Speed of Weight Loss

With TV shows such as "The Biggest Loser" and "Celebrity Overhaul" all the fashion, people expect to lose lots of weight really quickly. Rapid weight loss, through dieting or through a sudden/intense exercise program (as seen on "The Biggest Loser") is not good for the body or for keeping the weight off long term.

A sudden increase in exercise increases your chance of overuse injuries, acute injuries and can set your body into the "weight loss/gain yo-yo". It is the same as what I call "binge dieting". Hit the new exercise/diet program hard, make some progress and then relapse. It is much more effective to slowly modify your lifestyle, incorporating a progressive exercise program with a progressive balanced healthy diet. Don't try and change everything at once. Modify one aspect of your diet (eg have two alcohol free days a week) and then a couple of weeks later, modify it again (eg enjoy a drink only on weekends).

So what is the accepted rate of weight loss that is best for our health and that increases our chances of keeping it off?

1. The average person is likely to lose only about 5-10% of their initial body weight over 6-12 months in a good weight management program, but this is enough to lead to big improvements in health (1).

2. Weight losses of 1-2 kg/month or waist-size losses of 1-2 cm/month should be considered good progress. Losses of 3-4kg or 3-4 cm/month should be considered excellent (2).

Don't be discouraged if your not losing weight as rapidly as "The Biggest Loser" participants. Have "persistence and consistence" as your motto. And, remember it is your life and lifestyle, you're not just entertaining a TV audience for for a couple of months.

Keep at it,

Steve

(1) "The Experts' Weight Loss Guide", Dr Garry Egger & Dr Andrew Binns, p.58
(2) "The Experts' Weight Loss Guide", Dr Garry Egger & Dr Andrew Binns, p.60