Skinny Girl's Quest for Muscle

Skinny Girl's Quest for Muscle
How Many Pounds Can You Lose in a Week? Probably More Than You Think.

Everyone wants to lose weight these days, and they all want to lose it right now, right away, or at least within just a few weeks. Traditional views of diets suggest that this isn't possible. Although, I'm not interested in weight loss--I have to ask why? Why only 1 to 2 pounds per week? Has no one watched recent episodes of The Biggest Loser (NBC), where one individual lost 28 pounds in one week? 28 pounds! in a week! The winner of Dance your Ass Off (Oxygen) lost 74 pounds in ten weeks. That's an average of 7.4 pounds per week for ten weeks.

Yes, these reality show stars were very heavy to start weighing more than 250 pounds. Certainly a large amount of weight (like 28 pounds) is a much smaller percentage of total weight, less than ten percent--for a large person than a small person where 28 pounds may be twice as much when calculating it as a percentage. And, an individual of 250 pounds or more holds a larger amount of water which is the main component in our bodies, and by far the heaviest in total. However, the individuals on these reality shows lost weight week after week, even when they thinned their bodies down to what we would consider weights within normal ranges (see chart from Wikipedia.) Week after week weight loss can not be attributed to "water weight".

So, why are we locked into the thinking that we can only lose one to two pounds per week when this may only be a small fraction of a percentage of total starting weight? Perhaps this starts with healthier individuals with lower weights and lower body fat percentages advising less healthy individuals--doesn't bias of personal experience rules in many thought processes. Or is it just solely based on a traditional idea that became "fact" over time and repetition?

Robert Huizenga, M.D., a leading obesity researcher and the medical mind behind The Biggest Loser has suggested that the 1 to 2 pound rule came from popular belief and the new rule is 1 to 2 PERCENT of body weight, not pounds.

Even at 125 pounds, two percent of my body weight is 2.5 pounds. I could lose two and a half pounds a week (if I were completely insane) and still fall within the proper percentage. With this in mind, couldn't someone of 180 pounds lose 3.6 per week? And, someone at 250 pounds shed 5 pounds per week and remain perfectly healthy?

Dr. Huizenga has also suggested that there IS a magic pill to weight loss. You've got to be kidding right? A magic pill for weight loss? And, coming from the health nut's blog? Yes, that's right. There is a magic pill. For everyone seeking the magic pill, here it is: two hours of exercise per day plus moderate caloric reduction. That's it, just get some exercise and eat right--no need to do any extreme dieting, take any funky chemicals, or starve oneself. Just get some exercise. You two could see the same absolutely stunning gains (well, losses really) seen on television each week. Think you can't do it? Think you're not healthy enough? Well, here's the kicker, Dr. Huizenga also states that even the morbidly obese can exercise at the same intensity of professional athletes.

Until next time, go do something athletic!


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references:
Where Did All The Fat Go, Robert Huizenga, M.D.