Obesity continues to be a major health problem in the U.S. In fact, roughly two-thirds of adult Americans are overweight, and one-third are obese.
On the other side of the spectrum, the wellness industry skyrocketed in the global market for at least the last decade, making it a trillion-dollar industry. If anything, this shows the interest of the majority of the population towards improving their well-being.
But for people who tip the scale more than they should, losing excess weight is far from easy.
With today’s modern technology that encourages convenience, falling into a sedentary lifestyle makes it even more difficult to lose weight. But that’s just the beginning of the road to weight loss because it takes more than just a fad diet to shed even just a few pounds.
Here we’ll discuss the factors that affect weight loss, and the safest and most effective ways to keep them off sustainably.
The Fat Metabolism Process
The human body naturally requires fats to complete vital cellular processes. Fats help protect our internal organs, keep us warm, and serve as fuel for energy.
When we ingest fats from the food we eat, they’re either oxidized for immediate energy use or synthesized and stored for future use.
From the mouth to the stomach, they’re broken into smaller molecules by digestive enzymes until they’re small enough to enter the bloodstream through the small intestine.
Fats are primarily converted into glycogen, which goes into the muscles for energy. But once the muscles reach their maximum storage capacity, the excess amounts go back to the liver to be converted for fat storage in different areas of the body.
This means when you eat more than the calories you need for energy, they will be stored as fat deposits for future use. Inversely, when you start consuming less food, your body will eventually use these excess stored fats for energy. In the same way, if your energy expenditure exceeds the glycogen stores from your recent food intake, these fat reserves will be retrieved for oxidation.
So to lose unwanted weight, you need to eat less food or increase your physical activity, or both.
Sounds simple enough?
If you’ve tried shedding weight before, you’ll know this isn’t as simple as it sounds. This is because there are other factors that come into play when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off.
Factors That Affect Weight Loss
One reason why there’s no one-size-fits-all program for weight loss is because we all have unique health profiles and needs. For a weight loss program to be successful, it requires consideration of these factors that vary from one person to another:
- Diet
- Level of physical activity
- Age
- Sleep quality
- Stress levels
- Medical conditions
- Mental health, including eating disorders
- Medications
- Genetics and ethnicity
- Lifestyle and socioeconomic factors
- Cultural habits and perception
Before starting a weight loss plan, these areas are best reviewed with a healthcare professional. Only then will you have a tailored program that’s specific to your unique needs.
What’s the Problem With Quick Weight Loss?
There are countless ways to lose weight fast. The problem is that most of these shortcuts aren’t sustainable and can even be detrimental to your health. If your weight loss plan leaves you feeling starved, fatigued, dehydrated, and stressed, chances are you’re losing nutrients and water so fast that you’ve caused an imbalance in your system.
Keep in mind that the safest goal for losing weight is up to 2 pounds a week only. Anything beyond this and you’re more likely to disrupt your body’s physiological balance. So if some fad diet or pill claims it can make you lose 1 pound a day, you better think twice.
Rapid, unhealthy weight loss can lead to the following health problems:
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Loss of muscle and bone density
- Feelings of stress and irritability
- Fatigue
- Gallstones
- Weakened immunity
How to Lose Weight Safely and Effectively
Healthier ways to lose weight take time. But if you’re patient and disciplined enough, you’ll eventually reach your ideal weight without sacrificing your health. The best part is you can maintain your healthy weight and feel better about your overall well-being.
Here are the safest ways to lose weight effectively and sustainably:
Improve Sleep Quality
Poor sleep quality can mess up your metabolism and make it more difficult for your body to burn fats. It also negatively affects the neurotransmitters and hormones responsible for regulating hunger and appetite. And if you’re constantly deprived of sleep, this may lead to unhealthy food preferences.
Tip:
Try to set regular hours for sleeping and waking up. Wind down a few hours before bedtime to allow your body and mind to anticipate sleep. Avoid caffeine and heavy meals at least 4 hours before going to bed.
Manage Stress Levels
Some people lose weight under extreme stress when they lose their appetite. For others, it could be the opposite when they start overeating to cope. Either way, high levels of stress can trigger an inflammatory process that affects metabolism too. If you’ve started on a weight loss program but are often stressed, you may find that your weight hardly budges or it just keeps coming back.
Tip:
If you’re prone to stress, take time to relax at the end of each day to keep stress from building up. Try to meditate, do yoga or deep breathing exercises, enjoy a warm bath, listen to relaxing music, or spend some time on a hobby you love.
Increase Physical Activity
Doing exercises is one of the most common solutions to weight loss. As mentioned earlier, if you can increase your energy expenditure while maintaining just the right amount of food intake, your body will eventually start burning stored fats. However, it can take a long time to see results if you’re not consistent or if you’re only relying on physical exercises to lose weight.
Tip:
Look for training programs that suit your age, body type, and target areas. When you’re not training, keep moving to maintain a constant level of physical activity. Take walks as much as you can, use the stairs instead of the escalator, do stretching exercises, and engage in physical sports when you can.
Make Smarter Food Choices
What you eat can easily make or break your weight loss efforts. If you often consume refined, sugary, and highly processed food items, you’ll be closer to gaining than losing weight. To make matters worse, unhealthy food choices may even lead to chronic health issues.
Tip:
Choose food items that naturally support weight loss. Swap junk food with nutrient-dense foods like lean meat, leafy greens, fish, and high-fiber vegetables. If you can maintain a balanced diet, you’ll feel fuller for longer and avoid craving unhealthy foods with empty calories.
Start Healthier Eating Habits
How you eat matters when you’re trying to shed pounds. If you overeat or eat at the wrong times, all your other efforts to stay active and stress-free will be futile. Remember that diet is the biggest factor when it comes to losing, maintaining, and gaining weight.
Tip:
Portion your meals according to your target calorie intake each day. Spread them throughout the day into smaller, more frequent meals. Avoid eating close to bedtime. If your food isn’t digested by the time you sleep, your body will only be storing fats instead of burning them.
Key Takeaways
As you can see, the healthier habits you need to adopt to lose weight affect each other in one way or another. While this sounds challenging, it’s a sustainable way that will pay in the long run as long as you commit to it.
Assess your lifestyle and health habits, plan your weight loss journey with the help of your physician, and set milestones you can look forward to as you go along.
