Weight loss is so flipping complicated. Even if you manage to struggle through the myriad of conflicting advice and principles and find a programme that works, being able to tell if it works or not is also difficult. Sure, you can weight yourself but doesn’t muscle weigh more than fat anyway? What do you do?! Here are a few weight loss facts which can help you to lose weight without losing your sanity in the process.
1. Muscle weighs more than fat: As we’ve already mentioned this one we might as well use it to get things started! When you exercise to lose weight or take care of your wellbeing – which is a very good idea, by the way – you may not see your results reflected on the scales. This is because exercising causes you to build muscle and, as we’ve covered just now, muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore, you could technically lose no “weight” or even put on a few pounds, but all the while you’re still getting leaner, sexier and more toned.
2. Starving yourself slows down your metabolism: I guess it’s pretty logical to assume that not eating can help you lose weight – if, you know, you have no idea about wellness or biology. Cutting down your calorie intake to just 500 a day seems like a good, albeit depressing, way to lose weight fast, but you’re actually slowing your metabolism down. Your body will go into panic mode, and hold onto to fat and calories as a means of sustaining itself.
3. A healthy amount of weight loss is two pounds per week: Normally, when you first go for a weigh in you see a huge drop, which really encourages you to persevere. The problems come after your second weigh in, as you don’t see another drop of, say, five pounds, and so you think your plan is not working anymore. However, this is simply not the case. Most doctors will tell you to aim for a weekly loss of one or two pounds, as this is a healthy and – most importantly – sustainable way to lose weight.
4. Diet pills can be deadly: While loading up on diet pills can indeed cause weight loss, the question remains; is it worth risking your life over? Many diet pills have, over the years, been pulled off the market because they have been discovered to cause heart attacks. I know you want to lose weight quickly, but choosing healthy foods and exercising for your weight loss regimen will get you there in the end – don’t put your life at risk.
5. You can speed up your metabolism: Not only are there ways to increase your metabolism, it’s actually surprisingly a straightforward thing to do. All you need to do is exercise more and eat certain foods as part of your weight loss plan. The main players here are spicy red peppers and green tea, both of which have been proven to increase metabolism levels and aid in weight loss. If you’re not a fan of green tea, you can still benefit from the metabolism-boosting goodness by taking it in pill form.
6. Water curbs your appetite: More often than not, when you feel hungry you’re actually just dehydrated. As water contains no calories and is monumentally beneficial to your wellness, instead of rushing to the snack cabinet next time you feel hungry, stop to drink at least eight ounces of water. At best, this will help you to feel full and avoid eating until you next really need to and, failing that, the water will at least fill you up enough to prevent you from overindulging.