Losing weight in a week is not an effective way to lose weight. The body tries to protect itself and therefore saves energy to go back to the old weight. Below you can read how fast you can lose weight and what happens to you if you lose more than half a kilogram in a week.
Half a kilogram in a week
The body does not just need the energy to move. It also uses energy to keep warm, digest food, make the heartbeat and let the brain work. This energy takes the body out of the diet. If there is as much energy as is consumed, the weight remains stable. Is there less coming in? Then the body goes in search of other energy sources to get enough energy and will appeal to its reserves. The largest reserves in the body are the fat reserves. But protein reserves (muscles) can also be used for energy.
With gradual weight loss, half to one kilogram per week, the fat reserves provide the greatest energy contribution. If you want to lose more weight in a week, the protein reserves will make an ever-increasing contribution. Do you want to lose half a kilo in a week? Then eat about 500 kilocalories (kcal) less per day than you are used to.
500 kcal less
Eating 500 kcal less per day seems like a lot, but that is not so bad. With some small adjustments in the diet, you can quickly save 500 kcal without eating much less. Here are some examples:
- Skimmed milk instead of semi-skimmed milk saves 25 kcal per glass.
- Coffee without sugar saves 20 kcal per cup.
- Choosing a fillet steak can quickly save 200 kcal compared to a bacon steak.
- Peanut butter hams contain 20 kcal less than white sandwiches. If you eat six slices of bread in a day, this will soon save 120 kcal.
- Choose slightly smaller portions. 1 serving spoon of potatoes or pasta less already saves 55 kcal.
To move
Of course, it is also possible to move more. Even when you burn more energy. Which has a beneficial effect on your weight?
For example, someone weighing 80 kilos with a forest walk of half an hour can burn more than 300 kcal. With a quiet bike ride of 30 minutes 160 kcal. How many calories you consume during exercise depends on the intensity and your weight.
If you move, you lose fat, but your muscles become larger and stronger. And muscles weigh more than fat. You will probably lose fewer kilos than you expect. You can even become heavier. Do not stare blindly at the scale. But see if your pants might be looser.
What happens in your body if you want to lose weight in a week?
Unfortunately, losing weight in a week is not as easy as it seems. Do you eat less rigorously or do you follow a crash diet? Then the body tries to hold as much energy as possible. It is, as it were, on a low-energy level. This protects your own reserves and you lose less weight.
The body's saving mode is mainly aimed at protecting the fat reserves. If you eat very little for a long period of time, then you burn mainly proteins from the muscles, so that your amount of muscle tissue quickly decreases. Muscles use more energy than fat. The more muscles you have, the more energy you use. That is why it is important to ensure that you do not waste too much in a week. Then you do not break too many muscles.
Back to the old weight
The body is focused on keeping as much balance as possible and avoiding large fluctuations. If you fall off a lot in a short time, you disturb this balance. Your body wants to come back into balance by going back to the old weight. Even one year after following a strict diet your body continues to ask for extra food. As a result, there is a good chance that you will arrive and end up with your starting weight.
The fat cells in your body also want to return to their old state. When fat is removed from the cells, the cells experience a form of stress. They will do everything to replenish the supply of fat.
Therefore, the decline in the right way. That way your body can get used to the new weight. Then the chances are greater that you will keep your new weight.
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