Ready to lose weight and feel your best? If you want to lose 14 lbs, you'll need to make minor lifestyle changes. More important than quick results is choosing a healthy, sustainable approach-one that supports your body, fits your life, and helps you feel stronger and more energized along the way. This article provides an informative guide on how to safely and effectively lose 14 pounds, emphasizing sustainable lifestyle adjustments over rapid, potentially harmful methods.
Safe and Sustainable Weight Loss
Realistic Timelines
A safe rate of weight loss is generally 1-2 lbs per week. While the timeline can vary, you can expect to lose 11-25 lbs in 5-12 weeks. Losing 15 pounds in 3 weeks is going to require some serious dedication and calorie-cutting. Losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is a healthier, more sustainable option-and it still requires a dedicated effort of eating around 1,000 fewer calories per day.
Key Factors Influencing Weight Loss
Several factors can affect your weight loss journey:
- Starting weight: People with a higher starting weight tend to lose weight more easily.
- Caloric deficit: The greater the caloric deficit, the faster the weight loss.
- Physical activity: Regular physical activity may not directly cause weight loss, but it can encourage other healthy habits that impact weight loss.
- Metabolism: If you have a history of insulin resistance, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes, you may have a more difficult time losing weight.
Making Gradual Lifestyle Tweaks
To safely lose 14 lbs, make daily tweaks with minimal disruption-like adding a vegetable to at least one meal each day, cutting back on late-night snacking, and keeping a food log.
The Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss
Why Gradual Weight Loss is Recommended
Losing weight too quickly is not recommended. When you lose weight too quickly, your body thinks you’re lost in the woods, foraging for food to survive, Cording says. “When your body thinks that you’re not getting enough nourishment, it responds by slowing own your metabolism,” Cording says. As a result, you can end up gaining the weight back and possibly even gaining additional weight.
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It’s generally recommended that you lose anywhere from half a pound to two pounds a week when you’re trying to lose weight, Cording says. “Anything more than that runs the risk of going into survival mode,” she says.
Health Risks Associated with Rapid Weight Loss
When individuals lose this much weight in such a short period of time, they tend to have very low calorie intake which the body makes up for by burning fat and muscle, she says. “This could be muscle from your arms, legs, liver, heart-the body isn’t specific on where it takes this from.” You can also lose glycogen stored by the muscles and water that was attracted to the glycogen, she says, noting that this is “not ‘real’ weight loss.”
Rapid weight loss can also cause some side effects including:
- Gallstones
- Gout
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
The Importance of Sustainability
Typically fast weight loss does not equate into long-lasting weight loss, she says. “It takes time and patience to change and develop new healthier habits; It does not happen overnight.”
Strategies for Safe and Effective Weight Loss
Dietary Adjustments
- Be mindful of how many calories you have. Counting calories isn’t for everyone, but keeping track of how many you’re having vs. how many you’re burning can help create an efficient weight-loss plan, Cording says.
- Cut back on how much alcohol you have. “That can mean having a glass of water between drinks or just sticking to the recommended one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men, and drinking less often,” Matheny says. “It doesn’t have to be major changes.”
- Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables. Starting your meals with fruits and vegetables, and adding protein and healthy carbohydrates like whole grains can be helpful, Cording says. Aim to eat about 2.5 cups of vegetables daily.
- Aim for a balance of macros. Every meal should have a mix of protein, healthy fat, and quality carbohydrates, Cording says.
- Eat more fiber. Fiber moves slowly through the digestive tract and can help you feel fuller for longer to support weight loss. Aim to eat 2 cups of fruit and 6 oz of grains daily. Many vegetables and legumes also contain fiber.
- Eat protein, fat, and vegetables. Aim to include a variety of foods at each meal. To balance your plate, your meals should include protein, fat, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates. Eating a recommended amount of protein is essential to help preserve muscle mass while losing weight. Diets with adequate protein may also reduce cravings and snacks by helping you feel full and satisfied.
Physical Activity
- Revisit your activity levels. If you’re not exercising at all, Matheny recommends starting a walking routine and counting your steps. You can start with a goal of 3,000 steps a day and build yourself up to 5,000 and then 8,000 steps a day. Adding cardio and strength training to the mix can also help, he says.
- Move your body. Be sure to talk with a doctor before starting a new exercise plan.
- Do at least 15-30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 or 6 days a week. Go for a jog, run, bike ride, or briskly walk to burn extra calories each day. Alternate between low-intensity (fat burning) exercise and vigorous exercise from day to day. Do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to blast more calories in less time.
- Lift weights 3 times a week to build lean muscle. Lifting weights will help you build lean muscle, increasing your metabolic rate. Train your arms and legs on alternating days.
- Bike or walk on your commute to work. If you cannot replace the entire commute, park further away and walk. Incorporate 15 minutes of biking or 30 minutes of walking into both morning and evening commutes.
- Look up your local gym or fitness center to find out what kind of classes they offer in the next 3 weeks. Try boot camp, barre method, power yoga, aerobics, or muscle pump classes. Classes vary from 30 minutes to 1 hour (depending on the intensity and the gym).
Lifestyle Habits
- Try to drink more water. “Water is key because it helps to keep us hydrated,” Gans says. “Sometimes when we are dehydrated, we confuse it for hunger and eat instead of simply pouring ourselves a glass of water. Water also helps to fill us up at meal time.”
- Get the recommended seven hours of sleep. “Sleep is so important, as it gives your body time to repair itself,” Gans says. You want to drop pounds, now. And you want to do it safely.
