Sometimes, rapid weight loss can have undesirable side effects. For example, rapid weight loss can bring back all or more of the weight lost. You’re more likely to lose water, muscle, and bones than body fat.
In contrast, rapid weight loss under the supervision of a healthcare provider may be helpful for people with certain health conditions, such as obesity and diabetes. Rapid weight loss helps control blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, and blood pressure. From then on, you can build momentum and easily adapt to long-term lifestyle changes.
Does Rapid Weight Loss Work?
Some evidence suggests that the rate of weight loss does not necessarily guarantee future results. For example, in a study published in 2014, researchers subjected more than 200 overweight or obese people to a 12-week rapid weight loss program or a 36-week gradual weight loss program.
Both of these methods designed by the researchers resulted in a 15% weight loss. The investigators then enrolled those who lost 12.5% or more of their body weight in the first phase of the weight maintenance program for 144 weeks.
At the end of the study, participants in the gradual weight loss group and those in the rapid weight loss group recovered most of their weight loss. These results suggest that the rate of weight loss does not affect whether people regain weight. In other words, this finding is at odds with the idea that people who lose weight quickly regain weight faster than those who lose weight gradually.
The Risk of Rapid Weight Loss
Many diets – such as very low-calorie diets, intermittent fasting, and popular diets – recommend restricting calorie intake for rapid weight loss. For example, a person on a very low-calorie diet may lose 800 to 5 pounds per week by eating as little as 3 calories per day. It’s worth noting that consuming just 800 calories per day is very low. Studies have found that very low-calorie diets can lead to overeating, extreme fatigue, and muscle and bone loss.
Healthcare providers often advise against using these diets, at least for long-term weight maintenance. Very low-calorie diets are usually reserved for obese adults who need to lose weight for health reasons, such as those with type 2 diabetes or before bariatric surgery. Also, healthcare providers do not recommend using these diets for more than 12 weeks.
Again, a low-calorie diet is not recommended for everyone. Strict medical supervision is also required for people who need to be tracked for medical reasons. Close monitoring can help prevent nutrient deficiencies in people on calorie-restricted diets.
Losing weight quickly puts a lot of stress on your body and increases the risk of complications, such as:
- Gallstone
- Gout
- Fatigue
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Disgusting
People who lose weight quickly are more likely to regain weight after dieting. Your body reacts hormonally to lose one to two pounds more per week. If you don’t adopt a sustainable diet and lifestyle habits, these altered hormones can increase the risk of weight regain.
How to Lose Weight Safely
Maintaining your weight requires making changes that you can maintain in the long term. Therefore, the key to losing weight quickly and maintaining a healthy weight is to reconsider some of your diet and lifestyle habits.
Limit processed foods
Most weight loss strategies focus on which foods to remove from the diet. If you limit your intake of highly processed foods, such as fast food, added sugars, refined white flour, and high-sodium products, you’ll see the most significant effects of quick results.
These foods often trigger water retention and bloating, affecting your weight and the fit of your clothes. In general, processed foods contain a more concentrated amount of calories or carbohydrates per serving, which can produce excess calories that can affect weight loss.
Highly processed foods often lack the vitamins, minerals, and fiber needed to maintain good health. For example, fiber can increase the amount of meals you eat, satisfy your appetite to help with weight control, and help regulate blood sugar and insulin levels.
Replace highly processed foods with nutritious, natural foods. Eating too little can make you feel hungry and tired, which can weaken your energy and concentration. In response, you may consume more food and regain the weight you lost.
Also, avoid substituting these foods with so-called “weight loss” products made from artificial sweeteners. These artificial sweeteners can arouse people’s love for sweets and suppress appetite regulation. What you use to replace these foods is just as important as not eating them.
Eat more vegetables
Try to include vegetables in every meal. Vegetables are lower in carbs but are rich in fiber, water, and nutrients. Studies have found that aiming to consume three servings of vegetables per day, or one serving of vegetables per meal, is optimal.
A serving of food may include raw, sautéed, roasted, or stuffed greens. Try mixing different colors and types of vegetables to absorb more nutrients and antioxidants.
For each meal, try some of the following:
- Breakfast: Mix spinach or kale into a smoothie for breakfast, or scramble vegetables like tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and vegetables with eggs.
- Lunch: Treat the main salad or Buddha bowl as your go-to for lunch, with two handfuls of sized vegetables and vegetables as a base.
