The media has put a lot of hype about losing weight, and losing it fast. With the tale of the ugly duckling in mind, viewers relish in the idea of turning a flabby, drab body into a chic, skinny, and picture perfect person.
However, is it possible to lose weight too quickly?
Crash and Burn
For the most part, fad diets may sound ideal in theory, but in practice? They’re utter failures. Losing weight fast through extreme dieting, more often than not, leads to yo-yo weight loss. Just when you hit that slim shape and start eating regularly again, your weight goes right back up. In some cases, you may even gain more weight than when you started because you’ve sent your body into starvation mode, lowering your metabolism in order to survive.
Although it really is possible to lose extreme amounts of weight as seen on TV, such extreme methods require a lot of effort and a physician’s guidance. For the rest of us living in reality, however, losing weight should be taken in much smaller steps.
The Mathematics of Weight Loss
Losing weight involves more numbers than the ones you see on the bathroom scale. In order to lose weight, you need to put out more than you take in.
Dieticians typically recommend a drop of 500 calories in your daily intake, as well as an increase in physical activity, to start shedding the pounds. If done correctly, you may average about 1-2 pounds of fat per week.
In order to lose even more weight, you obviously have to increase the gap between the calories you consume and the calories you burn. The more fat you have to lose, the faster it tends to come off.
However, you shouldn’t lower your calories to less than 1,050 to 1,200 calories daily (accompanied by one hour of exercise a day) in order to remain healthy. Too few calories can cause your body to shut down normal processes, and slow your weight loss considerably.
Pumping it up
Michael Dansinger, MD states “the truth is that nothing is wrong with losing weight rapidly, as long as you do it the right way.”
Seven hours of cardio on a weekly basis is the recommendation if you really want to shed those extra pounds quickly and safely. Cardio works major muscle groups and gets your heart pumping to burn more calories, making it the ideal exercise for working off the belly fat.
If you need to kick start your exercise routine to start losing weight, try a incorporating these activities into your schedule:
• Running: No equipment required, just get outside and do your thing!
• Kickboxing: Not only does this sport improve your coordination, but it keeps your muscles moving and burning calories every kick and punch of the way.
• Cross Country Skiing: Although this heart-pumping workout requires a lot of specialized equipment (and snow), this is an excellent activity for burning calories.
• Biking: If you live close enough to your work, save a little gas and take your bike instead.
• Swimming: Swimming is a full-body workout, helping you to lose weight in places you previously didn’t think possible. 30 minutes of doing the breaststroke can burn nearly 400 calories.
Eat, Drink, and Lose Weight
A healthy diet is critical for losing those extra pounds. No, we don’t recommend going to the extreme in order to lose weight quickly, but the safest way to lose weight is simply to make healthy eating decisions.
American Dietetic Association spokesperson, Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, gives us a few pointers for losing weight safely and effectively:
• Drink plenty of water: You’re less likely to confuse hunger with thirst
• Clear the house of tempting foods: you’re less likely to eat it if it’s not there
• Eat plenty of low-calorie vegetables: you’ll feel fuller for longer periods of time
• Keep active: So you won’t eat out of boredom
• Don’t skip meals: Always eat 3 meals a day with 1 snack daily (or several smaller meals throughout the day)
• Eat from your plate: Also, use a fork and/or a spoon and be seated at the table rather than graze eating with chips while watching TV. This helps to limit your portion sizes.
A Safe Way to Lose Weight
If you’re looking to lose weight safely and effectively, then you may wish to consider supplementing your diet with a weight loss supplement. Although diet pills should not be your quick-fix solution to dropping a dress size, many quality products have the ability to help you lose more weight than dieting and exercise alone.
Don’t be fooled by ridiculous claims for extreme weight loss, instead, look for ingredients you can recognize and in their proper dosages. Apidextra, for example, can be a great addition to any health regimen. With ingredients such as African Mango and Green Tea, Apidextra has a great formula for stimulating your metabolism and suppressing your appetite.
Apidextra comes highly recommended by multiple vendors, and the manufacturers are so confident in their product that it is back by a 100% money back guarantee.
You don’t have to go to extremes in order to lose weight, and Apidextra may be just the supplement you need to help you reach your weight loss goals safely and effectively.