- Get plenty of sleep. In addition to changing your diet and exercise routine, getting enough sleep each night may be beneficial for weight loss. One study found that people who regularly sleep less than 7 hours per night are more likely to have a higher body mass index and develop obesity than those who sleep more. Plus, sleep deprivation might also alter levels of hormones that control hunger and appetite. As a general rule of thumb, it’s recommended to aim for at least 7 hours of high quality sleep each night.
- Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of water can help promote weight loss by reducing your food intake, especially if you drink water before a meal. It might also work by increasing fat burning, which can help enhance long-term weight loss. Be sure to choose water or other low calorie drinks rather than sugar-sweetened beverages like soda, which are high in sugar and calories and could contribute to weight gain. Other benefits from drinking water related to weight loss include helping you stay hydrated while you exercise and helping remove waste from the body. In general, drinking water helps your body run more efficiently.
Mindful Eating
- Eat more mindfully. Having a good understanding of how your body responds to food and eating can help you make sure you’re not overeating. This is known as mindful eating.
- eating more slowly
- learning to recognize when you’re hungry vs. when you’re craving food for emotional reasons
- cooking colorful foods with a variety of textures to prolong and enjoy your meals
The reason eating quickly can be problematic is that it doesn’t allow your brain to register consciously when you’re full. Eating slowly gives your stomach more time to tell your brain you’re full, which helps you learn to distinguish the feeling of genuine hunger vs. fullness. This can result in you eating less.
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Portion Control
- Limit portion sizes. If you eat a lot of restaurant meals or are used to heaping plates of food at home, you might be surprised to learn what's considered a portion size by dietitians. For example, a portion of protein, like a hamburger patty or chicken breast, should be the size of a deck of cards. A serving of cooked pasta is half a cup. Sticking to modest portions like these can help you lose weight.
- Use smaller plates. One way to make small portions look bigger is to serve them on smaller plates. Some, but not all, studies suggest this is a helpful weight loss strategy.
Foods to Include and Limit for Weight Loss
Foods to Limit
- Foods with added sugars. These are the sugars in cookies, cakes, sugar-sweetened drinks, and other items -- not the sugars that are naturally in fruits, for instance. Sugary foods often have a lot of calories but few nutrients. Aim to spend less than 10% of your daily calories on added sugars.
- Carbs with less nutritional value. You don't have to eliminate carbs, but you can be picky about your choices. For example, whole grains are better choices than highly processed items because processing removes key nutrients such as fiber, iron, and B vitamins -- though some may be added back, such as in “enriched” bread. Also, look for choices that are low on the glycemic index, meaning they are digested more slowly and are less likely to raise your blood sugar. Low-glycemic foods include green vegetables and most fruits; high glycemic foods include potatoes and white rice.
- High-calorie drinks. One easy way to lose weight quickly is to cut out liquid calories, such as soda, juice, and alcohol. Replace them with zero-calorie drinks like lemon water, unsweetened tea, or black coffee.
Foods to Include
- Protein. It’s satisfying and will help keep up your muscles. There are vegetarian and vegan sources (nuts, beans, and soy are a few), as well as lean meat, poultry, fish, and dairy. Most Americans get enough protein but could get it from leaner sources. Your exact protein needs depend on your age, gender, and how active you are.
- Good fats. Small amounts of fat can help you feel full and less like you’re on a diet. The better choices are those in fish, nuts and seeds, and olive oil. Those have unsaturated fats -- polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats, specifically.
- Fiber. You can get that from vegetables, whole grains, fruits -- any plant food will have fiber. Some have more than others. Top sources include artichokes, green peas, broccoli, lentils, and lima beans. Among fruits, raspberries lead the list.
The Importance of Motivation and Support
And when you make a healthy weight loss plan, it's important to stick with it. To get healthy and stay that way, the trend has to continue -- not just for a week or a month, but for the long term. That means you need one key thing: motivation. What are your reasons for wanting to lose weight and for sticking to the plan? Research shows that people are most likely to keep up weight loss when they have their own reasons and aren't just following a health provider's advice.
You’ll also want to have people on your side to help you stay motivated and to cheer you on. So ask your family and friends to support your efforts to lose weight. You might also want to join a weight loss group where you can talk about how it’s going with people who can relate. Or talk with someone you know who’s lost weight in a healthy way. Their encouragement is contagious, in a good way.
Meal Replacements
These shakes, bars, and other products will control your calories while you use them, if you don't make up the calories elsewhere. They’re convenient and take the guesswork out of dieting. Still, you’ll need to change your eating habits to keep the weight off once you stop eating meal replacements.
Intermittent Fasting
That's when you choose times of day or days of the week to eat nothing or eat much less than usual. In some versions, you just stop eating at night; in others, you eat only during a 6- or 8-hour period each day. Some plans call for eating normally on most days but having just one small meal a couple of days a week. Some small, short-term studies suggest intermittent fasting can help with weight loss. But there hasn’t been a lot of research on how off-and-on fasting affects weight or health in the long term. Regular fasting, of any sort, isn't safe for people with diabetes or eating disorders or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Time-Restricted Eating
Time-restricted eating limits the number of hours per day that you can eat. A popular strategy is the 16:8. For this diet, you have to eat all of your meals during an 8 hour period, for example, 10 am to 6 pm. The rest of the time you cannot eat anything.
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Very-Low-Calorie Diets (VLCDs) and Low-Calorie Diets (LCDs)
Most VLCDs use meal replacements, such as formulas, soups, shakes, and bars instead of regular meals. This helps ensure that you get all of the nutrients you need each day. A VLCD is only recommended for adults who have obesity and need to lose weight for health reasons. Most experts do not recommend using a VLCD for more than 12 weeks.
LCDs usually allow about 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day for women and 1,500 to 1,800 calories a day for men. An LCD is a better choice than a VLCD for most people who want to lose weight quickly.