Slow And Steady Wins The Weight Loss Race

By Kia Edwards

Despite the tricks the weather is playing on us, summer is coming. This typically causes a whirlwind of preparations: vacation planning, dress buying and crash dieting to drop weight quickly. Two out of these three summer preparations are great. One of them is not. 

I always get a bit of a blank stare when telling new clients that weight loss should be slow and steady. The idea of dropping 15lbs in 2 weeks sounds far more efficient than 1-2lbs per week. However, dropping 1-2lbs per week is more effective in the long run. Here’s why:

3,500 calories

It’s the amount of calories in 1lb of fat. Put the tissues away, there’s no need to cry or panic.  Yes, it’s a fairly large number: it translates into a caloric deficit of 500 calories each day to lose 1lb of fat in a week. 1,000 calories per day if you want to lose 2.  However, there’s a way to do it- but we’ll get to that shortly.  When you hear about people losing a huge amount of weight in a short space of time, what exactly are they losing?  The three possibilities are water, muscle and fat. 

Water weight loss is a short term solution often used by athletes who need to “make weight” for competition. You’re not really losing any substantial weight and will regain it after you drink enough fluids. Muscle loss is the worst type of weight loss. This results in loss of toning and a decrease in metabolism.  Due to it’s chemical composition, muscle is far easier to convert to energy than fat. This is one of the main risks people undertake when losing weight very quickly. It also makes it more likely that your lost weight will be replaced by fat when you regain the weight that you lost. Yes, it’s highly likely that you will gain it back. Now, on to fat loss.  Losing body fat increases body tone, reduces your risk of ailments such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even some forms of cancer.  Based on the benefits, we have a clear winner. 

Now that we’ve gone through the “why”, let’s move on to the “how”.  A 500 calorie deficit can be tricky to maintain. Well, it’s tricky if your diet consists of highly processed foods and your exercise program consists of walking to the couch and sitting there.  Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grain bread are good choices to start off with. Lean protein such as white meat, fish and plant sources (lentils, quinoa, beans, edamame) can also help you maintain a low calorie diet while getting most of your nutrients.

It’s also important to exercise! How else will you burn those calories?  Cardio is a great way of burning calories, but lifting weights will ensure that you’re losing fat while maintaining and even building muscle.  Do both- balance is key. A couple days of cardio mixed in with a couple days of weight training (along with some recovery time) will help you look great for summer all keep you fit all year.  In the end, you’re better off this way- it just takes dedication and patience. 

Here are examples of low calorie foods to help you out:

Apple: 60 calories per cup, sliced 

Nectarine: 63 calories per cup, sliced

Blueberries: 84 calories per cup

Mangos: 99 calories per cup

Red or green grapes: 104 calories per cup 

Broccoli- 31calories per cup

Spinach- eat as much as you want! 1 cup is 7 calories!

Arugula: 1 cup is 5 calories! Eat up!

Radishes: 19 calories per cup

Raw beets: 58 calories per cup 

Cooked egg white: approximately 20 calories for 1 large egg

Roasted chicken breast without skin: 145 calories for 3oz 

Broiled duck breast, no skin: 135 calories for 3oz

Quail: 264 calories for 4oz

Boiled lentils: 230 calories per cup 

Source:  HYPERLINK “http://calorieking.com”calorieking.com 

Kia Edwards is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist who lives in New York City. She studied French and Economics at Colgate University, spent 15 years as a high-level competitive gymnast and 6 years as a gymnastics coach.  Her business, La Fortesse At Home Fitness Training, helps clients get healthy with simple at home exercises and nutrition counseling. www.LaFortesse.com