Whenever you have 10+ pounds to lose, you want to make sure you lose all of it as fast as possible.
And while it’s possible and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s like trying to fix something that has been happening for years overnight (quite literally).
I feel that the insane approach of losing 10+ pounds per month is something that when plausible, it’s not ideal for most people.
Why?
Because in the case you can’t get to keep that weight off, you’ll continue going diet after diet trying to lose the same 10 pounds.
I suggest that most people rather focus on 3-5 pounds per month and take their fat loss journey as a sprint rather than a marathon.
That’s what allowed me to go from 181 pounds to 154 pounds in 4 months total.
So if you were to choose a less aggressive approach (like losing 3-5 pounds per week), that would be about 1 pound per week.
But it would be a pound you know that once it’s gone… it’s completely gone.
You won’t have to think about gaining it later on after you’re done with your diet, because you follow a system that lets you lose 1 pound per week and keep it off.
Now, the question is…
What does it take to lose 1 pound per week?
While there are a lot of ways to answer and where that question can lead, I’d rather go with the direct approach:
For you to do it, you need to create a caloric deficit.
I know, nothing magical…
because whether you want to lose 1 pound per week or 1 pound per day the system is the same.
The only difference is that the approach will determine how aggressive and sustainable it is for you, hence how likely are you to stay on track and keep the results.
Now, there are formulas for you to know exactly how much of a deficit you need based on your current situation and your goal, but…
as a very basic guideline, creating a 500kcal deficit to begin with is a good starting point.
I don’t know how long it can take for your body to respond (of course, this varies from person to person), but give it some time to realize there’s a change and that it has to adapt.
2-3 weeks is a good starting point.
And just like that, if you were to keep a caloric deficit (no need to drastically cut calories – or food – just for the sake of cutting them), you’d see how over 3 months you’ve been consistently lost 12 pounds… maybe a little bit more or less.
But of course, you’d know that those 12 pounds (or whatever number you lost) will never come back.
That’s why I prefer to lose 1 pound per week… and now, you even know how to do it.
So go and make sure that the next diet you make is the last one you’ll need to lose those pounds for good.
Ivan @ Fitnessthetic
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