If you are looking to lose weight then you surely want to achieve your goals. However, it is important that you properly designed you goals so that they are actually achievable. Unfortunately, many people will select goals that are a little beyond what would be a reasonable goal. That is why it is important to follow a few tips for better weight loss goals.
Avoid a decision to drop an unrealistic amount of weight in a short time frame. Yes, we all wish those extra pounds would go away tomorrow. However, there is only so much fat the human body can burn in a short amount of time. Remember, one pound of stored fat is the equivalent to 3600 calories. To burn or eliminate 3600 calories in one week is tough. To drop 36,000 is basically impossible. Yet, that is what many people wish to do when they have goals of dropping 10lbs in a week. In general, 1 – 1.5lbs a week is a reasonable amount.
Side note: this refers exclusively to burning 1.5lbs of fat. You will often drop 8lbs in a week, but it is merely water weight. When you cut back on calories, you will be cutting back on the three elements that comprise food: fat, carbs, and proteins. Carbs promote water retention so any reduction in the carbs you eat per week will lead to water weight loss.
Do not fall into the trap of wishing to spot reduce. No exercise can eliminate fat in a specific area. This is known as spot reduction and it can only be achieved via surgery. So, don’t believe the hype about exercise devices that can spot reduce. They cannot!
Crash diets and starvation diets are not a good option. Basically, cutting an enormous amount of calories too soon is self-defeating. Basically, this type of dieting sends the body into starvation mode. That means the body’s metabolism will slow to a crawl in order to conserve the calories it ingests. In time, you could even store more food as fat even though you are ingesting fewer calories!
It is best to avoid too much exercise. This is a close cousin to starvation diets in the sense it is a strategy that seeks to do too much too soon. As with starvation diets the results of too much exercise are self-defeating. If you exercise too much you will greatly increase your chance of injury. Also, you could develop burnout within a short period of time. Either way, you will end up less active which means you will burn fewer calories. As such, it is best to stick with moderate amounts of exercise as opposed to over doing it.
Don’t give up! Far too often, people will lament their diet isn’t working and just give up. Quitting is never a good idea and that is why it is critical to stick with achieving your weight loss goals. With the right effort, you will find the right diet and exercise program. This will lead you to the results you desire.
