Understand the scientific facts behind weight loss and how to set realistic weight loss goals.
Weight loss – two words that work like therapy for everyone. Due to the changing work habits and the stress that comes along with it, our lifestyle has become sedentary and we, as humans, have become very immobile. We get our work done sitting at one place without having to move around much. Now, this may seem very exciting to many, but our sedentary lifestyle comes with its own set of issues.
Amongst these, obesity is a major health consequence that is followed by other chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. These diseases remain with us lifelong, unless, we look out for some intervention. The most common intervention we all come across is weight loss. With this solution comes the “problem” of exercising for weight loss.
As stated, humankind has reached such a stage that nowadays, we want our work done in no time with the least effort put in. So, when we see Iucrative articles like “How to lose 5 kg in a month without exercise” that promises heavy weight loss in a short period of time, we not only read the article thoroughly but also follow it to the ‘T’.
But, is it even possible to lose so much weight, and that too in such a short period of time? Is it healthy? Can this be an ideal goal for your weight loss journey? Can you escape exercise while targeting weight loss?
Read on and know in-depth about weight loss goals as we debunk some misconceptions regarding the same in this article.
Why are such weight loss goals unhealthy?
Drastic weight loss in a short period of time is an unhealthy goal due to two aspects that can have a negative impact on your health.
Targeting a large amount of weight loss in a short time will have physical as well as mental effects. This shows that you want to do too much in too little time. You may start feeling hopeless if the goal is not met which might put you in a negative state of mind. This affects the majority of us, and we eventually give up on our goal. Remember, the key to weight loss is consistency. Small gains (in this case, loss) will remain longer.
Before aiming to lose weight without exercise, you need to understand the concept of weight loss. When you eat anything, you take in calories, and when you exercise, you spend calories. When your expenditure of calories is higher than your intake, it leads to a calorie deficit, and this helps you lose weight.
Calories can be spent in many ways to create a calorie deficit. If a laborer or a professional whose everyday work involves a lot of strenuous physical activity, then they can sustain the calorie deficit but unfortunately, this is not the case nowadays, and hence, we have to incorporate a planned workout routine along with proper nutritional intake.
If your goal is to lose a lot of weight in a very short period of time and that too without any exercise, the following things may happen.
You may eat less – Eating less is never the solution for weight loss. Many a time, you don’t understand how little you should eat. This leads to starvation. You may even experience hunger pangs. This may result in binging and, unknowingly, you may end up eating more than you require.
Reduced muscle mass – When you lose weight while on a calorie deficit, you lose some muscle mass along with body fat. This can be prevented by increasing your protein intake and by strength training. If you do not exercise, you will lose your muscle mass, and it will further lead to weakness, low strength and looking pale in the long run.
Deficiencies – Micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) deficiencies follow when you eat less than what is required by your body. This inherently happens when you create a large calorie deficit, and with an unrealistic goal like this, it is very well bound to happen.
Weakness/low activity level – As you do not consume enough calories required for sustaining your regular activities, you will start feeling low on energy. This will further affect your performance in the long run. You will realize that you start feeling lethargic at the end of the day, even if you do not do a lot of physical work.
Immune system – Recovering from illnesses is delayed if you starve yourself to lose weight. Also, you may notice that you fall sick more often if you lose a lot of weight in a short duration. This is because your body’s immune system slows down as it does not get the necessary nutrients required to produce the antibodies that fight against diseases.
Less adherence – Following a large calorie-deficient diet is not easy over a long period of time, and you will naturally start feeling hungry after a day or two, or maximum a week into the diet. This will lead to cravings, and you may end up giving in to them, feeling that you need to be rewarded for the other days when you ate less. You may even feel guilty of your cheat days and again resort to the starvation diet which hampers your progress. This loop goes on infinitely, and you reach nowhere near your weight loss goal.
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What to do instead?
