Believe it or not, over 60 percent of American adults are overweight, while 31 percent is considered obese. There is no surprise that questions like: “How to lose fat” and “How to lose weight” are the most frequent questions typed into the Google search bar. Let’s get one thing straight: losing weight is not the same as losing fat – it is much easier. And of course, once people realize that they want to get thinner, they want it to happen at a super-sonic speed. Sure, it is possible to lose fat fast, but trust me, it isn’t a good idea at all.
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What is weight loss?
Weight loss is simply the reduction of your body weight. In other words, if you take off all your clothes and urinate, you will lose up to 1 pound. If you want some more tricks, try drinking mineral water loaded with magnesium and wait for it to do its magic (make sure your bathroom is empty).
In other words, this is something completely unimportant.
Why is losing weight fast a bad idea?
First of all, the level of your body fat is proportional to the levels of a signaling hormone called leptin. It controls your appetite, modulates your metabolism and promotes fat burning. If your fat levels drop rapidly, the levels of leptin are also going to drop, which will trigger a starvation response.
Starvation response
Your daily energy expenditure starts reducing, and your metabolism gets slower. Besides that, as soon as you start eating normally, it will all “go” straight into your fat reserves, in order to regain all the fat you have lost. This is also known as the yo-yo effect.
Health risks
When a person is on a low-calorie diet, their organism starts lacking essential nutrients, like minerals and vitamins. This can lead to immune system suppression, bad skin, hair, nails, etc. Chronic mineral deficiencies can have long-term effects on your health, like cardiac arrhythmia, muscle cramps, bone mass loss, etc. Not to mention that you can also fall into a diet/binge cycle of eating which may lead to anorexia and bulimia.
What is fat loss?
Losing fat is a totally different thing. Fat loss represents the reduction in fat mass. You know how some people transform from fat to ripped? That’s fat loss right there.
How to lose fat the right way?
People will do so many mindless things just to achieve their goals faster. They will start using steroids, starve themselves or use alternatives like SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators). If you want more information about SARMs, read this in depth guide.
Do you know what a calorie deficit is? It means that you should be in a negative energy balance, or burning more than you’re digesting.
For example, if you burn 2000 calories in one day when you only consumed 1700, you have a deficit of 300 calories. That energy has to come from somewhere, and in this case, it is your body fat (which is your body’s reserve). This basically means that you can lose fat by eating Big Macs every day – if you spend the right amount of calories.
There are 3 forms of energy:
- Lean body mass a.k.a. muscles (indigested proteins)
- Fat (stuff on your butt and tummy you want to go away)
- Glycogen (stored carbohydrates)
When we are on a diet, we are trying our best to make our body burn only fat, but we can’t control it all the time.
If you think you will be persistent enough, consider planning your meals a.k.a. doing a meal prep. First, when you prepare your meals ahead of time and plan, it will save you a lot of energy and willpower. All you need to do is reheat your food.
There are many apps for your smartphone which can help you with your meal planning. You can pick the foods you like, as well as foods you want to avoid, and in return, you will get a list of meal ideas.
That would be it. Remember, the best way to achieve your goals is the slow way.
