How to lose weight fast?
Hmm… Most people ask exactly that.
But maybe the right question is “How to start losing weight fast“.
Or better yet “How to start losing weight without harming my health“.
“How to lose weight fast” is not the best choice.
A recent Australian study of randomly selected people tries to disprove the harm of rapid weight loss.
The study was on two groups of people, rapid weight loss (for 3 months) and slow weight loss (for 9 months). Those who lost 12.5% of their weight received a 3-year program to maintain it.
The result was that 81% of the fast losers and only 50% of the slow losers managed to reach 12.5% weight loss at the end of the respective period. In addition, 70% of rapid losers and 72% of slow losers gradually regained all weight loss as they returned to their original lifestyle.
In fact, from my already many years of experience, I would not define 3 months of weight loss as fast. And whether it will be fast or slow depends on each individual. Even if measured in percentages, each person is different and loses weight differently.
It is more important to monitor and correct the weight loss process.
Weight loss is not fast, if it is on the order of a kilogram per week for people who are not very overweight (for heavy weight, even 3-4 kg may also not be defined as rapid weight loss).
A number of negative and unwanted effects are possible when losing weight quickly without the supervision of a nutrition coach, for example:
- Stones in the gall bladder.
- Nutrient deficiency.
- Headache.
- Fatigue.
- Dizziness.
- Constipation
- Problems with the menstrual cycle.
- Hair loss and/or nail problems and various other things.
In order not to harm your health and not lose more fat than necessary, lose weight moderately (1-1.5 kg per week) under the supervision of a trainer.
The diet that causes this weight loss should last a minimum of three to four weeks, but preferably more than three months. It has been established that for more than three months, the newly created habits of proper nutrition are strengthened.
The diet must be balanced and full of nutrients, depending on the current physical activity of the person applying it. The best ratio for healthy weight loss is 30% protein to 30% fat to 40% carbohydrates (the percentages are relative to total caloric intake – in calories, not grams or other units of measurement). I recommend avoiding any restrictive diets – they may lead to the desired results, but by no means in a healthy way, nor will you be able to keep the result, as there is no way to follow any restrictive diet for life.
How to create a diet
I highly recommend seeing a nutrition coach. It will accommodate your current lifestyle, make the transition smooth and with full nutrition.
Most “experts” on the Internet will say, “It’s simple. You need to create a calorie deficit and weight loss is certain.”
1 g of fat is 9 kCal, respectively 1 kg – about 9000. So if we divide 9000 by 7 days, we will get a daily deficit of 1286 kCal to lose weight by one kilogram per week.
Yes, but no. It is not that simple. It’s not simple arithmetic. It’s not even simple physics. Metabolism is an extremely complex thing.
Fortunately, as dieters, we don’t need to know metabolism in detail.
There are people, especially among women, who have a basal metabolism below 1200 kCal. You think that there is no way we can create a caloric deficit with them of 1286 kCal per day – they must be eating almost that much!
And that’s not the only problem. Nutrition, despite the caloric deficit, is of great importance whether it is nutritious or not. If the body lacks something, it very quickly goes into “protective mode” and starts to keep what it gets. Most often in the form of fat. So even people who are deficient can gain weight. Or at least keep what they have and nothing visible happens.
Apart from the health busting.
Another problem. Regardless of whether it is nutritious or not, if the food intake is below 1100-1200 kCal, it is very likely that the body will begin to starve and go into “protection mode” again. And still no effect.
It is difficult to determine the optimal intake in terms of both calories and nutrients. This is where the role of the coach comes in, who follows the process and dynamically determines what lack a person needs to fill in his usual way of eating. He will do everything in his power so that his “protégé” can lose weight as efficiently as possible and at the same time healthily.
The trainer will first determine the caloric needs, then the most effective pace for losing weight, then the required protein.
