Safe Weight Loss – What Is Safe?

Safe Weight Loss – What Is Safe?

If you have ever done research on diets and weight loss before, you have no doubt come across some boisterous claims such as “lose 30 pounds in your first 10 days” or “lose 5 pounds a week without exercising”.

But, are these claimed levels of weight loss safe, and are they actually achievable?

This all depends on who is doing the diet…

For example, if you are extremely obese and have a very poor diet, just getting your calorie intake in check and eating the right foods will yield a very significant amount of weight loss in a very short period of time without any risk. Sometimes, people who are obese can lose up to 5 pounds per week for long periods of time without any risk of muscle loss.

But, if you are already pretty lean, there is no way it is possible for you to lose large amounts of weight safely.  For people who are already in shape, 1 pound per week is something to be proud of, as many people at this level can’t even maintain this level of weight loss.

Safe levels of weight loss depend on many different factors. It is not as simple as saying “it is safe to lose up to a maximum of 2 pounds per week”, because in the case of severely obese people, they can lose a lot more per week safely,  and in a relatively lean person, 2 pounds per week would result in a lot of muscle loss and have other unhealthy implications.

What is the best way to go about losing weight?

Eat between 500 and 1000 calories below maintenance and let the weight take care of itself. Your body will shed fat at a pace it feels comfortable at, and that is something you shouldn’t try and control…