Every month there is a new diet promising unimaginable results if you only stick to its rigid rules. The amount of people who are willing to try every diet they come across online proves just how many of us know nothing about our bodies.
To help clear things up, TotalShape.com searched for the most googled questions about weight loss and Isaac Robertson, TotalShape’s personal fitness trainer and nutritionist, has answered them for you.
1. How to lose weight fast
In theory, losing weight is simple math: the number of calories you burn has to exceed the number of calories you consume. If you are gaining weight, it is either because your calorie intake is too high, or because you are not burning enough calories, or both.
In general, make sure that you are spending 300–500 more calories than you are consuming. There are many ways to keep track of your calories, from calorie counting apps to online TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculators.
2. How many calories should I eat to lose weight
Ideal daily calorie intake depends on a lot of factors, from gender and age to levels of physical activity. However, the bare minimum is 1,200 calories a day for women, and 1,500 calories a day for men. Again, what is important is that your daily calorie burn exceeds your daily intake.
3. How much weight can you lose in a month
According to the CDC, 1 to 2 pounds a week is a safe and effective weight loss, which means that you can safely lose from 4 to 8 pounds a month.
4. How to lose weight in your face
Just like you cannot target a specific body part for weight gain, you cannot target from which part of the body you lose weight. That is a myth. If you want to lose weight from your face, you have to do the same thing you would do if you wanted to lose weight from any other part of your body – watch your calorie intake.
However, if your face is bloated, you can reduce the bloating by improving your overall diet, reducing your salt intake, drinking more water, and getting enough sleep at night.
5. How many steps a day to lose weight
To answer the question, walking 10,000 steps a day for a week burns roughly enough calories to melt a pound of fat. Although it is easier for some people to set a defined goal, here it is again better not to focus on the numbers. Rather, focus on gradually increasing your physical activity every day, until you reach your desired goals.
6. Why can’t I lose weight
This one is a bit more difficult to answer. As I stated at the beginning, the math behind weight loss is simple. Nevertheless, there are many factors that can influence your ability to control your body weight.
Your genes play a very important role. Although some people find it difficult to influence their weight with their eating and exercising habits, some might find it extremely hard, whether we’re talking about weight loss or weight gain.
If you have been paying attention to your calorie intake and calorie burning, drinking enough water, and sticking to your sleeping schedule, and still you’re not losing weight, it is possible that you have hypothyroidism. This means your thyroid gland is not producing enough hormones, which can hinder your progress or even cause weight gain.
If you are on birth control, or you are taking medication for allergies, depression, or diabetes, for example, that can also impact your weight loss.
Robertson concludes: “Following any restricting diet without first consulting your GP can be dangerous. The goal shouldn’t be to lose as much weight as possible as quickly as possible, with the minimum amount of effort. What should be your goal is implementing healthy habits in your everyday life, and the results will come, surely not as quickly as with some restrictive diets, but you will be less miserable during the process and the results will be long-term.”
Read Next:
How I lost 36 Pounds
Fall For Dukan Diet: Nutritionist Simone Gloger Talks Weight LossCoaching