Weight loss is a difficult task, regardless of whether your goal is to be fit and healthy or lose weight for health reasons.
When you try to determine the best weight-loss strategy, various factors are at play.
This post will go through how to lose 3 pounds each week, potential obstacles, and how to keep the weight off for good.
Read on to discover more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
✅ Although it is possible, it is not advised to lose that much weight in one week.
✅ Losing three pounds per week is a difficult task.
✅ People who lose weight too quickly are more likely to gain it back faster than those who do so slowly and steadily.
✅ It is best to attempt and develop healthy habits that help you maintain your weight rather than concentrating just on weight loss.
✅ You may get started on the path to attaining your weight loss objectives by modifying your diet and incorporating a fitness routine that includes strength training, cardio, and HIIT workouts.
Can You Really Lose 3 Pounds a Week?
Although it is possible to shed 3 pounds per week, health professionals do not advise it. There is nothing wrong with trying to lose weight quickly, but some of the techniques are unsustainable, unsafe, and hazardous. It would be preferable to lose weight gradually and steadily if you want to lose weight in a healthy method.
Rapid weight loss may also necessitate extreme calorie restriction, depriving you of the fuel and nutrients required for function.
What Amount of Weight Should I Lose Each Week?
The majority of medical professionals advise losing one to two pounds every week of body weight. That indicates that losing three pounds should take you at least 1.5 weeks. Your present weight, food, degree of exercise, sleep schedule, stress level, and hormonal health all affect how quickly you lose weight. Going below your recommended daily calorie intake can be harmful to your health and is not a good way to reduce weight.
Weight loss that occurs more quickly than is healthy is linked to several health issues. Moodiness and irritability, persistent fatigue, constipation, hair loss, and brittle nails are a few of the most typical. The mental pressure of drastically reducing calories is also fairly troublesome because it makes you lethargic and makes it difficult for you to concentrate.
Before beginning a weight loss programme, it is best to consult a doctor because rapid weight loss is cause for concern.
1: Use up more calories than you take in.
You must be in a calorie deficit if you want to lose weight. By increasing your daily caloric expenditure and burning more calories than you take in, you can achieve this. Since 3,500 calories make up one pound of fat, you must have a daily calorie deficit of 500 to lose a pound of fat in seven days.
A daily caloric deficit of 1,000 calories will result in a weekly weight loss of approximately 2 pounds. A low-calorie diet combined with aerobic exercise or strength training is the most efficient approach to burning calories. An increased metabolic rate brought on by exercise causes a caloric deficit.
Healthy eating practices, such as following a low-carb, nutrient-dense diet, force the body to take a longer time to digest meals. Simply avoiding processed foods that are high in empty calories can help you lose weight. Increasing your water intake will also increase your calorie burn and reduce your hunger, especially if done prior to meals.
Consuming caffeinated green tea is another strategy to increase calorie expenditure. As a metabolic-altering stimulant, caffeine, is the number of calories burned rises. Additionally, it may make someone feel as though they have more energy, causing them to move more.
2: Keep moving
Your body burns calories at a higher rate the more active you are. Your body uses the calories it burns during exercise as fuel. The benefit of staying active is that your body continues to burn calories even after a workout. Your body composition changes as a result of continued exercise since it burns fat and builds muscle.
The body’s metabolic rate rises with lean muscle build because it needs more energy to sustain than fat does.
The Fitter app may be exactly what you need if you are unsure of how to begin your exercise regimens. With no need for a gym or special equipment, you can effectively do brief 10 to 30-minute workouts on this app at home.
This programme serves as a substitute for a personal trainer, and it has amazing in-app features like an activity tracker, progress tracker, step tracker, and a separate section for training for particular body regions.
It would be advisable to combine your exercise programme with a nutritious diet in order to achieve your weight loss objectives. A meal service function in the Fitter app offers simple dishes made with accessible components. Additionally, it automatically calculates the calories in your meals. Your favourite meals can be saved so that you can quickly access them in the future.
These meals are perfect for you, particularly if you wish to lose weight without exerting yourself excessively, are fed up with fad diets, or have certain food allergies or intolerances.
You may get the best weight reduction results with the Fitter app without spending hours in the kitchen or the gym because the workouts only take 15 to 30 minutes, and the meals are simple to prepare.
You can get an eBook on superfoods for $19.99, an eBook on desserts for $9.99, and an eBook on fitter meals for just $19.00, with this individualised exercise schedule, getting in shape will require little effort.
3: Consume more low-calorie foods
To lose 3 pounds, it’s critical to monitor your caloric intake. Zero-calorie foods are helpful in this situation since they allow you to eat larger portions while still consuming fewer calories. They help you stay full and manage your hunger. It’s not that foods with no calories exist.
They have a net caloric value of zero because the energy required to chew and digest them is greater than the calories they actually contain.
The majority of these items are fruits and vegetables with high fibre and water content. Fruits and vegetables have high water and fibre content, are low in calories and provide weight and volume but little calories. Additionally, fibre-rich foods take longer to digest and provide longer-lasting satiety with fewer calories.
Celery, apples, and kale are a few examples of foods that have no calories.
4: Steer clear of any more sugar.
Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables all naturally contain sugars. However, the majority of pre-packaged and processed meals have a lot of added sugars, which add calories without adding any nutritious value. The body eventually turns extra sugar into fat, which makes you gain more weight.