Imagine, if you wake up tomorrow and say – “Oh, I want to fly to reach my destination; this will save me time!” Yes, you are right. Flying will save you time but imagine yourself saying, “Oh, I want to fly to reach my destination faster, and for that, let me grow wings!” Now, this is humanly impossible to achieve. Similarly, the approach of eating less to lose weight or eating more to gain weight is incorrect, as the underlying goal is difficult to achieve as a human. You are expecting a lot from your body physically and mentally without working for it.
Studies on setting goals have shown that when goals are not achieved or if there is no satisfactory progress towards them, people experience negative emotions, impaired task performance, and often abandon their attempts to achieve these out-of-reach goals. A few authors have hypothesized that encouraging people to accept more realistic weight-loss goals may improve both psychological outcomes and the amount of weight loss. (1)
What you can do instead is,
- Understand your capabilities and accept your Iimitations.
- Do not go too hard on yourself. You need to understand that to achieve something, you need to put in efforts towards the correct goals.
- Starving yourself to lose weight without putting in any hard work or exercise is not right.
- You should set correct goals for your weight loss journey. It is up to you to make this process more fun and enjoyable.
- Your goal should not only target weight loss but also target healthy fat loss.
And, there is no escaping exercise if you want to lose that stubborn body fat.
What should be an ideal weight loss goal and how to set it?
According to the National Health Service (NHS), the rate of weight loss which you can target in a week and which is safe and healthy is between 0.5 to 1 kg. (2)
For achieving this target, you need to set a SMART goal. Now, what is a SMART weight loss goal, and how to set one?
- Specific
Be precise on your goal. You should know what you will be doing for your weight loss journey, when you will be doing it, and for how long.
- Measurable
You should know how you are going to measure your weight loss progress. You can choose to weigh yourself periodically, click your pictures, or use tape measurements. Remember to be consistent with these measurements.
- Achievable
We cannot stress more the importance of setting realistic and achievable goals. Understand what your body tells you. Push yourself in the right direction and work towards that goal.
- Relevant
Set relevant methods to achieve your fitness goals. Educate yourself and follow the correct, scientifically-backed strategies for weight loss. Fast weight loss is a myth!
- Time-bound
Stick to the number of hours you can put in every day and set a time duration in which you want to achieve your weight loss goal. This will make you accountable for your progress.
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- Losing inches but not weight: Here’s everything you need to know!
- How to start a healthy lifestyle and stick to it?
- 5 effective at home exercises to build muscle
Tips on exercise and nutrition to achieve the goal
Here are some tips on how you can proceed with your weight loss journey and what you can do to achieve and sustain your progress.
Prepare and keep yourself motivated
Your weight loss goal is your responsibility, and you should get ready to work hard to achieve it. Keep yourself inspired and motivated. No one else will do that for you. Reading success stories and learning from others’ good and bad experiences will only add to your knowledge.
Eat healthy and in proper quantities
You cannot always refrain from eating the food that you crave. As much as it is important to create a calorie deficit for your weight loss, it is equally important to manage your hunger pangs and cravings and still remain in the zone of eating healthy. For this, you can quantify your food and follow portion control. Add your favorite food items to your diet and adjust other calories accordingly. This will lead to better adherence.
There is no escape to exercise
Nothing good comes easy. Exercise, especially resistance training, will help increase your total energy expenditure during the day. It will also help make your muscles stronger and lead to muscle hypertrophy. This increases your resting metabolic rate, which will help you burn calories faster even when you are just sitting during the day.
Now that you know about ideal weight loss goals, gear up and set your own. Let us know in the comments below what goals you have set for yourself.
References
- Paixao, C, Dias, CM, Jorge, R, Carraca, EV, Yannakoulia, M, de Zwaan, M, Soini, S, Hill, JO, Teixeira, PJ & Santos, I 2020, ‘Successful weight loss maintenance: A systematic review of weight control registries’, Obesity Reviews, vol. 21, no. 5, e13003. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13003
- Should you lose weight fast?. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/should-you-lose-weight-fast/
Author: Dr Pooja Nilgar (Content writer & editor)
