An effective weight loss plan benefits every aspect of your life, including your self-image and long-term health. Although fad diets and pills often promise to help you achieve significant weight loss within a week or even less, the methods are unsafe and can result in result in the need for medical care. Understand what constitutes a safe amount of weight loss during a one-week period in order to begin your journey to a healthier life.
Safe Weight Loss
The goal of effective weight loss is to create a calorie deficit, or to ensure that your daily intake of calories is less than the calories burned through activity. Experts typically define safe and realistic weight loss as an amount no greater than 2 lb. per week. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories, so you'll need to create a deficit of 7,000 calories weekly --- or a daily deficit of 1,000 calories --- in order to lose the 2 lb. Doctors often recommend the combination of a nutritious, low-calorie diet with regular exercise on three to five days each week as an effective method for weight loss.
Extreme Calorie Reductions
People who aim to lose more than 2 lb. per week of fat typically find the goal unattainable, even when following crash diets. The diets, also referred to as starvation diets, often require extreme calorie reductions that compromise your nutrition and deprive your body of energy. While fad diets may help you achieve a short-term fitness goal --- such as fitting into a swimsuit prior to a beach vacation --- the lost pounds can often be attributed to water weight or the loss of lean muscle, not fat. You will most often regain the weight when you return to a safe lifestyle.
Medical Weight Loss
Your doctor may recommend short-term, medically supervised weight loss prior to a medical procedure or in instances when your excess weight is significant enough to threaten your health or cause a potentially fatal disease like diabetes. The supervised plans typically require consumption of a liquid diet and vitamin supplements and limit your intake to as little as 600 calories daily. Medical diets result in fast weight loss, but also carry risks and won't help you remain thin unless accompanied by long-term changes to your eating and exercise habits.
The Role of Your Doctor
Contact your doctor if you feel your weight is out of control. Your doctor may provide a referral to a nutritionist who can help you create a meal plan that features vegetables, fruits and foods with whole grains. Skipping meals raises your chance for overeating, so start each day with a healthy breakfast. Aerobic exercise, including bicycling, jogging, soccer or brisk walking for 30 minutes to an hour daily also ensures you will burn the maximum amount of calories.
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