Weight loss is one of the most difficult health and fitness goals to achieve, however, it is also one of the most common.
It’s surprising just how many people aspire to lose weight, whether it’s just a few pounds after a period of indulgence or inactivity, or a more serious health-related necessity.
Regardless of the motivation, many people find weight loss extremely difficult, and to make things worse, there are a lot of market forces and predatory businesses preying on the various insecurities our society has around weight.
This can make it difficult to obtain good information about weight loss, with many people setting hopelessly high goals in impossibly short time frames.
One of the best pieces of advice to keep in mind with weight loss, as well as other challenging goals, is that we tend to overestimate what we can achieve in the short term and underestimate what we can achieve in the long term.
With this in mind, we’re going to look at how long it takes to lose 50 pounds, as well as methods to lose weight, time frames, the importance of diet and exercise, risk factors, and other common queries surrounding serious weight loss like this.
But first, let’s touch on the various methods of weight loss to give you a better understanding of your options.
Before you start any course of weight loss, dietary change, or exercise you should always consult with your doctor, as changes to your lifestyle can have serious consequences to your health that can often be unforeseen and be potentially devastating.
Don’t underestimate the risk factors of any weight loss, especially drastic weight loss.
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How Long Does it Take to Lose 50 Pounds?
It depends on your lifestyle choices, diet, and other factors so making an accurate prediction is difficult. However, it is possible to give an estimate.
Most people can lose around 2lbs a week in weight if committing to an adequate drop in caloric intake, and 2lbs of weight loss a week would create a time frame of around 6 months.
This would be considered a fairly rapid amount of weight loss but at a relatively steady rate. Many people will lose different weight each week meaning this could increase or decrease slightly based on many factors.
A more common weekly weight loss goal is around 1lb a week which puts the time frame at 11 to 12 months for a 50lb drop, and this is even safer and steadier which will likely lead to a longer-lasting weight loss result and a better overall lifestyle with fewer risk factors.
Method
There are many ways to lose weight, however, a lot of people drastically overestimate how complicated the actual process of weight loss is.
Decades of fad diets, dodgy marketing, and warped perceptions have led people to become convinced that extreme diets, niche workout regimes, and overpriced gadgets are all vital for weight loss.
But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Weight loss comes down to a very simple bit of math. Simply put in fewer calories than your body needs, and you will lose weight. It’s as simple as that.
The number of calories your particular body needs will vary depending on a range of factors from height and weight to exercise levels and health, as well as occupation, but generally, these factors can be worked out quite easily, meaning weight loss simply becomes a case of ensuring you abide by this simple principle.
The issue is that while this is simple enough, many people are seeking fast and dramatic results, which has led to various methods of achieving this goal.
Calorie Counting
This method is simplest and is just a case of watching what you eat, cutting down on your portion sizes, and ensuring that you eat fewer daily calories than you burn.
This will ensure a steady and healthy rate of weight loss that isn’t fast but is stable and generally safe, allowing you to make a controlled weight loss over time.
Exercise
Many people rely on intense exercise regimes to burn more calories and improve weight loss.
Exercise is undoubtedly one of the best ways to achieve this, and for many people, it works well, but there are drawbacks, as intensive exercise naturally makes you want to eat more, and for many people, these urges are so powerful that the number of calories consumed increases actually leading to weight increase.
Following a proven regime and high discipline is required to take advantage of exercise when losing weight.
Fasting/Diets
Dieting is one of the most common forms of weight loss, and although it has become less popular in recent years, there are many fad diets that remain in place, from the paleo diet to the carnivorous diet and a host of weight and wonderful alternatives.
Another even more extreme form of dieting that has grown in popularity is fasting, which is the practice of abstaining from eating food for varying amounts of time.
The health implications of dieting and fasting are riskier and some theorize that these methods can actually lead to increased weight down the line, but many people have success with these.
Diet
Eating a balanced diet is key to health, and weight loss, and this is even more important when cutting calories.
Cutting calories can lead to a drop in your nutrition, which can lead to health issues and malnutrition which can lead to a slew of physical and mental ailments.
To avoid this, you need to cut less important calories, such as carbohydrates, which is, unfortunately, one of the most readily available and tasty sources of calories, and why so many people find weight loss difficult.
Eating a diet high in vegetables and protein with a portion of quality fats from nuts and beans is the best way to lose weight healthily and drop calories which are often refined, calorie-dense, and unhealthy.
Exercise
Exercise is a very important tool for weight loss and when used correctly it can be a huge boon, but it must be managed carefully as it can also create problems such as increasing your appetite and risking various injuries.
As long as you train to your ability level, however, and eat well, you can use exercise to speed up your weight loss and improve your overall health, leading to lasting lifestyle improvements as well as mental health benefits.
Risk Factors
There are risk factors to losing weight, and these can range from malnutrition to heart issues or even vitamin deficiencies or autoimmune issues.
A drastic change in your lifestyle can have a range of unexpected and sudden side effects as your body is often shocked by these changes, which is why it’s so important to seek medical advice BEFORE you attempt any sort of weight loss, particularly a drastic weight loss of 50 lbs.
What’s the Healthiest Way to Lose Weight?
The healthiest way to lose weight is steadily and over a long period of time, incorporating a good steady calorie deficit and some exercise.
Consistency and discipline are key to obtaining lasting results, and while there are quicker methods for weight loss, these often lead to dramatic relapses and weight gain, health issues, and serious mental health risks such as depression, dysphoria as well as eating disorders, so these are best avoided at all costs to preserve your health.
After all, being overweight can be a potential health risk, but triggering any of the above risk factors is also a health risk, and it’s counterproductive to swap one health risk for another.
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