All Weight Loss is Not the Same

If your goal is to lose weight, it’s essential to know that all weight loss is not the same. There is healthy and unhealthy weight loss; there is weight loss of fat or water. There is also weight loss that is too fast, and there is weight loss that is impermanent.

Weight Loss of Water

Many crash diets promise immediate weight loss, and they do give immediate weight loss. However all the weight loss in the first days of the diet is water. While you may be excited by the numbers that appear on the scale, this is not a sustainable or useful weight loss program. You want the weight loss to be body fat. Our cells need water to survive, and our body is mostly water. If you continue to just lose water, you will experience the symptoms of dehydration- headaches, upset stomach, etc. The way to avoid just water weight loss is to have adequate calories, sufficient protein, and regular exercise.

Weight Loss of Fat

The real goal of your weight loss program would be to burn away the excess fat. A healthy diet will focus on the way you burn up your calories, as well as the kinds of food you take in. Exercise is one of the best ways to get rid of fat. Be aware that in the process you may build of muscles which do add weight, however, the fat will decrease. The key to losing fat is the proper diet that includes a combination of protein, healthy carbs, fruits, vegetables and water.

Unhealthy, Fast, Impermanent Weight Loss

Basically any weight loss that happens too quickly (more than 1 or 2 pounds a week) has the potential for being unhealthy. You are probably losing water more than fat, and also creating havoc with your endocrine system. Unhealthy weight loss also occurs when you just go on a binge diet, eating less calories than is recommended for good health. Weight loss that is too fast is most likely to be impermanent. Once you end the fast diet, the weight will come back, because your body has not had time to acclimate to the new weight.

Healthy, Gradual, Permanent Weight Loss

For weight loss to become permanent, you need to lose weight gradually, on a healthy diet that is one that you can stick with. Weight loss is only part of the process; the other part is maintaining that weight loss. That can never happen if you have chose a diet that is not sustainable. If you work with a good program, that includes nutritious meals, portion control, exercise, and lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week, you can sustain that after the initial goal is met.

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