Can You Maintain Fast Weight Loss? Losing weight is only half the battle. The real challenge is keeping it off for good. Most people who follow a diet regain half the weight they’ve lost after only a year. Even worse, nearly everyone who follows a diet regains all the weight they’ve lost after 3–5 years (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source). That’s why experts often suggest losing weight at a slow but steady pace. Most studies show that people who lose weight at a slow but steady pace are more likely to keep it off long-term (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source). Also, plans that encourage slow weight loss usually help you build healthy eating behaviors like eating more fruits and veggies and drinking fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. Behaviors like these can help you keep weight off long-term (18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source). However, several studies have found that rapid weight loss may be just as effective as slow weight loss, even for the long term (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source). In one study, 103 people followed a rapid weight loss diet for 12 weeks, while 97 people followed a slow but steady weight loss diet for 36 weeks. Nearly 3 years later, roughly 70% of people in both groups had regained all the weight they had lost. This means that both diets were equally effective in the end (22Trusted Source). Although these studies found that rapid weight loss was just as effective as slow but steady weight loss overall, it’s unlikely that a person at home would get similar results. People in the rapid weight loss groups had support from doctors and dietitians during the weight loss and weight maintenance phases. Research shows that having support from a health professional can improve your chances of long-term weight loss success (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source). Also, doctors and dietitians try to minimize the health risks that come with eating very few calories. These risks include muscle loss, nutritional deficiencies and gallstones. People who try these diets alone have a higher risk of these medical conditions. In short, you are more likely to lose weight and keep it off by losing weight slowly. This approach will help you build healthy eating behaviors to keep the weight off, and is safer to do than fast weight loss, especially if you don’t have the support of a health professional. Summary: Most research shows that gradual weight loss is easier to maintain over the long-term. It helps you develop healthy eating behaviors and has fewer health risks than fast weight loss. Risks of Losing Weight Too Fast While it’s tempting to try and lose weight fast, it’s usually not recommended. Diets that promote rapid weight loss are often very low in calories and nutrients. This may put you at risk of many health problems, especially if you follow a rapid weight loss diet for many weeks. Here are a few risks of losing weight too fast. You May Lose Muscle Losing weight is not always the same as losing fat. While a very low-calorie diet may help you lose weight fast, a lot of the weight you lose may come from muscle and water (4Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source). In one study, researchers put 25 people on a very low-calorie diet of 500 calories per day for 5 weeks. They also put 22 people on a low-calorie diet of 1,250 calories per day for 12 weeks. After the study, the researchers found that both groups had lost similar amounts of weight. However, the people who followed the very low-calorie diet lost over six times as much muscle as those on the low-calorie diet (4Trusted Source). It May Slow Down Your Metabolism Losing weight too fast may slow down your metabolism. Your metabolism determines how many calories you burn each day. A slower metabolism means you burn fewer calories per day (25Trusted Source). Several studies have found that losing weight fast by eating fewer calories may cause you to burn up to 23% fewer calories per day (6Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source). Two reasons why the metabolism drops on a very low-calorie diet are a loss of muscle and a fall in hormones that regulate your metabolism, such as thyroid hormone (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source). Unfortunately, this drop in metabolism may last long after you finish dieting (6Trusted Source). It May Cause Nutritional Deficiencies If you’re not eating enough calories regularly, you may be at risk of a nutritional deficiency. This is because it’s hard to consume enough important nutrients like iron, folate and vitamin B12 on a low-calorie diet. Below are a few consequences of nutritional deficiencies. Hair loss: When you eat too few calories, your body might not get enough nutrients to support hair growth, which may cause hair loss (29Trusted Source, 30Trusted Source). Extreme fatigue: You may not be getting enough iron, vitamin B12 and folate on a very low-calorie diet, which may put you at risk of extreme fatigue and anemia (31Trusted Source, 32Trusted Source). Poor immune function: Not getting enough calories and nutrients may weaken your immune system and increase your risk of infections (33Trusted Source, 34). Weak and brittle bones: May be caused by alack of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus in the diet (35Trusted Source, 36Trusted Source). Fortunately, you can avoid