If the last time you tried to lose weight and you did then good job. Were you successful in keeping the pounds off? If you were then ever better job, but not at the weight loss at the lifestyle changes you made. If not, you probably tried an extreme approach to improve your looks, rather than focusing on the real picture: your long-term health and lifestyle.
We've all seen the person who lost 15 pounds in one week. Then we see how the person put it all and then some back on. We know that the person probably resorted to extreme measures like a starvation or restrictive diet and dehydrated their body, as well as slowed down their metabolism, in the process. They were too worried about results not lifestyle changes and education.
In the long run, repeated episodes of unhealthy weight-loss attempts are more likely to cause damage to your body and outweigh the health benefits of short-term weight loss. Now don't get me wrong; I am not saying that it is better to stay at an unhealthy weight. You just have to make sure that you are losing weight in a healthy way and are able to maintain that weight loss. Our bodies do not respond well to unhealthy attempts at deprivation followed by unhealthy excessive eating that gains the weight back because we feel deprived. Ultimately it throws our metabolism way out of whack.
The key message to keep in mind when it comes to losing weight in a healthy way is to take the steps necessary to make healthy decisions, to keep our metabolism humming, provide appropriate amounts of necessary nutrients and vitamins, and always ask yourself is what I’m doing maintainable for life? Following these simple steps is the best way to maintain your results.
In general, it is recommended that you not go below 1,200 calories per day (if you're an average-sized individual) so your metabolism doesn't slow down and go into a catabolic state. (Starvation mode)You always need at least 1,200 calories to be able to maintain basic cellular and metabolic functioning. If you want to be more exact, you can use the Mifflin formula to calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR; energy needed to produce vital body functioning at rest).Just keep in mind that if you exercise or are active, you are going to be burning more than this calculated amount on a daily basis. (The RMR designates what you need to function at rest.)
It takes about a 500-calorie deficit per day to lose about 1 pound per week. If you incorporate exercise that burns an additional 500 calories per day, then you can lose 2 pounds per week. My recommendation would be to aim to lose no more than 2 pounds per week on average. "On average" takes into consideration that the initial weeks may result in greater weight loss because of the loss of retained fluids from exchanging fatty, salty foods for a healthier, more balanced diet. But overall, you should average out to about 2 pounds per week. If you are losing more than that, then you are more likely resorting to less-healthy methods of weight loss, which can hurt your metabolism and health in the long-term.
Believe it or not, people who lose weight at a slow, steady rate tend to keep the weight off longer because they are incorporating new, healthier habits instead of taking drastic measures to get the weight off. When we shift our focus from '"dieting" to "creating a healthier lifestyle," we are more likely to succeed in keeping the weight off for good.
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