6-pack short-cut! 12 week transformation! Rapid fat loss!!!
Nonsense phrases like these, and others, have plagued the fitness world for decades. Programs promising and promoting fast transformations, or quick results. The reality is, it’s all bullshit.
Successful, and better yet, sustainable fitness transformations take.. time.. (and not even a ton, tbh)
But still… There are no quick fixes or shortcuts to long-term results.
However, quick fixes seem very appealing.. Which is exactly why companies, or some fitness entrepreneurs, use them as a way to sell you more shit.
Don’t fall for it.
The first thing is to accept the fact that it might take some time to get to where you want to be, but know that no matter what, that time is going to pass by, so each day is an opportunity to get one step closer to that goal. And by the time months, and then years have passed, you’ll have achieved far more than you ever thought you could, rather than giving up and having achieved nothing, and then living with regret.
Ok end rant.. But for real, when chasing a particular fitness goal, the body will need time and consistency to properly adapt to whatever goal it is that you’re chasing – building muscle mass, burning body fat, etc.
So how long does it take to lose or gain weight? The right way?
Of course there will be some variation between individuals. But the average rate of healthy and sustainable weight loss, or weight gain, has been found to be:
Per WEEK: 0.5lb – 1lb
Per MONTH: 2lb – 4lb
These are the ranges that have been best shown to manage proper weight loss (usually by burning mostly body fat instead of muscle mass), and weight gain (by allowing more of an emphasis on building muscle mass, rather than storing excess body fat, or retaining water).
Meaning, if your goal is weight loss, and you try to lose a bunch of weight at a faster rate, your body will not prioritize body fat (which it uses as stored energy), but rather, it will burn more lean mass (which the body can burn for energy easily if needed – ie, losing a lot of weight quickly). And other issues can be experienced too, including low overall energy, and hormonal issues.
And on the flip side, if healthy weight gain is your goal, gaining too much, too fast will most likely lead to gaining more body fat as opposed to building lean muscle mass.
Obviously, you can go a little outside of these ranges and most likely still achieve similar results. But that’s the main, optimal range to shoot for..
0.5lb – 1lb per week / 2lb – 4lb per month
CAVEAT..
For individuals who are more overweight, due to the amount of excess energy stored, sometimes a faster rate of weight loss is normal, and even okay, in the beginning of their fitness journey.
However – and this is true for virtually everyone – the smaller, or leaner you are, the harder it will be to keep losing weight. Also, if you attempt to severely restrict food intake, that will also make weight loss more difficult.
SUMMARY
Properly losing or gaining weight does not happen through some 6 week transformation, or some other quick fix. It happens little by little, week after week, month after month of steady consistency. And this also doesn’t mean “perfection”. It’s perfectly normal to slip up, or make mistakes. As long as you’re sticking to the course, over time, I promise you will achieve more than you ever thought you could!
Thanks for reading!