Losing weight gradually is best

WHY GRADUAL WEIGHT LOSS IS BEST

Everyone knows how many calories needed to maintain his/her weight, and how many they are currently eating each day,you can decide how much of an energy deficit you will need to set up to lose weight steadily and safely. Cutting back on food drastically - such as by sticking to a rigid 1,000 calories a day diet when your BMR is 3,000 calories - would undoubtedly lead to rapid weight loss.But it is very unlikely that you would be able to sustain in the long term, leading to dispiriting 'failure' and, probably, an equally rapid weight gain once you started eating normally again.

Why Gradual weight loss is best?

Health professionals recommend that a safe and steady weight loss is about 1-2lb a week.Slimming at this rate ensures that you will be losing fat rather than lean tissue, such as muscle, and it should be fairly easy to achieve without drastic calorie-cutting measures, so that you can stick with your plan without it feeling like a 'diet'.And, as bonus, research shows that people who lose weight slowly are more likely to keep it off in the long run.

As it takes an energy deficit of around 3,500 calories to lose 1lb of fat, a daily saving of about 500 calories should be enough to lose 1lb a week (7x500).Saving 1000 calories a day (say,from 3,000 to 2,000) could result in a 2 lb weekly loss, but this depends on current intake: women should not try to lose weight on less than around 1,500 calories a day, while for men the minimum is around 1,900 calories a day.

In the first few weeks of a weight loss plan it is possible to lose more than 1 lb or 2 lb a week.This is because glycogen (the short-term store of surplus energy) is stored in three times its weight of water, which accounts for a lot of the initial weight loss.This can be a very motivating start to a weight-loss campaign and it may continue for longer than a week or two, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose.

For a rough guide to your daily calorie needs, multiply your weight in pounds by 15 if you are moderately active, or 13 if you have a sedentary lifestyle.

There is no need for any drastic calorie cutting- or boring meals- when losing weight; healthy food can be filling delicious.