Losing Half A Pound A Week Is Enough

Many people think losing half a pound a week is nothing, but I think losing half a pound a week is enough.Most people in their forties and fifties, who gain weight, do so at the rate of about 5 pounds a year. Often they don’t even realize they are gaining. Maybe they have an extra cookie here, a late night snack there, larger meals than they used to have, etc. But one day they see themselves in the mirror and realize they have gained weight to the point where they don’t even recognize their shape and size.

If they are up 25 pounds, it took them 5 years to do so, at the above rate. If they have gained 50 pounds, it took them 10 years to do so. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t make sense for someone to try to suddenly shed all this extra weight in a few weeks or few months.

They have gained the weight by slowing getting out of good habits (like healthy eating, regular exercise, enough sleep and rest) and getting into poor habits. Why then would it make sense to suddenly lose the weight without changing: habit patterns, mindset, lifestyle, emotional responses to life events, and other factors. It would make more sense to address what caused the weight gain and slowly make changes.

Most people who lose weight quickly also gain it back quickly. But people who lose slowly, making changes for life, tend to keep the extra weight off. True, they often fluctuate with a range of five pounds or so. But as soon as they see the extra weight on — from parties, vacations, family visits, or whatever other reason – then they lose it again. And they do so without fretting, worrying, or getting too emotional about it. This is because they have their home base of good habits and beliefs to go back to.

Now back to the half a pound a week. This is a common weight loss rate for those who are making permanent changes at the same time. It takes time to do that. It leaves time to assimilate a new mindset, new habit patterns, and a new schedule that leaves enough time for self-care. Losing half a pound a week means 26 pounds a year; 52 pounds in two years. To me, that’s a lot better than continuing to gain 5 pounds a year. It’s also a lot better than losing 50 pounds fairly quickly, and then gaining it back quickly. This type of fluctuation is bad for the heart. Plus, it leaves the underlying fear of always gaining back what was lost. Often even more is gained back than was lost. Nothing is worse than getting on the scale and seeing the numbers creep up.

Keeping all this in mind, I invite you to consider the slow but steady approach. It will be hard if you are the impatient type, or if you have an event coming up that you want to look your best for. But in the end, you will come out a winner!