Some will say – what’s the problem? Protein can be from 0.8 to 1.9-2.00 g per kilogram of weight. Yes, but aren’t these limits a little wide? 0.8 g is enough for the organism to survive (after all, all cells are constantly being replaced). Bodybuilders and bodybuilders can take up to 2 years, even though they are on the border of healthy… still everyone decides for themselves what to do with their body.
The trainer will tell you exactly how much protein should be. If you are interested, he may not tell you, he will simply adapt the regimen to him and to your lifestyle and gender. (ladies don’t have to worry – only with nutrition and with usual substances, there is no way to get a masculine muscular body – they just don’t have the necessary hormones for it).
Knowing how much the required caloric intake and the required protein is, we also determine the fats (they are also 30% as a percentage – as much as protein) and carbohydrates (they are 40%).
Once we know how many kilocalories of the various macronutrients we should take, we define them as grams – 1 gram of protein is 4 kilocalories, 1 gram of carbohydrate is 4 kilocalories and 1 gram of fat is 9 kilocalories. (for the record, 1 gram of alcohol is 7 calories – it is obvious that with 200 grams of alcohol, someone can exceed the required daily caloric intake without actually consuming any nutrients at all).
Next comes the creation of a daily and weekly menu.
Buying decent products without harmful substances.
Cooking.
Oh, horror! That can’t be done, you say. We also go to work, right? That I can neither find good products in the store network, nor do I have time for so much cooking, not to mention that it will be terribly expensive for me!
Well, we have a solution for every problem.
You get involved in one of our challenges – you will both get extremely pure and natural products, and you will learn a lot of theory that interests you and would be useful to you. What’s more, you’ll learn how to help other people achieve the same things you’ve achieved. And what is most exciting – you will be paid for all this!
I’m sure you’ll agree how different people are.
But can I still give you some general advice?
I can, of course. We do not hide information – the secret of permanent weight loss lies in the role of the trainer and tracking the results.
Here are some questions and answers that will help you:
- How much water should I drink?
Choose a way to count the tested water – glasses, liters, bottles… It is important that you are comfortable and do it daily. There are also smartphone apps. To whom it is convenient.
The norm for a completely healthy and normal person is 0.3 ml of water per kilogram of weight.
However, for weight loss or fat burning mode, it is slightly more – 0.4 ml of water per kilogram of weight.
- My metabolism is very low, and I don’t want to starve.
Even if you don’t have a low metabolism, sports/fitness is a good way to lose weight. It will provide you with a caloric deficit even with a low basal metabolism.
- What sport is best for burning fat?
Here again, the role of the trainer is irreplaceable due to the many factors and peculiarities in nutrition and hydration before, during and after training depending on the goals set.
In general and mainly for weight loss (regarding fat burning) it can be said that – training should be no more than an hour a day, prioritize light cardio within the limits of the most effective heart rate, alternating with strength training with a mandatory warm-up and cooling afterwards. After each workout (no later than 30-40 minutes after the workout) – a light meal with easily digestible protein to preserve the muscles. Overloading has a negative effect. Sweating doesn’t mean you’ve burned more fat at all – it’s more important to monitor your heart rate (technology helps with that).
It is very possible that you will find any sport unpleasant at first.
A good solution is to start with walking, if possible more intensively.
- I’m very busy, I don’t have time to sleep
This is not good. Resting in the dark part of the day is extremely important for fat burning. A minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep is required. Review your priorities and create good habits.
- I don’t like keeping a diary. I don’t want to write anything.
Our experience shows that this is extremely important for good and lasting results. We strongly recommend that you keep a daily diary in which you record what and how you take, how much water you drink and what physical activity you do for the day. We offer our customers convenient forms for this purpose, but there are also suitable phone applications.
- I lose weight quickly, but I also lose motivation quickly. What should I do?
You are most likely losing weight without a trainer. And quite alone, perhaps even secretly, without a supportive community.
The most important thing, after you have reached the question “How to lose weight fast” is to do something in this direction.
Not tomorrow, Monday or after the holidays.
Take the first step now!
