Can I loose a pound a day?

Weight loss programs come with a whole lot of prospects. Different persons can choose to go about it the way they wish. On the periphery; this is quite understandable since the degree to which every individual – envisaging weight loss programs – is overweight or obese varies. It’s not that there are no standards to follow, but some persons may just cherish the unconventional means of doing things. They seem to have a “why not more” kind of a feeling as they hope to get results within the quickest possible time – and this takes us to the core question of this article.

Without beating about the bush; the answer is YES! You can lose as much as a pound of body weight in a day – this is the same number of pounds that some persons aim to lose in a week. Losing one pound in a day will mean you have to burn around 3,500 calories in a single day. How this can be possible, as well as everything you need to know about such an aggressive form of weight loss routine are the highlights of the discussion that follows.

Losing one pound in a week

To achieve the objective of this weight loss; you will need to create a huge calorie deficit and also follow it up with physical exercises. Minor cutting down of calories may not suffice in this regard as our daily average calorie consumption is between 2,300 – 2,500. Based on this, you will have to go on a fast; you can consider not eating for a whole day though you can take water. Permit me to add here that water has been associated with weight loss, particularly among individuals consuming very-low-calorie diets.

As you prepare to go on a day fast, you should make up your mind to wake up to do some exercises early. So, while you get, let’s some calories – say 2,500 calories – off through dietary intervention, you can burn the remaining through a series of exercises, done in bits throughout the day. One thing you should understand is that there is a high tendency of getting tired while exercising during a fast. Owing to this, you should avoid a long stretch of exercise, and also stay hydrated while at it. You must ensure that there is a good balance. You should not avoid doing extreme exercise routines while fasting. By the way, too much exercise can be detrimental to the health of one’s cardiovascular and immune systems.

That said, you can yet choose to go with intermittent fasting whereby you will get to eat just once a day or twice. You can structure this in such a way that you fast for 15 hours, and then have something to eat within the remaining 9 hours – 15:9 fasting schedule. You can, however, go for whatever suits you – 12:12, 13:11; 14:10. You should leave out junk and processed foods from your diets at this point. In place of such foods, you should consume meals with a good amount of fiber and protein. A pound-per-day weight loss routine is best actualized when you don’t have work functions to attend to – probably during your holidays.

Let’s consider a case study where a man with a bodyweight of 175 pounds and a daily calorie average of 2,750 (calories) decides to lose a pound a day. Granted that he goes a dry fast – no food eaten – he would ultimately take 2,750 of the required 3,500 calories to achieve the routine. The remaining (750) calories can then be lost through exercise. He can get 752 calories burned by running moderately at the pace of 3.5mph for 55 mins.

Your current body weight matters

While it may be possible, a one pound per day weight loss is certainly not for everyone. Someone with an overweight BMI that is closer to the normal range should not even consider going for this sort of routine. This is because the chances of such persons developing devastating health consequences are high with this kind of routine. Moreover, research has shown that this aggressive weight loss routine is more suitable for individuals with significantly high BMI – probably within the obese range. FYI; BMI ranges are as follow: underweight (<18.5); normal (18.5 – 24.9); Overweight (25 – 29.9); Obese (30 and above).

Dangers of aggressive weight loss routine

A one pound per day weight loss program is, no doubt, a daring act considering that you will be burning at least 3.5 times more calories than what is generally recommended – there will definitely be consequences. For one, the probability of you depriving yourself of essential nutrients will be quite high, and this could predispose you to some diseases or defects – like hair loss, osteoporosis, brittle nails, hair, etc. Then, there is the possibility of having some sort of metabolic reset, where the number of calories your body burns is tremendously reduced. Apart from this, an aggressive weight loss, like losing a pound a day, can also cause develop one to develop nausea and feel dizzy very often.

Additionally, the issue of the non-sustainability of the weight loss outcome also persists as the activity of the hunger hormone (that is ghrelin) is increased. So, one may slip into the former weight again in no time. Relatedly, in the first instance, it cannot even be guaranteed that you will have an effective weight loss as the reduction in body weight might only be water loss – rather than fat loss.

Conclusion

Losing a pound per day weight loss routine is not one that you should do consistently – even if your BMI range is on the obese end. Besides the fact that this may not guarantee a long-term result in the long run. It could also leave you with some health consequences – such that could have been better avoided. Over and above all, you should never forget to have water close by if you eventually embrace this particular weight loss routine, and also pay close attention to how your body reacts to it.

References

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