If you read ads in the newspaper, watch infomercials on TV, or click on internet pop-ups, you’d assume that quick and easy weight loss is a piece of cake. “Lose 10 pounds in two weeks,” “Lose 10 pounds in 10 days,” and “Lose 10 to 18 pounds in less than six weeks” are just a few of the claims that set our expectations for the task of melting away extra fat. But are those results really possible?
Two professional organizations, the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Sports Medicine, claim that no more than two pounds of weight loss a week is safe. It’s a guideline that medical experts use for helping individuals maintain a balance of losing fat while preserving lean body mass - and also for maintaining proper hydration. Granted that 2 pounds loss a week seems minor, compared to what the weight loss commercials offer the public!
To sort through what’s fantasy and what’s real, consider first what it actually takes to use the energy that 10 pounds of stored body fat represents. At 3,500 calories per pound, 10 pounds of fat represents 35,000 calories of stored energy. The average person burns about 100 calories walking or running one mile. So to lose the 10 pounds in one week, a person would have to run 350 miles or 50 miles per day. This is assuming, of course, that eating habits aren’t changed while adding all that exercise.
Expending that much energy in a week is pretty crazy. Think how hungry you would be after walking or running 50 miles in a day. You’d want to increase your eating habits, for sure! It’s laughable to think you can lose 10 pounds a week just by exercising.
But maybe you could lose 10 pounds in a week by dieting. Can you avoid eating 35,000 calories in a week (5,000 a day)? Well, consider a typical middle-aged female (5′5″, 170 pounds) who vigorously exercises no more than 30 minutes daily (beyond her usual daily activities). She maintains this weight by eating around 1,900 calories a day. This is impossible, of course. She can’t eat less than nothing! But could she eat nothing, then run 31 miles a day to reach the goal of losing 5,000 calories for the day. This regimen would work, but of course it’s a laughable solution!
Thus 10 pounds of body fat loss in a week isn’t possible. So alternatively, is the 2 pounds a week “safe” weight loss guideline a viable choice? Let’s answer this question by looking again at the math. Two pounds of fat equals 7,000 calories or 70 miles of walking or running each week. Can you expect a person to run 10 miles a day, 7 days a week while also eating their usual portion of food? Alternatively, consume 1,000 calories less than their usual diet for a full week - and not go crazy? Considering the typical woman described above, cutting out 1,000 calories involves eating about half of her usual diet and 500 calories less than what she needs to just maintain her daily functions when she’s resting.
By now it should be clear that even one annoying pound of fat holds a significant amount of energy. By cutting back food about 300 calories a day and by adding a 2 mile walk each day, a person could expect to lose one pound of body fat each week. If this new routine is kept up each day for a full year, it would represent a hefty 50 pound weight loss. On the other hand, it takes adding only 100 calories more each day (or moving 100 calories less) to add up to an extra 10 pounds in a year!
Regardless of the math involved, you must set effective and reasonable goals in order to be successful. Of course, just following an exercise and diet plan for just one day probably won’t change your weight much. It may take longer before your bathroom scale shows a noticeable loss. But don’t get discouraged, as over time you’ll see the difference.
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