As a result, you must read the labels on your meals. You can control how much sugar you consume if you are aware of its presence in your food. Instead of consuming sodas and energy drinks, which are often worse than many solid food sources due to their high sugar content, opt to drink water.
15% of the calories consumed by the average American adult come from added sugars. Injurious health issues like heart disease, obesity, high cholesterol, weight gain, chronic inflammation, and dental plaque are all associated with these sugars.
It is possible to obtain all the necessary minerals without consuming more calories by substituting sugary foods with healthier alternatives. Avoiding baked foods like cakes, brownies, and muffins is another approach to cutting back on added sugar.
Steer clear of artificial sweets and refined carbs. It would also be preferable to concentrate on whole foods, which include nutrient-dense foods like veggies, lean meats, nuts, seeds, and unprocessed grains. Meal planning also makes it simple to follow a diet and stay away from unhealthy snacks. When there are options for healthy food, it is simpler to refrain from grabbing a soda or candy bar.
5: Try sporadic fasting
Because intermittent fasting entails taking occasional short-term fasts during which little to no food is consumed, it contrasts with regular eating patterns. As a result, people cut back on their calorie intake and lose weight. Because fasting decreases blood sugar and cholesterol levels IF also aids in disease control by reducing the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular illnesses.
Additionally, it promotes rapid weight loss. The DoFasting app is just what you need if you’re having trouble selecting your intermittent fasting schedule. This software is a customised fasting schedule assistant with special features to help you stick to it.
The software provides a variety of fasting options that one can easily adhere to for the rest of one’s life because not everyone can endure a 24-hour fast. The app’s more than 200 recipes make organising your diet easier. These diet regimens, which are created by qualified nutritionists, aid in healthy weight loss. It is an accountability buddy that will help you keep on track and be consistent, ensuring your success.
Fasting becomes more appealing when you notice changes in your weight and basal metabolic rate on the progress tracker.
The progress tracker provides precise information on the number of calories and activity minutes required to reach a target weight. It assists with breaking through a weight loss plateau by adjusting your calorie intake in accordance with your weight loss progress.
In order to meet your calorie needs, the intermittent fasting plan also offers a successful training regimen that combines diet and exercise. Its calorie counter might assist you in controlling your portion sizes and in keeping a food journal that tracks your daily caloric intake.
Searching through the vast amount of available material on intermittent fasting is difficult. On the other hand, this app offers you daily advice and support required for your weight loss journey. You can create better habits that result in long-lasting weight loss by using this app as your accountability partner. What Foods Should You Eat to Lose Three Pounds a Week?
You must consume items that stifle cravings and keep you fuller for longer if you want to drop 3 pounds every week. Some of these foods also speed up metabolism, increasing the number of calories your body burns. Fresh fruits and dark leafy greens are two wonderful examples of fibre-rich foods to include in your weight loss diet.
They contain a variety of vitamins and fibre that are excellent to include in your diet. They stifle your appetite and lessen your desire for unhealthier foods.
Salmon and other fatty fish are incredibly nourishing and satiating. Additionally, it contains a lot of fatty acids, which lessen inflammation linked to metabolic disorders and obesity. Lean meats, such as lean beef and grilled chicken, are rich in lean protein, contain fewer saturated fats, and are therefore thought to help with weight management.
Some legumes, including lentils and green beans, are rich in protein and fibre, two nutrients that help people feel fuller for longer. Additionally, they include resistant starch, which means that they won’t raise your blood sugar levels.
Lean protein-rich whole foods like egg whites, tofu, and skinless chicken breasts are excellent sources of protein and can help you consume fewer calories and bad fats each day. Oats, brown rice, and quinoa are examples of whole grains that enhance metabolic health and satiety.
Additionally low in calories and high in fibre increases satiety in whole wheat pasta. Toast made from whole wheat is a great source of vitamins, fibre, and minerals and can help with weight loss because of this. Nuts are a great source of protein and fibre and make excellent snacks.
Green smoothies also boost energy levels, provide nutrients important for a weight loss diet, and help lower the number of calories consumed from sweetened beverages. Low-fat dairy products, such as cottage cheese, are suitable for your weight loss plan because they have fewer calories and saturated fats.
These meals help you lose weight in a healthy way when combined with moderation and regular exercise.
How to Lose 3 Pounds a Week: What to Avoid?
While attempting to reduce weight, there are some typical blunders that could prevent you from seeing the results you want. You might occasionally be led astray by out-of-date advice. People frequently make the error of consuming too few calories. Cutting too many calories from your regular diet can have the unintended consequence of causing muscle loss and a slowed metabolism.
It would also be wise to stay away from sweetened beverages and drinks with added sugar because they are high in sugar and can cause weight gain. White bread, candy bars, pastries, pizza, ice cream, and processed breakfast cereals are just a few examples of foods with added sugars that prevent weight loss.
Even if you consume a lot of healthy foods, it is still a good idea to keep track of what you eat because you can be taking in more calories than your body requires. Over-exercising and exaggerating how many calories you burn when exercising are other prevalent mistakes. Overtraining stresses your body, is not long-term sustainable, and may create stress.
Avoid setting yourself up for failure by not having very high expectations, which could demotivate you and make weight reduction more difficult in the future.