Trying to Lose Weight? How Many Pounds per Week is Safe?

Trying to lose weight? If you're not, you probably know somebody who is.


Even if you're not in the wellness and fitness industry, you can help someone who is trying to lose weight. 


Do you know somebody who drinks soda on a regular basis? (I'm talking about non-diet soda; of course diet soda is terrible for health but that's a whole other story).


Explain to someone who drinks soda and is struggling with their weight that a typical can of soda has 150 calories. One soda per day per week equals 1050 calories (150x7). There are 3500 calories in a pound. So if your soda-drinking comrade drinks just one soda every day, that's 4200 calories in a month. 


You can see how easy it is for somebody with poor eating habits to pack on 20, 30, 50+ pounds in just a few years.


The 700 excess calories from the daily soda consumption leads to over a pound of weight gained in one month, assuming that is the actual caloric difference, i.e. calories in versus calories out.


In other words, someone with poor eating habits who doesn't exercise is most likely to gain way more than 700 calories above breaking even for the day. 


You may be surprised to know that even the most sedentary couch potato may burn 1500-2000 calories a day just by being alive. This is called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and measures how many calories somebody burns to support cell function. That's right: Even if you sit on the couch for literally 24 hours a day you will burn up to 2000 calories. 


People who are lean, athletic and have optimum thyroid levels can burn 2500-3000 calories per day without lifting a finger. 


So even if the most inactive person can burn up to 2000 calories a day, it's surprising that two-thirds of American adults are overweight.


But people are eating way more than they need to and not burning enough calories. It's as simple as that. 


So if you're overweight, don't despair. It's not simple to lose weight. But if you try the following, you may be surprised. But first, let's ask a question.


How much weight is is safe and effective to lose per week?

Actually, before answering that question, it's important to stuff your scale in the closet. Limit yourself to at most weighing yourself once a week. The number on the scale is not telling you how much bodyfat you're losing--it's only telling you the combined weight of your bones, skin, lean muscle mass and adipose tissue (fat).

The most self-defeating thing anybody who's trying to lose weight can do is weigh themselves on a daily basis. Within a week, somebody who is constantly weighing themselves will feel down on themselves if the scale doesn't show a lower number.

If it does show a lower number, perhaps the person is dieting and just losing water weight or worse, muscle mass (true, muscle mass is partially water).

And if the number on the scale is higher because the person is hopefully on a strength-training program, since muscle weighs more than fat, the person might experience some initial weight gain.

In my humble opinion, the best way for someone to lose weight is to eat a minimum of two green salads a day, like a spinach salad. The best thing to do is make it a nutrient-dense salad, placing some nuts (like sunflower seeds; or walnuts for heart-healthy Omega 3 Fatty Acids), a few extra veggies like shredded carrots, celery, tomato and just a pinch of dried fruit or fresh berries. Add a whole egg once a day in one of the salads for extra protein and amino acids.

A medium-size portion of light fish like Mahi-Mahi or chicken breast along with the lunch and dinner salad to feel full is good. It would be no good if you felt hungry an hour or two later and then gorged on some dessert. Speaking of which, dessert is allowed every day only if it's a tiny portion, like one small cube of dark chocolate--no more than that!

For breakfast, a small portion of grains is ok for energy throughout the day, preferably in the form of sprouted breads like Ezekial or Manna bread. Conventional cereal will only bloat your gut and make you feel like you just put on 5 pounds. Instead, opt for brown rice or quinoa cereals, which are available at health food stores.

Breakfast should be the only time of day you have a significant amount of grains. Say goodbye to frequent servings of pasta and rice for lunch and dinner. You can reward yourself every other week with a pasta dinner.

You'll soon start to feel slimmer from all the fiber you're digesting and the lack of bloating from excess grains. Consuming pasteurized milk products, even if it's organic, can cause bloating in some people (look for a future article on that soon). You can eat one link or strip of healthy bacon or sausage (meaning minimally processed with no nitrate/nitrites) even if you're trying to lose weight.

Do not deny yourself your favorite foods. But do limit your intake of grains!

Add some moderate exercise to this healthy way of eating and you'll soon start to lose bodyfat. Notice I didn't just say weight, but specifically bodyfat. You don't want to lose muscle.

Oh, almost forgot to answer the question: so how much weight is safe and effective (meaning, you're likely to keep it off) to lose per week?

I would say one to two pounds per week is safe. That's eight pounds per month and 96 pounds per year.

Some more wellness math you can coach your friends on....