Most people that start on a weight loss journey hope to see results fairly quickly. However, rapid weight loss can be dangerous. You should consider the effects that rapid weight loss could have on your overall health before trying to lose weight fast.
It’s generally recommended to aim to lose 1-2lbs a week once you get going. You’re likely to lose more than this in the first few weeks due to shedding excess fluid in the body.
After this though, you should focus on making lifestyle changes that allow you to lose 1-2lbs a week. Although it is possible to lose more, it isn’t usually advised.
Rapid weight loss is less likely to be sustainable in the long-term. This means that if you lose a lot of weight quickly, you’re more likely to gain it back again. This is partly why gradual weight loss is recommended over rapid methods.
There are certain things that you can do to boost your weight loss if you feel that it’s going slowly. You could choose low-calorie foods such as fruit and vegetables to bulk out your meals.
You could also increase the amount of exercise that you do, or the intensity. This would increase your calorie deficit and help you to lose more weight. This is particularly useful for those that are struggling to lose weight or that have hit a plateau.
We would generally advise against using meal replacements or liquid diets. They can be damaging to your health and you risk rapid weight gain when you stop.
These are only really recommended for people who need to lose a lot of weight quickly for a medical reason such as surgery. Instead, we would advise finding some low-calorie and nutritious meals that you can enjoy.
Realistically, a 7 day goal for weight loss isn’t much time at all. Many people don’t show weight loss on the scales for a while. Because of this, there’s no guaranteed way to lose weight in a week. We would always encourage focusing on making sustainable, healthy and enjoyable changes to your daily life. You can calculate your weight loss percentage for a better idea of how much weight you have lost.
Whilst fast weight loss is something that all of us want to see, the reality is that 1-2lbs a week is ideal. This kind of weight loss might not show a significant difference for a while.
However, it’s much healthier than trying to shed a lot of weight in a short amount of time. We explain more about healthy and unhealthy types of weight loss in our advice section if you’d like more information.
Essentially, your body will do what it’s supposed to do in its own time. If you make the right changes when it comes to food and exercise, your body will naturally start to adjust.
Unfortunately, one of the hardest things about weight loss is the amount of time that it takes. Be patient and trust the process. It’s much better for you and your body in the long term.
