Weight Loss without Worry

     The prevailing wisdom seems to be that when you go on a diet you should expect to lose 2 pounds each week, yet weight loss doesn’t happen just because we decided to go on a diet.  Here are some of the facts to take into consideration.

     A reduction of 3,500 calories is needed to lose one pound a week (This is an overly simplistic way of looking at weight loss but widely accepted), in order to lose 2 pounds a week you must consistently create a calorie deficit of 1000 calories/day.  That can be achieved by increasing exercise, decreasing calories eaten or combining both.  This is a drastic change of behavior for many people and if calories are too strongly restricted it will decrease the metabolism, slowing loss in the future.  Therefore, it is important to exercise when trying to create a calorie deficit.  Keep in mind that the effects of exercise are almost immediate in the body but it can take up to 6 weeks of consistent exercise before any visible changes take place. 

     So losing two pounds a week can happen, but work is involved and there will be many days of work before the results are visible to you or to others.  This is why it is so important to properly set a goal, have a plan that you trust will get you the results and have the mindset that you did not put this weight on overnight, so it will not disappear that fast.