Fast Weight Loss Is More Water Than Fat

 Many people want to lose weight as quickly as possible and are often fascinated when they use a weight loss product or service that produces rapid weight loss in the first few days or weeks. While it may be appealing to think that they are finally on the right track and can finally move on and lose unwanted body weight, there is another side to this loss, however. of rapid weight.

After experiencing the initial rapid weight loss, it too often happens that many dieters who use such rapid fat reduction products find that they simply start to lose hope as their rate of fat loss increases. decreases, almost always at a snail rate. And while it could be great if all of the weight loss experienced during the initial phase of the diet program was in fact due to body fat, the fact is, it isn't.

The truth is, losing weight is really easy, but losing body fat is not as easy as it sounds. It would also not be an exaggeration to say that many diet promoters are very much aware of this fact but intentionally fail or refuse to educate dieters on this weight loss phenomenon.

This is what is really happening. A large percentage of the weight lost during the initial phase of virtually any weight loss program is primarily due to water loss

from body tissues, as water is a part of every cell in the human body. In fact, the fat-free mass is 70-75% water and the body fat is 10-40% water.

Due to the reduction in calorie intake during the first periods of use of any weight loss product and in particular those specially designed to "supposedly" facilitate rapid fat reduction, the body is forced to release and burn glycogen stored as an energetic fuel. Glycogen is essentially composed of 75% water and 25% glucose. Therefore, when glucose is metabolized, water is produced largely as a by-product.

Therefore, around 75% of the weight lost during this initial rapid reduction in body weight is primarily from lean mass (muscle and water) and 25% from unwanted body fat. Typically, for every gram of glycogen burned, the body loses around 4 to 5 grams of weight. When body water is lost in this way, and due to the fact that the water is heavy, the weight loss is easily noticeable on the scale.

It is only when the body's glycogen stores are significantly depleted that the body begins to burn fat for energy. However, each gram of fat has about double the caloric content of 1 gram of glycogen, so you will need to burn twice the amount of calories needed to lose 1 gram of glycogen and lose 1 gram of fat.

Therefore, since fat is only about 10-40% water, when the body enters the fat-burning phase of a weight loss program, the scale tends to be much slower. than when she was burning glycogen for energy at the start of the diet. .

Considering the aforementioned points, it is unfortunate that there are indeed some weight loss programs that, in an attempt to show quick results, incorporate the use of diuretics to give the illusion of losing weight. Diuretics, whether medicines or herbal diuretics, promote the loss of body water through the kidneys. Apart from those diets that cause loss of body water that manifests easily in the bathroom, the dieter is at risk of dehydration.

Likewise, whether it is a conventional diet, a fad diet, or a diet pill, the effect of a rapid reduction in body weight that is likely to be felt is virtually the same: loss of body water. However, diets that use severe calorie restrictions or are high in protein can dramatically increase this effect.

In fact, the natural course of weight loss is to experience rapid weight loss which results in loss of water from body tissues, which is then followed by significant slowing down in fat loss as the body now goes. to fat burning. reserves to deal with it. energy needs. After the initial phase of rapid body weight reduction of a weight loss program, the rate of healthy fat loss should be around 1 to 2 pounds per week, or slightly more depending on the makeup of the individual.

So when a diet or other fat reduction program claims to have the ability to help you lose up to 10-30 pounds of body weight in a questionable amount of time, say 1 week, you now have an idea of ​​what. this is. . . against. You cannot burn fat so easily, instead you will lose water from your body.

When dieters have a good understanding of the body weight they are most likely to lose in the first few days of a weight loss program, their focus and expectations will not increase unnecessarily as they now understand exactly where they are. expect.

Understanding the small complexities involved in weight loss, such as the above concept of losing body water, helps dieters be much better equipped to set realistic fat reduction goals. This allows for the design of a fat reduction plan that anticipates how to handle situations and other inevitable minor setbacks that test the dieter's resolve without feeling unnecessarily discouraged.

Therefore, a focused and thoughtful long-term weight loss program should target body fat loss rather than just focusing on weight loss on a scale. To be successful in long-term weight loss, a person must make permanent and positive changes in their lifestyle, for example by incorporating a calorie-controlled diet with regular exercise.