Q. Why is slow weight loss better than fast weight loss?
A. The weight gain didn't happen over night, and probably won't come off over night. While it is a great feeling to drop weight quickly, generally there are a few issues I have found which arise. When we begin a weight loss program, most people find they will lose more weight initially in the first few weeks and then taper off until unfortunately they hit a plateau. The reason for the greater weight loss in the beginning is because the metabolic system is "shocked" and responds by dropping the weight. This is accomplished through many ways whether it be cutting calories, increasing activity to burn calories, changing the types of foods eaten, taking supplements or drugs to increase the metabolism or a combination of any of the four.
When weight is loss too quickly, it can cause a few unhealthy effects within the endocrine and metabolic systems. Cutting caloric intake too low too soon or increasing activity too much, too soon can cause a blood sugar issue causing lack of energy, dizziness, lack of mental alertness and more. Cutting caloric intake to low will generally also deprive your body of essential nutrients needed to support a healthy immune and hormonal system. Another issue with rapid weight loss is that it will not only burn body fat (which is the ultimate goal) but also put your body in a ketonic state. This means the body will be put in a catabolic state where it will burn proteins from the muscles and organs thus dropping your resting metabolism! Essentially, when you lose lean muscle tissue, your metabolism slows down. This is because muscle is living tissue which requires calories - nutrients to exist. By dropping weight too rapidly, your body fears it's in an emergency situation be it a famine or other issue. It will then try to store any body fat it can to use as an emergency source of fuel to keep you going. This means you will lose water and lean tissue weight as well as some body fat. You will look like a "skinny fat person."
Another reason rapid weight loss isn't desirable, is your skin won't be able to compensate well for the sudden loss of muscle and subcutaneous fat which lies between the muscle and skin. This will leave you with saggy skin and looking sick. The skin loses it's elasticity as we become older. Slower weight loss will allow the skin to adapt and tighten more effectively.
I have personally witnessed many people who have come to me saying they have lost 15, 20, 30 or more pounds and have gained it all back, and more! The reason? They haven't addressed the root issue, only the symptom. Many "boxed" or structured weight loss programs require the participant to take shakes, supplements and proprietary pre-packaged meals. While this may be a great way to lose weight, it doesn't teach a person to adapt a healthy view of food or how to manage their nutrient intake to meet their particular lifestyle. Once they have reached their goal weight, they tend to go back to their regular foods they ate and not only gain the weight back, but the body will compensate by storing more body fat in case it experiences another shock or famine (dieting) situation. It's important to learn how to fuel the body for your lifestyle and eat according to you nutrient needs. Learning to obtain the proper balance of macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as well as micronutrients - vitamins and minerals, is key to sustained FAT loss and health.
Finally, if you are like me, you have an emotional connection to food. Yeah, that's right, I have an emotional connection to food and I suspect I'm not alone! Many of us have been conditioned to equate food with love, comfort etc. Tough day at school? Mom made warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies. EVERY TIME I went to my grandma Worsley's home, my brother and I sat at the table with cookies and milk... Grandma loved us : ) Whenever I did well at school or hockey, I was rewarded with my favourite food. How about those winter comfort foods? Even to this day, who ever has a birthday in my family, get's to pick the restaurant and type of food we eat on their special day! When I'm sad or frustrated, I can polish off an entire chocolate sheet cake... I've done it a few times! The problem... Most crash diets create a sense of deprivation. That's like depriving someone of love! It will create a scenario where I will personally eat everything in the kitchen but that chocolate because it's forbidden on my rapid weight loss program. Finally I give in and will over indulge in chocolate feel frustrated. Come on... am I the only one?!? Just being totally honest here... Rapid weight loss which is achieved through specific shakes only, proprietary meals and deep caloric deficits do not teach us how to deal with recognizing trigger foods and learning to deal with them in a healthy manner. After the desired weight loss goal is achieved, the mentality is, I'm going to reward myself with ____________ (Insert your unhealthy or calorie laden food here!).
The general rule is a weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week is ideal for sustaining the weight loss while maintaining a healthy, nutrient dense nutrient intake. Initially, during the first few weeks you may lose more weight and then taper off. But, most fitness professionals and nutritionists will agree with the research that the body will be able to sustain a weight loss of around 2 pounds each week without seeking to compensate by gaining it back.
I will answer another weight loss question that was posed to me "What are some ways to stimulate fat loss" in a future blog. I will discuss some bodybuilding tricks as well as more reasonable ways to keep the body burning body fat. Stay tuned! Have a fitness question? Feel free to send me a message and it may be featured in an upcoming blog... It may help others as well as yourself!
*Always consult with your physician and Registered Nutritionist for proper guidance before beginning any weight loss program.