04/09/2022
Does rapid weight loss work?
What about potentially temporary dietary changes like keto, intermittent fasting, low fat, etc?
The truth is, none of these are the answer you are looking for.
Before you comment and tell me how you or someone you know has seen amazing results from adopting something like the Ketogenic diet, hear me out.
Firstly, there is nothing absolute in the world of fitness and nutrition and there will always be exceptions to every rule.
If you organized your dinner plate by following every recommended definition of the phrase "healthy food", your plate would be empty. Even the phrase "whole foods" is different depending on who you ask. Vegan, Carnivore, Keto, Mediterranean, Paleo, Low Fat, Primal Eating, The Vertical Diet, Eating "Clean". These all conflict with each other.
Do each of these dietary paths have examples of success stories? Absolutely.
Do they all work for everyone?
Absolutely not.
So what does this all mean?
It means you may not find your solution by following a dietary change that worked for someone else.
The truth is, we are all built a little differently. Not just physically, but mentally as well. You may know someone that can follow a zero carbohydrate diet and has lost a ton of weight, and they have succeeded at keeping it off. This doesn't necessary mean it's going to work for you as well.
This is where I circle back to my first question. Does rapid weight loss work?
If you are an athlete looking to make weight for a competition, then rapid weight loss may be necessary for you to enter into a particular weight class.
However, if you are just looking to lose some body fat, rapid weight loss may not be the SUSTAINABLE answer you are looking for.
Again, there are always exceptions to every rule. Of course you can find examples of individuals who lost a lot of weight very fast, and kept it off. For every success story you will find a handful of people who didn't fair so well. An attempt to lose weight fast can result in people giving up from it being too difficult, or regained the weight plus extra shortly after obtaining their goals. You will also find individuals who went on to develop eating disorders.
What is going on here?
Your body doesn't WANT to change. It wants to maintain it's current weight. It always strives from homeostasis. In fact, the average human body wants to hold onto or even gain body fat. Body fat is a safety net. There was a time where body fat was necessary for surviving a famine. Body fat is an organ with a purpose. It's stored energy and insulation to keep us warm.
When you drop weight rapidly, roughly more than 1% of your body weight per week, your body will fight to regain it's balance and will coax you to regain the weight you are rapidly losing. It will send hunger signals and reduce your energy levels making you feel lethargic. Your body will use everything at it's disposal to reverse the weight loss you are achieving. This makes dieting incredibly difficult.
Combine this with restricted dietary guidelines and you can easily see how people fall apart when attempting to lose weight by following a temporary diet.
What am I suggesting?
I've got two recommendations.
Lose weight slowly.
Choose a sustainable path.
The slower you lose weight, the better. This will result in less of a response from you body, and will also help preserve muscle mass. It also makes it easier to stick to.
That ties into my second recommendation. Make it sustainable. When you decide you want to drop body fat, lighten the scale, or drop some inches, you need to ask yourself "Could I see myself eating/living this way for the rest of my life?"
If the answer is no, then you have not found the right fit for you. What is going to happen once you reach your goal weight? You will eat and live the way you want to, which likely will be the behaviours you had prior to your diet. This will put you back to where you started, and more likely you will regain extra weight as your body will overcompensate.
You need to be realistic, and you need to find the lifestyle that you actually enjoy. The more enjoyable it is, the more likely you will stick with it, the more likely you will approach your desired self and the more likely it is that you can stay there.
Another alternative is work with a professional who can navigate these twists and turns by your side.
I work very closely with every one of my clients and make sure their lifestyle is enjoyable, sustainable, and effective at helping them work towards their goals.
You can find out more information at mrsimplefitness.ca or send me a message.
Remember that weight loss should be a gradual process if you want it to last. You also want to enjoy the process.
Lee Eckensweiler
Mr Simple Fitness
mrsimplefitness.ca
[email protected]
