. Fast: What Weight Loss Pace Works For You?

We’ve all seen and heard the ads touting rapid weight loss. Of course, if you need to lose a few pounds, you want it to happen now, if not sooner. But is it a good idea? Doctors say “no” and that slow is better. Sticking to your own weight loss pace means that you stay healthier, change your habits, and keep the pounds off.

The recommendation many physicians make for losing weight is to aim for a couple of pounds per week, max. While this may seem way too slow, think of it this way: one pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. That’s a lot of food to give up or exercise to add into your routine in one week to shed one mere pound. If you starve yourself to lose weight even faster, it will be rough on your body and once you go back to eating, the pounds will creep back on. You will not be changing your patterns, either.

Better to make small changes and incorporate them into your lifestyle gradually, then stick with it. Walk for an hour every day after work, have desserts only on the weekends, switch to low fat milk and yogurt, and use the stairs instead of the elevator. These alterations will add up over time; the pounds will come off slowly, and stay off.

We live in a culture that is used to immediate gratification. If you use that mindset when it comes to losing weight, you may lose it quickly but gain it back before you know. Go for slow results that last.

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