180 to 140 Weight Loss Plan: A Comprehensive Guide

Losing weight and achieving a healthy lifestyle is a journey that requires dedication, consistency, and a well-informed approach. This article provides a comprehensive guide to creating a weight loss plan, drawing upon scientific research, expert recommendations, and real-life experiences to help you reach your target weight safely and effectively. Estimates state that around half of all American adults attempt to lose weight yearly.

Understanding Weight Loss Basics

At its core, weight loss boils down to creating a calorie deficit. A calorie is a unit that measures energy. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you intake. This means consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight, forcing it to tap into stored energy reserves, primarily fat. The number of calories that you need to maintain your current weight depends on individual factors like your weight, age, and activity level. You can estimate your daily calorie needs using a calorie calculator.

The Importance of a Calorie Deficit

The National Health Institutes have developed guidelines that can be utilized for both weight loss and weight gain goals, highlighting the importance of understanding your body's energy needs. While dramatically cutting calories can result in rapid weight loss in the short term, you're more likely to keep weight off by gradually reducing your weight, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In general, a calorie deficit of 500 to 750 calories per day will help you lose about 1 to 2 pounds per week, according to Mayo Clinic.

Gradual Weight Loss for Long-Term Success

Although most people want to lose weight quickly, experts often recommend losing no more than 1-2 pounds (0.5-1.36 kg), or approximately 1% of your body weight, per week. Losing weight too fast can have negative health consequences. It can result in muscle loss. Losing weight too fast can have negative health consequences. It can result in muscle loss and increase your risk of:

• gallstones
• dehydration
• fatigue
• malnutrition
• headaches
• irritability
• constipation
• hair loss
• irregular menstruation

It's important to remember that if you're not at a healthy weight, even modest weight loss can have benefits for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 5 percent weight reduction can lower your risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

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The Role of Diet

Diet plays a crucial role in weight loss. There is lots of advice out there on how to cut calories. By making informed food choices, you can effectively reduce your calorie intake and create the necessary deficit for weight loss.

Macronutrient Balance

Focus on consuming a balanced diet that includes:

• Protein: Other studies also show the benefits of protein for building muscle mass. Protein helps you feel fuller for longer, which can aid in reducing overall calorie consumption.
• Carbohydrates: Choose complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables over refined carbohydrates like white bread and sugary drinks.
• Fats: Opt for healthy fats like those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil, while limiting your intake of saturated and trans fats. You consume more calories with fat than you do with protein.

Limiting Sugar and Processed Foods

Another easy way to limit your calories is to reduce sugar consumption, especially from sources with high concentrations of sugar, such as juice, soda, and alcoholic beverages. Your body doesn’t register liquid calories as quickly as it does solid calories obtained from food. Processed foods are often high in calories, unhealthy fats, and added sugars, making them detrimental to weight loss efforts.

The Importance of Hydration

The more water you drink, the less calories you’ll consume. Staying adequately hydrated can help you feel full, potentially reducing your overall calorie intake.

Exercise for Weight Loss and Overall Health

Exercising is one of the most common strategies employed by those trying to shed a few pounds. It burns calories, and this plays a key role in weight loss. In addition to helping you lose weight, exercise has many other benefits, including improved mood, stronger bones, and a reduced risk of many chronic diseases.

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Types of Exercise for Weight Loss

Many types of physical activity can support weight loss by increasing the calories you burn. Some great choices for burning calories include walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, weight training, interval training, yoga, and Pilates.

