Safe and Effective Weight Loss

We are now almost one week into the first ever Spring Makeover Challenge at Sturgeon Valley Athletic Club and the weekly weigh in is looming.  I wonder how all of the participants are feeling about their efforts so far.

The thing that I love about this particular challenge is its emphasis on health and learning healthy new habits that are designed to be sustainable even after the challenge is over.  Yes, it is a weight loss challenge where people are competing to lose the most weight each week but the coaches are all doing their best to ensure that the weight loss is being done in the safest way possible.

On the eve of our weekly weigh in, I want to remind everyone that even though it is a competition, in the end, it is your health and safety that we are concerned with.  A good amount of weight loss for a week is 2 lbs. There is a bit of leeway of course depending on the individual and their particular program, however excessive weight loss initially is likely water weight and will slow after the first couple weeks.  After that, excessive weight loss could indicate a loss of lean body mass (ie. muscle) which is getting into dangerous territory.  Your muscle burns more calories at rest and is therefore an important part of any weight loss goal. 

While it isn't always fun to count calories, it is a good idea to at least be aware of your resting metabolic rate (the calories that you burn doing nothing).  If you are continually below your metabolic calories (RMR), you may initially experience weight loss but eventually your metabolism will slow.  Once this happens, not only will it be very difficult to lose weight but you may actually start gaining weight back.  If you need help calculating your RMR your team leader will be able to help you with that.

So tomorrow morning, if you step on the scale and it only shows 2 pounds lost, you can feel proud that you are right on track for a healthy, sustainable lifestyle change.  

Get moving and change will follow!