Everyone needs a shortcut! It doesn’t matter what field you talk about, everyone’s looking for something that’ll get them to their goal faster. Weight loss is no different. Everyone’s looking for a ‘quick fix’ that’ll bring them back to their ideal body weight with the least amount of trouble and pain. But the bad news is that quick fixes don’t work in the long run. You may be satisfied by the short term results but crash diets don’t work when it comes to sustaining the weight you have lost because, let’s face it, they are impractical.
For losing weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you’ll probably have to make lifelong changes! Seems scary, doesn’t it but that’s the whole problem. People have redefined what’s normal. A McDonald’s upsize meal that has around 1200 calories is a norm. Let’s take this into perspective. 1200 calories probably account for around 50 – 60 % of your daily caloric input depending on your age, gender and body type. So, if you want to lose weight within a week, you need t to redefine what’s normal!
The bad news is that you can’t possibly expect to lose all the extra weight you carry within a week (Unless the extra weight is around 1 – 2 Kgs). After all, you didn’t gain all of that weight in a week so if you come to think of it, it’s simple mathematics. To lose 1 Kg of weight, you need to create a Caloric deficit of 3500 calories. This means that when your body consumes 3500 Calories less than what it is expending, you lose a Kilogram. So, if you go for a daily deficit of around 500 calories, you can lose 1 Kilogram in a week and kick start the process of weight loss. So, there’s the good news.
Now the next question is how to create a deficit of 500 calories each day. One way would be to starve yourself, but since we are aiming at healthy and sustainable weight loss, that is not an option. The healthy way in a nutshell would be, firstly, to stop eating foods with sugar altogether. Secondly, all processed white bread is off the table. Then comes the fat, all fatty foods are off the table. Dairy has many health benefits so you may go with low fat dairy products. Then comes the empty calories that we love to consume through sodas, soft drinks and juices. These things are banned as well. The replacements are fresh vegetables, some fresh fruits, lean meat (Fish, chicken etc – preferably roasted not fried). Also, you may have whole grains, unprocessed foods such as Oatmeal, brown rice and a small serving of nuts (They are high in healthy fats so don’t overeat them).
If such changes are made, you’ll see that you’ll automatically be consuming 25 – 45 % less calories. To further improve the deficit we have exercise! Healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand (just like peanut butter and jelly). If you want a good jump start and if you want to see some results within a week, go for aerobic exercises at least 5 times a week. Each session should be around an hour long and the intensity level should be moderate. Brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, cycling would be ideal candidates to choose from. If you are not accustomed to working out or exercising daily, don’t over exert yourself. Over exertion may seem useful for the first few days but there are chances of injury, cramps and other physical problems.
If you are successful in altering your lifestyle in the mentioned ways, chances are that you’ll see some ‘measurable’ weight loss in 1 week’s time! But this doesn’t mean you go back to your old habits; continue with your routine and you will definitely start to see more results in your quest to lose weight.
For losing weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you’ll probably have to make lifelong changes! Seems scary, doesn’t it but that’s the whole problem. People have redefined what’s normal. A McDonald’s upsize meal that has around 1200 calories is a norm. Let’s take this into perspective. 1200 calories probably account for around 50 – 60 % of your daily caloric input depending on your age, gender and body type. So, if you want to lose weight within a week, you need t to redefine what’s normal!
The bad news is that you can’t possibly expect to lose all the extra weight you carry within a week (Unless the extra weight is around 1 – 2 Kgs). After all, you didn’t gain all of that weight in a week so if you come to think of it, it’s simple mathematics. To lose 1 Kg of weight, you need to create a Caloric deficit of 3500 calories. This means that when your body consumes 3500 Calories less than what it is expending, you lose a Kilogram. So, if you go for a daily deficit of around 500 calories, you can lose 1 Kilogram in a week and kick start the process of weight loss. So, there’s the good news.
Now the next question is how to create a deficit of 500 calories each day. One way would be to starve yourself, but since we are aiming at healthy and sustainable weight loss, that is not an option. The healthy way in a nutshell would be, firstly, to stop eating foods with sugar altogether. Secondly, all processed white bread is off the table. Then comes the fat, all fatty foods are off the table. Dairy has many health benefits so you may go with low fat dairy products. Then comes the empty calories that we love to consume through sodas, soft drinks and juices. These things are banned as well. The replacements are fresh vegetables, some fresh fruits, lean meat (Fish, chicken etc – preferably roasted not fried). Also, you may have whole grains, unprocessed foods such as Oatmeal, brown rice and a small serving of nuts (They are high in healthy fats so don’t overeat them).
If such changes are made, you’ll see that you’ll automatically be consuming 25 – 45 % less calories. To further improve the deficit we have exercise! Healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand (just like peanut butter and jelly). If you want a good jump start and if you want to see some results within a week, go for aerobic exercises at least 5 times a week. Each session should be around an hour long and the intensity level should be moderate. Brisk walking, jogging, running, swimming, cycling would be ideal candidates to choose from. If you are not accustomed to working out or exercising daily, don’t over exert yourself. Over exertion may seem useful for the first few days but there are chances of injury, cramps and other physical problems.
If you are successful in altering your lifestyle in the mentioned ways, chances are that you’ll see some ‘measurable’ weight loss in 1 week’s time! But this doesn’t mean you go back to your old habits; continue with your routine and you will definitely start to see more results in your quest to lose weight.
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