Weight Loss Boards

Rapid Weight Loss

June 20th, 2008

When attempting to lose weight, it is essential to set a healthy, attainable weight goal. Losing weight too quickly can have more negative effects on your body than just being overweight and/or obese have. Rapid weight loss can affect your muscles and other organs, and could lead to a potential shutdown of your metabolism. Below are some healthy guidelines to healthy weight loss, and what could happen if you expect to shed too many pounds in a small period of time.



A realistic weight loss goal that is spread out over a considerable amount of time is essential for positive results. For most people, losing 2 lbs per week is considered healthy weight loss. One exception to this rule is people who weigh over 200 lbs. These people can set a goal of losing one percent of their total weight each week and still be considered as losing slowly. For example, someone that weighs 280 lbs can safely lose 2.8 lbs per week. This weight goal should be updated weekly as your weight decreases. Keep in mind that during the first week or two of weight loss it is not uncommon to lose 5-7lbs, which is mostly water weight.

If you think you can lose weight quick by fasting, or starving yourself, it’s not going to work. When you do not eat enough calories throughout the day, the body goes into “starvation mode” and begins to store fat. If you exercise during this time, the only thing your body will lose is muscle and water. It will also try to conserve energy by slowing metabolism since it does not know when it will get its next meal. A slowed metabolism is not a good idea when trying to lose weight. Meeting your recommended calorie intake daily is important to keep the body functioning properly.

Along with metabolism, rapid weight loss can have a negative affect on your muscles and certain organs such as your skin and gallbladder. Losing weight quickly can cause muscle loss. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while at rest so you want to keep as much muscle as you can. Losing too quickly could also cause you to have loose hanging skin. With fast fat loss, the skin does not have adequate time to tighten over your body. If it does not eventually tighten, the only solution to the problem is surgery. Remember, the older you are the less likely your skin is to tighten down over your new body. Additionally, rapid weight loss could cause the development of gallstones. This is due to the rapid loss of too much water from your body.

In conclusion, losing weight too quickly provides no long term benefits to your body, and is likely to do more bad than good. It can have negative impacts on your muscles and skin, as well as slow down the digestive system. Losing weight at a healthy, steady rate will help ensure that you keep the weight off. Any quick fix, if it actually does work, will only temporarily work and you will soon gain that weight back if you have not developed and proper diet and exercise routine.

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