Were you aware that losing weight is as simple as eating fewer calories?

Weight loss is something many people struggle with, especially those that have a lot to lose. While the process may seem difficult in the beginning, weight loss can be achieved through discipline and perseverance.

One thing that’ll help you lose weight is figuring out what causes weight loss and when you can expect to hit your goal. But how long does it take to lose weight? We’ve got all the info you need.

It’s time to lose weight! Read on to find out everything to know about losing weight.

What Causes Weight Loss?

Many people have the misconception that weight loss is primarily caused by exercise. However, this is false as exercise doesn’t burn as many calories as people think. If you check out this information, which is backed by a plethora of studies, you’ll find that most calories are burned from your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

The basal metabolic rate is simply the rate at which your body burns calories throughout the day. You’ll end up spending about 10% of your energy digesting food and the other 60-80% passively. This means you’re left with little energy to burn more from exercise.

After figuring out what your BMR is, it’s easy to determine how many calories you should be consuming to lose weight. At the end of the day, it all depends on how much you’re eating, though exercise can help.

How Long Does It Take to Lose Weight?

The average female needs to eat around 2,000 calories if they’d like to maintain their weight.

To lose 1 pound per week, they’d need to eat 1500 calories. 500 fewer calories for 7 days equals 3,500 calories (1 pound). To lose 2 pounds, they’d need to eat 1,000 fewer calories, though this is extremely low.

These numbers will vary depending on what your BMR is. However, you’d still need to eat 500 fewer calories to lose 1 pound per week, after consulting a physician. 

Exercise

Figuring out how many calories one burns with exercise is extremely difficult. While you can use things like heart rate monitors to get a better idea, you’ll never know exactly how many calories you burn.

Because of this, we recommend you avoid factoring in burned calories from exercise when making calculations. If you use a weight loss calculator, calculate everything using your BMR.

Some of the best exercises for weight loss involve things that keep your heart rate high. Running, swimming, and other cardio exercises are all effective.

If you’d like to lift weights, going heavier will make your body burn more because of the effort involved.

How to Lose Weight Effectively

Losing weight is not difficult if you know what you’re doing. Providing that you don’t calculate burned calories from exercise, you’ll be off to a great start. 

The main thing you’ll need to prioritize is your diet. While exercising can help, you’ll never lose weight if you don’t reduce the number of calories you consume.

One of the best weight loss tips we can give you is to start avoiding carbs because 1 gram provides 4 calories, which is nothing compared to fat (9 calories per gram). Foods made up of mostly carbs often have a lot of fat, so it’s easy for them to get into the 400-500 calorie range at smaller portions.

If you eat lean meats and vegetables, you won’t have to worry much about calories. Meat alone doesn’t contain carbs, though some meats contain a lot of fat, such as beef. You’d also have to eat an astronomical amount of vegetables to get the carbs you’d get from something like a can of soda.

When you start your weight loss journey, you may be tempted to do what’s known as a “crash diet.” This is a yo-yo diet that consists of very few calories and little diversity. 

While these types of diets will help you lose weight, they’re not effective for long-term weight loss. Many people end up getting severe cravings and rebound back to their previous eating habits.

Take things slow and plan to lose 1 pound per week. Those that only have a few pounds to lose can go for half a pound per week whereas those with a lot can go for 2.

Your weight loss timeline will vary depending on what your goals are and how well you stick to your diet.

Maintaining a Lower Weight

When it’s time to lose weight and you reach your goal, you must do whatever it takes to avoid old habits. This will require you to avoid cheat days and stay at your goal weight for several months.

The whole purpose of losing weight is to become healthier and indulge once in a while without consequences. Should you decide to have a cheat day, ensure you don’t go overboard. These 7 healthy habits can help you.

If you stick to drinking a lot of water and eating clean, you shouldn’t have a problem keeping the weight off. However, you may have to increase your calorie intake once you get to your goal weight to avoid further loss.

Start Following These Weight Loss Tips

Now that you have a better understanding of weight loss, you no longer need to ask, “How long does it take to lose weight?”

We encourage anyone that’s looking to lose weight to start looking online for various diets to experiment with. If you find something you’re comfortable with, it’ll be much easier to lose the weight and keep it off.

Check out our Optimum Energy Program if you’re interested in kickstarting your weight loss journey the right way.

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