What Is the Safest Amount of Weight You Can Lose in 90 Days?

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What Is the Safest Amount of Weight You Can Lose in 90 Days?
by Nina K. Hauptman, Demand Media
Webpage: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/safest-amount-weight-can-lose-90-days-7512.html

You may long to lose weight overnight, but moderate and steady is the way to go. For safe weight loss that lasts, aim for a pound or two per week. Since 90 days is about 13 weeks, you can safely lose up to 26 pounds in this time frame. If you're overweight now, dropping just 5 percent of your body weight can improve your health in significant ways, including lower blood pressure, reduced blood sugar and healthier cholesterol levels, as well as increased self-confidence.

Fad Diet Dangers
It's easy to fall for rapid weight-loss gimmicks, but dropping pounds too fast jeopardizes your health. Much of the weight comes from water and muscle instead of fat, and you risk malnutrition from severe calorie reduction. You'll also feel tired and weak, hampering mental function and interfering with workouts. Plus, drastically reducing calories propels your body into energy-saving mode, slowing down your metabolism. This means that the weight will probably come back quickly once you resume a normal diet.

Determining Calorie Needs
A pound of fat is about 3,500 calories. If you've maintained a steady weight, simply count the number of calories you eat each day and subtract 500 to 1,000 to lose a pound or two per week. One quick way to determine calorie needs for weight loss is to multiply your body weight in pounds times the number 12. For example, a 150-pound person can usually lose weight on 1,800 calories per day. However, if you have a high body-fat percentage or are sedentary, you need fewer calories.

Adjusting Diet
Although you may lose weight on junk food as long as you control portion sizes, you'll feel less hungry by filling up on healthy foods that are high in nutrients and low in calories. Plus, learning healthy eating habits now will help you keep the weight off and ensure proper nutrition in the future. Base your diet on fresh and steamed fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, buckwheat noodles, popcorn and corn tortillas. Also include lean proteins, which help curb hunger. Fish, soy products, lentils and low-fat cheese are all good choices.

Exercise
Exercise burns extra calories to speed up weight loss, and also improves cardiovascular health. For best results, engage in 300 minutes per week of moderate cardio activity such as brisk walking or freestyle swimming. If you choose vigorous activities such as running or swimming laps, 150 minutes per week is enough. Also perform strength-training exercises two to three times weekly. These build muscle mass, speeding up your metabolism for lasting fat loss. Try lifting weights or performing home exercises such as squats, lunges, situps and pushups.
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