a nutritional deficiency by eating a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods. These foods contain fewer calories per gram and are also quite filling, which may help you lose weight (37Trusted Source). It May Cause Gallstones Gallstones are hardened pieces of material that form inside the gallbladder. They can be a painful side effect of losing weight too fast (8Trusted Source, 38Trusted Source, 39Trusted Source). Normally, your gallbladder releases digestive juices to break down fatty food so it can be digested. If you’re not eating much food then your gallbladder won’t have to release the digestive juices (40Trusted Source). Gallstones can form when substances inside the digestive juices sit for a while and have time to join together. The gallstones can become stuck inside the opening of the gallbladder and cause a gallstone attack. This may cause severe pain and indigestion (40Trusted Source). Other Side Effects Losing weight fast on a “crash diet” or very low-calorie diet is linked to several other side effects, including (41Trusted Source, 42Trusted Source): Hunger Fatigue Irritability Feeling cold Muscle cramps Dizziness Constipation or diarrhea Dehydration Summary: Losing weight too fast comes with many health risks. These include losing muscle, decreased metabolism, nutritional deficiencies, gallstones and other side effects. Tips to Help You Lose Weight at a Healthy Rate Although slow weight loss might not sound appealing, there are many things you can do to help speed up the process safely. Here are a few tips to help you lose weight at a healthy rate. Eat more protein: A high-protein diet can help boost your metabolism, keep you fuller for longer and preserve your muscle mass (43Trusted Source, 44Trusted Source, 45Trusted Source). Cut back on sugar and starches: Research tends to show that people who follow a low-carb diet lose more weight. Cutting back on sugar and starches helps you reduce your carb intake (46, 47Trusted Source). Eat slowly: Chewing your food thoroughly can help you feel fuller for longer and eat less food (48Trusted Source, 49). Drink green tea or oolong tea: Research has shown that drinking green tea may boost your metabolism by 4–5%, and may increase fat burning up to 17% (50Trusted Source, 51Trusted Source, 52Trusted Source). Get plenty of rest: A lack of sleep may boost your levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and lower your levels of leptin, the fullness hormone. This means that poor sleep could leave you hungry, making it harder to lose weight (53Trusted Source). Try resistance training: Resistance training or lifting weights can help fight muscle loss and the drop in metabolism that may happen with weight loss (54Trusted Source). Try a high-intensity workout: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves short, intense bursts of exercise. Unlike regular aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, HIIT continues to burn calories long after you work out (55Trusted Source, 56Trusted Source). Eat soluble fiber: Research shows that soluble fiber may help you burn fat, especially belly fat (57Trusted Source, 58Trusted Source). Summary: There are many ways to safely lose weight faster. For example, you can try eating more protein, eating slowly, cutting back on sugar and starches, and doing resistance training or high-intensity interval workouts. The Bottom Line If you want to lose weight and keep it off, aim to lose it at a slow but steady rate of 1–2 pounds (0.45–0.9 kg) per week. Research shows that slow, steady weight loss is easier to maintain long-term because it’s better for developing healthy eating behaviors, and is much safer than very fast weight loss. Losing weight too fast may increase your risk of side effects including muscle loss, lower metabolism, nutrient deficiencies, gallstones and many other risks. This is especially true if you try to lose weight quickly without support from a health professional. Although slow weight loss might not sound as appealing as fast weight loss, there are plenty of ways to help speed up weight loss safely. For example, you can increase your protein intake, cut back on sugar and starches, and drink more green tea. Slowly changing your eating and exercise behaviors will help you lose weight and keep it off in the long run. Written by Ryan Raman, MS, RD on October 29, 2017 10 Morning Habits That Help You Lose Weight 29 Healthy Snacks That Can Help You Lose Weight How Intermittent Fasting Can Help You Lose Weight 12 Ways to Promote Long-Term Fat Loss Was this article helpful? Yes No NUTRITION How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight? Weight loss basics Contributing factors Best diet Safe rates Bottom line Whether you want to lose weight for a special occasion or simply improve your health, weight loss is a common goal. To set realistic expectations, you may want to know what a healthy weight loss rate is. This article explains the factors that affect how long it may take you to lose weight. How weight loss occurs Weight loss occurs when you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn each day. Conversely, weight gain happens when you consistently eat more calories than you burn. Any food or beverage you consume that has calories counts toward your overall calorie intake. That said, the number of calories you burn each day, which is known as energy or calorie expenditure, is a bit more complicated. Calorie expenditure is composed