Weight Loss Tips: How Low Can You Go
As you start to design a dietary plan based on your target weight, there are a couple of things it's good to know about calorie restriction and your metabolism. One of the keys to successful, continued weight loss is keeping your metabolism working at top speed so that you are burning as many calories as you can. When you start to eat less, however, your metabolism will slow down to conserve energy in reaction to the reduction in your caloric intake. This is what causes the dreaded dieter's plateau. We've all been there: you start off full of determination, but all of a sudden the pounds stop coming off. There is nothing more discouraging than stepping on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and grueling workouts, and not seeing any drop in the numbers. The plateau is a common problem among dieters and can typically be waited out. Stick with it for a few weeks and the scale will most likely continue its downward swing. But there are also measures you can take to try and keep your metabolism fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.
To begin with, it is important never to let your caloric intake drop below 1500 if you're a man and 1,200 if you're a woman. Restricting yourself any further will quickly signal your metabolism to slow down. Also, don't go too long without eating. Four hours without food is a reasonable maximum. Don't skip meals and always eat breakfast. This will keep your blood sugar stable and cravings under control.
Another way to prevent your metabolism from slowing is to vary your intake from day to day throughout the week the human body cannot slow metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if it isn't fixed from one day to the next. For example, if I want to lose 1 pound in a week, I have to create a caloric deficit of 3,500 over the course of that week. My weekly active metabolic rate (my daily active metabolic rate multiplied by 7) is 13,300, so in order to lose 1 pound, I will have to limit my weekly caloric intake to 9,800 (my active metabolic rate minus the 3,500 calories that burn off 1 pound). As long as I don't consume more than 9,800 calories during the week, I will lose that pound, but rather than eating 1,400 calories each day to achieve that weekly deficit, I'm much better off varying intake from day to day so that my metabolism is not able to adapt to a fixed reduction. Here's an example of how I could break the numbers down:
See how this works? My total weekly caloric intake is 9,800, which is where I need it to be in order to lose 1 pound, but I've varied my daily caloric intake so that my metabolism isn't able to adapt to the restriction.
There are also some exercise-based solutions to the dieter's plateau, which I will cover in the Sweat section.
The plateau effect can be a factor of plain and simple flagging resolve. If you've hit a plateau and mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you are not slipping on your diet without realizing it and that you are not slacking off in your workouts. Make sure as well that you are keeping up with your food journal and that you are being honest and accurate. The bottom line when it comes to the dieter's plateau is this: It will pass. Don't give up.
One last thing to keep in mind as you begin: When you start a new diet and exercise program, you will lose a significant amount of water weight at first, and it's likely that in the first month you will lose more weight than you would ordinarily expect from the caloric deficits you are building up from week to week. By month 2, your system will begin to even itself out, and weight loss will continue at whatever rate is appropriate to your caloric intake/deficit ratios. Again, 2 pounds a week is a reasonable weight-loss goal, but now that you know how to work the numbers for yourself, you can design your regimen around any weekly weight-loss goal you like.
To begin with, it is important never to let your caloric intake drop below 1500 if you're a man and 1,200 if you're a woman. Restricting yourself any further will quickly signal your metabolism to slow down. Also, don't go too long without eating. Four hours without food is a reasonable maximum. Don't skip meals and always eat breakfast. This will keep your blood sugar stable and cravings under control.
Another way to prevent your metabolism from slowing is to vary your intake from day to day throughout the week the human body cannot slow metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if it isn't fixed from one day to the next. For example, if I want to lose 1 pound in a week, I have to create a caloric deficit of 3,500 over the course of that week. My weekly active metabolic rate (my daily active metabolic rate multiplied by 7) is 13,300, so in order to lose 1 pound, I will have to limit my weekly caloric intake to 9,800 (my active metabolic rate minus the 3,500 calories that burn off 1 pound). As long as I don't consume more than 9,800 calories during the week, I will lose that pound, but rather than eating 1,400 calories each day to achieve that weekly deficit, I'm much better off varying intake from day to day so that my metabolism is not able to adapt to a fixed reduction. Here's an example of how I could break the numbers down:
- Monday: 1,200 calories
- Tuesday: 1,500 calories
- Wednesday: 1,200 calories
- Thursday: 1,600 calories
- Friday: 1,200 calories
- Saturday: 1,400 calories
- Sunday: 1,700 calories
- Total weekly caloric intake: 9,800
See how this works? My total weekly caloric intake is 9,800, which is where I need it to be in order to lose 1 pound, but I've varied my daily caloric intake so that my metabolism isn't able to adapt to the restriction.
There are also some exercise-based solutions to the dieter's plateau, which I will cover in the Sweat section.
The plateau effect can be a factor of plain and simple flagging resolve. If you've hit a plateau and mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you are not slipping on your diet without realizing it and that you are not slacking off in your workouts. Make sure as well that you are keeping up with your food journal and that you are being honest and accurate. The bottom line when it comes to the dieter's plateau is this: It will pass. Don't give up.
One last thing to keep in mind as you begin: When you start a new diet and exercise program, you will lose a significant amount of water weight at first, and it's likely that in the first month you will lose more weight than you would ordinarily expect from the caloric deficits you are building up from week to week. By month 2, your system will begin to even itself out, and weight loss will continue at whatever rate is appropriate to your caloric intake/deficit ratios. Again, 2 pounds a week is a reasonable weight-loss goal, but now that you know how to work the numbers for yourself, you can design your regimen around any weekly weight-loss goal you like.
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