Weight Loss Speed- How can this Backfire?

By Rebecca Lau

Are you struggling to lose weight? You're not alone! But you may also be tempted to try to lose weight too quickly. That's why you might be making a mistake. 

If you lose too much body fat too fast, you might end up gaining extra pounds back later. It may not be healthy for your health, and it could cause some serious health issues such as gallstones, dehydration, malnutrition, electrolyte imbalance, and fatty liver disease. Constipation, fatigue, muscle loss, hair loss, irritability, and headache are some of the side effects. 

Why is it so hard to keep the weight off? One of the most common reasons why people fail at losing weight is because they follow extreme calorie-deficit diets, exercise excessively, take dietary supplements and drugs, and limit themselves from eating certain types of food.

For some people, they would rather see quick, visible changes, so they go on some crazy diet or start working out for hours every day.  Eventually, their bodies go into starvation mode and start holding onto every calorie.

To lose weight in a healthy way, you need to give your body the right kind of nutrition, limit your calorie consumption, and avoid overeating. This will help set the groundwork for healthy, sustainable weight loss in the long term.

Maintaining Good Relationship with Food

We all have different emotional connections to food, which can often influence our choices about what we eat. For many people, food is a comfort, a source of pleasure, or a way to cope with stress. However, these emotional connections can also lead to unhealthy eating habits that can contribute to weight gain.

To maintain a healthy weight, it's important to be aware of your emotional triggers. Learn how to manage them in a way that doesn't involve food. You should practice mindful eating. It involves being aware of your hunger cues and eating only when you're truly hungry. Lower-calorie eating can help as well as making better food choices, and radically changing your health.

Fat Burning to Support Weight Loss

It's a common misconception that burning sugar is the key to weight loss. Burning fat is more effective than burning sugar in promoting long-term weight loss.

Here's why:

When you burn sugar, your cells store fat. On the other hand, when you burn fat, adiponectin in your body helps break down fat cells as per a 2012 study from University of California.  It leads to burning fat in weight loss faster than burning sugar.  Additionally, fat burning helps to increase energy levels and curb appetite. It also helps improve insulin sensitivity, making it easier to lose weight in the long term.

6 Tips for Long-term Weight Loss 

Here are some sustainable weight loss tips that can help:

1. Make sure you're eating enough.

 If you're starving yourself to lose weight, your body will start holding onto calories and storing them as fat.

2. Focus on healthy foods.

Instead of eliminating all calories, focus on eating nutrient-rich foods and lower-calorie eating that will help you feel fuller longer and maintain weight loss. These include lean protein, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. Include 70 to 100 grams of protein per day in your diet.

3. Get moving.

Exercise is essential for maintaining long-term weight loss success. Not only does it help you burn calories, but it also helps build muscle, which in turn helps boost your metabolism.

4. Drink plenty of water.

Staying hydrated is vital for overall health and can help reduce hunger. If you're feeling hungry, drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes to see if the feeling passes.

5. Avoid processed foods and sugary drinks.

Foods that are highly processed are often high in calories and low in nutrients. They can also be addictive, making it hard to keep weight off and achieve weight loss goals.

6. Avoid Crash diets.

Crash diets might help you lose weight in the short term, but they are not sustainable and can lead to long-term weight gain. Instead, focus on low-calorie eating. In 12 weeks, low-calorie diets safely induce a 15% to 25% reduction in body weight. It's a good idea to set a long-term goal of losing 1 to 2 pounds weekly.

These small changes can help you lose weight in the long term. And remember, the goal is not to lose weight as quickly as possible. The goal is to make long-term changes to help you keep the weight off for good.

The Bottom Line