of the following three major components (1Trusted Source): Resting metabolic rate (RMR). This is the number of calories your body needs to maintain normal bodily functions, such as breathing and pumping blood. Thermic effect of food (TEF). This refers to the calories used to digest, absorb, and metabolize food. Thermic effect of activity (TEA). These are the calories you use during exercise. TEA can also include non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), which accounts for the calories used for activities like yard work and fidgeting. If the number of calories you consume equals the number of calories you burn, you maintain your body weight. If you want to lose weight, you must create a negative calorie balance by consuming fewer calories than you burn or burning more calories through increased activity. SUMMARY: Weight loss occurs when you consistently consume fewer calories than you burn each day. Factors affecting weight loss Several factors affect the rate at which you lose weight. Many of them are out of your control. Gender Your fat-to-muscle ratio greatly affects your ability to lose weight. Because women typically have a greater fat-to-muscle ratio than men, they have a 5–10% lower RMR than men of the same height (2Trusted Source). This means that women generally burn 5–10% fewer calories than men at rest. Thus, men tend to lose weight quicker than women following a diet equal in calories. For example, an 8-week study including over 2,000 participants on an 800-calorie diet found that men lost 16% more weight than women, with relative weight loss of 11.8% in men and 10.3% in women (3Trusted Source). Yet, while men tended to lose weight quicker than women, the study didn’t analyze gender-based differences in the ability to maintain weight loss. Age One of the many bodily changes that occur with aging is alterations in body composition — fat mass increases and muscle mass decreases. This change, along with other factors like the declining calorie needs of your major organs, contributes to a lower RMR (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source). In fact, adults over age 70 can have RMRs that are 20–25% lower than those of younger adults (2Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source). This decrease in RMR can make weight loss increasingly difficult with age. Starting point Your initial body mass and composition may also affect how quickly you can expect to lose weight. It’s important to understand that different absolute weight losses (in pounds) can correspond to the same relative (%) weight loss in different individuals. Ultimately, weight loss is a complex process. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Body Weight Planner is a useful guide to how much you can lose based on your initial weight, age, sex, and how many calories you take in and expend (7Trusted Source). Although a heavier person may lose double the amount of weight, a person with less weight may lose an equal percentage of their body weight (10/250 = 4% versus 5/125 = 4%). For example, a person weighing 300 pounds (136 kg) may lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) after reducing their daily intake by 1,000 calories and increasing physical activity for 2 weeks. Calorie deficit You must create a negative calorie balance to lose weight. The extent of this calorie deficit affects how quickly you lose weight. For example, consuming 500 fewer calories per day for 8 weeks will likely result in greater weight loss than eating 200 fewer calories per day. However, be sure not to make your calorie deficit too large. Doing so would not only be unsustainable but also put you at risk for nutrient deficiencies. What’s more, it might make you more likely to lose weight in the form of muscle mass rather than fat mass. Sleep Sleep tends to be an overlooked yet crucial component of weight loss. Chronic sleep loss can significantly hinder weight loss and the speed at which you shed pounds. Just one night of sleep deprivation has been shown to increase your desire for high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods, such as cookies, cakes, sugary beverages, and chips (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source). One 2-week study randomized participants on a calorie-restricted diet to sleep either 5.5 or 8.5 hours each night. Those who slept 5.5 hours lost 55% less body fat and 60% more lean body mass than those who slept 8.5 hours per night (10Trusted Source). Consequently, chronic sleep deprivation is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source). Other factors Several other factors can affect your weight loss rate, including: Medications. Many medications, such as antidepressants and other antipsychotics, can promote weight gain or hinder weight loss (14Trusted Source). Medical conditions. Illnesses, including depression and hypothyroidism, a condition in which your thyroid gland produces too few metabolism-regulating hormones, can slow weight loss and encourage weight gain (7Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source). Family history and genes. There is a well-established genetic component associated with people who have overweight or obesity, and it may affect weight loss (16Trusted Source. 17Trusted Source). Yo-yo dieting. This pattern of losing and regaining weight can make weight

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Friday 24 June 2022

Is It Bad to Lose Weight Too Quickly?