- Dinner: Choose cooked vegetables, such as stir-fries. Or cover half of your plate with sautéed or oven-baked vegetables, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, green beans, eggplant, or cauliflower.
Establish a balanced diet
Enrich your meals with lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole-grain carbs. Protein can include plant or animal sources, such as pea protein powder, lentils, legumes, pasture-raised eggs, or fish.
Healthy fats can increase satiety and keep you fuller for longer. To fill your stomach, mix nut butter in a smoothie, serve avocado with eggs, mix the salad with extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette, and drizzle pesto over cooked vegetables.
Finally, don’t overlook nutrient-dense whole-grain carbohydrates like brown rice and quinoa, starchy vegetables like potatoes with skin and butternut squash, and fresh fruit. To meet your energy needs, consume at least one or half a cup of cooked fresh carbs at each meal. Insufficient carbohydrate intake may lead to lingering hunger or cravings, which, combined with spontaneous snacking, can affect results.
In other words, avoid falling into the old trap of cooking with steamed vegetables and regular rotisserie chicken. In addition to feeling hungry, you can quickly burn out and deprive your body of essential nutrients.
Drink
You don’t have to give up coffee to lose weight and keep it off. Still, try drinking coffee with unsweetened plant-based milk, raw sugar, maple syrup, or cinnamon instead of refined or artificial sugar or cream.
After a cup or two of coffee, switch to water. Experts recommend drinking 91-125 fluid ounces evenly throughout the day. Your water intake may vary depending on your weight and activity level. For example, if you exercise, you will need water to replace the weight you have lost.
If you don’t like the taste of plain water, you can flavor it with all-natural ingredients like citrus, fresh mint, cucumber, ginger, or seasonal fruits.
Try to limit your alcohol intake. In general, alcohol is high in empty calories and low in nutrients. As a long-term strategy, limit alcohol consumption to a few times a week. Stick to cocktails made with soda, not soda, tonic water, or juice.
Exercise regularly
In addition to diet, physical activity is a key part of weight loss. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week, which equates to 30 minutes of exercise per day, 5 days a week. Try a combination of light to moderate aerobic exercise and strength exercises.
In addition to weight loss, there are many benefits of physical activity, such as:
- Build strong muscles
- Helps prevent and control cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes
- Energizes you
- Promotes healthy sleep patterns
- Support your mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression
Change your eating habits
To maintain a weight loss diet, rethinking your eating habits is key. For example, if your problem is eating large amounts of food, eat meals and snacks on a plate instead of taking them out of the container.
Other eating habits you can try include:
- Prepare some nutritious snacks for a midday snack to help satisfy your appetite and fuel up.
- Eat breakfast every day. Start your day with whole-grain carbs, dairy-free milk, fresh fruit and non-starchy vegetables and set goals for the rest of your day.
- Prepare meals at the beginning of each week to avoid eating out or eating fast food.
- Avoid watching TV or staring at a screen while eating to avoid overeating.
Think about your relationship with food
A complex relationship with food can make weight loss more difficult and negatively impact mental health. Think about why you eat food.
Do you eat for emotional reasons rather than to fuel your body? For example, if you often think you can’t eat certain foods, think “I can eat some foods in moderation.”
If you find yourself eating less or more than you need, pay attention to how your body feels. Eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full is key to developing sustainable eating habits.
Establish a support system
Finally, having a support system of trusted friends, family, and healthcare providers can help you lose weight and manage your weight. Your support system can ensure that you stick to your goals and encourage you to keep going.
Who Shouldn’t Try to Lose Weight Quickly
Before embarking on your weight loss journey, check in on your relationship with food. Talk to a mental health care provider if you have a history of eating disorders or previous attempts to lose weight that have led to depression, anxiety, anger, loneliness or other emotions.
Health includes both physical and emotional well-being. If focusing on weight loss is taking a toll on your mental health, then it’s not a worthwhile deal. Explore why you feel the need to lose weight and seek support from loved ones who care about you.
Experts warn children, teens, pregnant women, and the elderly not to lose weight quickly without guidance from a healthcare provider.
Conclusion
Extreme weight loss methods tend to create unhealthy habits and put them at risk of weight regain. In addition, a severely calorie-restricted diet is not recommended for all people, and without proper medical supervision, it can lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Instead of adopting a diet that promises rapid weight loss, take control of your weight with a sustainable diet plan that can provide you with all the recommended nutrients. Rely on your support system when you need it and exercise regularly for maximum long-term health benefits.
