How Fast Will I Lose?

This is such a common question, yet it is impossible to answer. For decades it was thought that weight loss was a simple mathematical equation based on calories in and calories out, but this equation has never worked and will never work. It is based on the ongoing myth that eating 500 calories less, or exercising 500 calories per day will lead to a deficit of 3500 calories, and eureka one loses 1 pound per week. But it doesn't work. It doesn't work because our metabolisms are very complicated. We have been created to protect fat for times of famine. Our regulatory systems attempt to maintain our ‘set point', and often we don't gain as much as we expect when we eat more (on a regular basis), because our metabolic rate will go up in an attempt to burn off the excess calories (at least temporarily) until a new set point is achieved.Attempting to use formulas to try and understand how many calories we need to sustain ourselves, is an impossible task as this will vary from day to day depending on our sleep patterns, circadian rhythms, stress levels, activity levels and underlying metabolic issues such as insulin or leptin resistance.Society thinks that weight loss is a simple process, of simply eating less and exercising more. Why then do we have about 10% of the population who remain thin despite a total lack of regard as to how many calories they eat? On the opposite end, we have many very overweight people who aren't eating very much at all. Their metabolic rate is very very different.We are fighting genetics, and the hormones that regulate our appetite, our metabolic rate and how much fat we will store and where we store it. This issue of weight loss is a very complicated and very individual issue. No two people will lose at the same rate, generally speaking. There are too many variables. We cannot plug the impact of lack of sleep or obstructive sleep apnea, or the cortisol effect of stress, or activity levels (not the formal gym type activities, but our activities/movement throughout the day) into the calorie hypothesis.As we have discussed many times before, this is a very personal and lengthy journey. We must attempt to find what works for each of us, in the context of our genetics, stress levels, sleep patterns, and activity levels.Thus, it's important not to expect a certain amount of loss weekly. Assuming we can exercise, eat exactly as planned, limit stress and get proper sleep then we might get our bodies to begin using our own fat as fuel. Yet we may be discouraged when nothing seems to happen despite our efforts. Here, we need to look at all the variables in our life and what might we work on. Most often we are eating more than what we think, and we need to document carefully. Similarly we aren't moving as much as we imagine even if we are going to the gym four times per week. We must do more standing, or extra walking, or incorporate more strength training. If you are under stress, don't be discouraged with the scale, you won't lose much if at all in this situation. Mediation, proper sleep and regular activity might help this.Success goes to those who are willing to continue day by day, week by week searching for what works for them, or searching for what may be holding them back. Do you need more activity? Could you eat fewer carbohydrates? Could you try ‘time related eating' where you don't eat after 4.30pm when our metabolic rates drop? Try to minimise mindless snacks that you aren't even aware of, because at the time they seem trivial. They aren't.Find out what works for you. Don't be discouraged, and don't let the scale deter you from searching for solutions. You must hang in. Your future health depends on it.Dr. B