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Donald Hensrud, M.D.
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Mayo Clinic diet (1)
- Weight loss: Better to cut calories or exercise more?
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- Weight loss: Better to cut calories or exercise more?
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Question
Fast weight loss: What's wrong with it?
Why do doctors recommend a slow rate of weight loss? What's wrong with fast weight loss?
Answer
from Donald Hensrud, M.D.
The problem with fast weight loss is that it takes extraordinary efforts in diet and exercise that are usually not sustainable over the long term — and the weight quickly comes back once you stop trying so hard. That's why when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady usually beats out fast weight loss.
Remember that 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat contains 3,500 calories. So you need to burn 500 more calories than you eat each day to lose just 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days). A weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is the typical recommendation, but some people may initially lose more weight more quickly. Very low calorie diets that result in more rapid weight loss require medical supervision. If you lose a lot of weight quickly, it's probably not fat that you're losing. It's more likely to be water weight or even lean tissue since it's hard to burn that many fat calories in a short period of time.
Weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week may seem slow, but it's a pace that's more likely to help you maintain your weight loss for the long term.
Next questionMetabolism: What's the best way to boost it?
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 3, 2009.
- Eckel RH. Nonsurgical management of obesity in adults. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;358:1941.
- Aim for a healthy weight: Information for patients and the public. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/recommen.htm. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Still CD, et al. Obesity. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/134663651-2/0/1621/1.html. Accessed April 10, 2009.