• Walking: Walking can be a convenient way for many beginners to exercise without feeling overwhelmed or needing to purchase equipment. It’s also a lower-impact exercise, meaning it’s less likely to stress your joints. According to the American Council on Exercise, a 140-pound (65-kilogram) person burns about 7.6 calories per minute walking. A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 9.7 calories per minute walking. A 12-week study of 20 women with obesity found that walking for 50-70 minutes 3 times per week reduced body fat and waist circumference by an average of 1.5% and 1.1 inches (2.8 cm), respectively. To get started, aim to walk for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. You can gradually increase the duration or frequency of your walks as you become more fit.
• Jogging and Running: Although they seem similar, the key difference is that a jogging pace is generally between 4-6 mph (6.4-9.7 km/h), while a running pace is faster than 6 mph (9.7 km/h). The American Council on Exercise estimates that a 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 10.8 calories per minute jogging and 13.2 calories per minute when running. A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 13.9 calories per minute jogging and 17 calories per minute when running. Researchers have found that jogging and running can help burn visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat. This type of fat wraps around your internal organs and has links to various chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. To get started, aim to jog for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times per week. If you find jogging or running outdoors hard on your joints, try running on softer surfaces like grass. Many treadmills have built-in cushioning, which may be easier on your joints.
• Cycling: Cycling is a non-weight-bearing and low impact exercise, so it won’t place much stress on your joints. The American Council on Exercise estimates that a 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 6.4 calories per minute cycling at a speed of 10 miles per hour (MPH). A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 8.2 calories per minute cycling at 10 MPH. Studies have also found that people who cycle regularly have better overall fitness, increased insulin sensitivity, and a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and death than those who don’t cycle regularly. Although cycling is traditionally an outdoor activity, many gyms and fitness centers have stationary bikes that allow you to cycle while staying indoors.
• Weight Training: The American Council on Exercise estimates that a 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 7.6 calories per minute of weight training. A 180-pound person burns about 9.8 calories per minute of weight training. One 6-month study showed that doing 11 minutes of strength-based exercises three times per week resulted in an average 7.4% increase in metabolic rate. In this study, that increase was equivalent to burning an additional 125 calories per day. Another study found that 24 weeks of weight training led to a 9% increase in men’s metabolic rate, equating to burning approximately 140 more calories per day. Among women, the increase in metabolic rate was nearly 4% or 50 more calories per day. In addition, studies have shown that your body continues to burn calories many hours after a weight-training workout, compared with aerobic exercise.
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Interval training, more commonly known as high intensity interval training (HIIT), is a broad term for short bursts of intense exercise that alternate with recovery periods. Typically, a HIIT workout lasts 10-30 minutes and can burn many calories. One study of 9 active men found that HIIT burned 25-30% more calories per minute than other types of exercises, including weight training, cycling, and running on a treadmill. That means HIIT can help you burn more calories while exercising less. Numerous studies have shown that HIIT is especially effective at burning belly fat, which has links to many chronic diseases. To get started, choose a type of exercise, such as running, jumping, or biking, and your exercise and rest times. For example, pedal as hard as you can on a bike for 30 seconds, then pedal slowly for 1-2 minutes. Repeat this pattern for 10-30 minutes.
• Swimming: The American Council on Exercise estimates that a 140-pound (65-kg) person burns about 9 calories per minute swimming at a crawl or moderate pace. A 180-pound (81-kg) person burns about 11.6 calories per minute swimming at a crawl or moderate pace. How you swim appears to affect how many calories you burn. One study on competitive swimmers found that the most calories were burned during the breaststroke, followed by the butterfly, backstroke, and freestyle. Swimming is its low impact nature, meaning it’s easier on your joints. This makes it a great option for people with injuries or joint pain.
• Yoga: While it’s not commonly considered a weight loss exercise, yoga burns a fair amount of calories and offers many additional health benefits that can promote weight loss. A 12-week study of 60 women with obesity found that those who participated in two 90-minute yoga sessions per week experienced greater reductions in waist circumference than those in the control group - by 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), on average. The yoga group also experienced improvements in mental and physical well-being. In fact, studies have shown that yoga can teach mindfulness and reduce stress levels. Most gyms offer yoga classes, but you can practice yoga anywhere. This includes from the comfort of your own home, as there are plenty of guided tutorials online.
• Pilates: According to a study sponsored by the American Council on Exercise, a person weighing around 140 pounds (64 kg) would burn 108 calories at a 30-minute beginner’s Pilates class or 168 calories at an advanced class of the same duration. Although Pilates may not burn as many calories as aerobic exercises like running, many people find it enjoyable, which makes it easier to stick to over time. An 8-week study in 37 middle-aged women found that performing Pilates exercises for 90 minutes 3 times per week significantly reduced waist, stomach, and hip circumference, compared with a control group that did no exercise over the same period. Pilates may also reduce lower back pain and improve strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, and overall fitness. You can do Pilates at home or at one of the many gyms that offer Pilates classes. To further boost weight loss with Pilates, combine it with a balanced diet and other forms of exercise, such as weight training or cardio.

Moderate vs. Vigorous Exercise

Moderate exercise is considered to be 4.5 METs. Vigorous exercise is 7 METs. The amount of weight you can expect to lose may vary depending on your age, diet, and starting weight.

Factors Influencing Weight Loss

The amount of weight you can expect to lose from exercise depends on your:

• Starting weight: People with a higher starting weight typically have a higher BMR. This is the number of calories your body burns when performing basic life-preserving functions. A high BMR means you will burn more calories during activity and rest.
• Age: Older people tend to carry more fat and less muscle mass, reducing their BMR. A lower BMR can make it more difficult to lose weight.
• Sex: People assigned female at birth (AFAB) tend to have a greater fat-to-muscle ratio than those assigned male (AMAB), which can affect BMR. As a result, AMAB individuals tend to lose weight quicker than AFAB folks, even if each group consumes a similar number of calories.
• Diet: Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. Thus, a calorie deficit is essential to losing weight.
• Sleep: Studies have found that a lack of sleep may slow the rate at which you lose weight and even increase your cravings for high calorie foods.
• Medical conditions: People with medical conditions like depression and hypothyroidism may lose weight at a slower rate.
• Genetics: Studies have shown that weight loss has a genetic component, which may affect certain people with obesity.

Avoiding Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

Rapid Weight Loss

While tempting, rapid weight loss is often unsustainable and can have adverse health effects. Your goal should be to lose 1-2 lbs per week. Losing predominantly water weight is likely if you lose weight too fast.

Over-Reliance on Weight Alone

Evaluating your body weight is not the only metric to consider. Your body fat percentage is another metric you can use to determine your ideal weight. It is important to consider your overall health on your weight alone.

Read also: Inspiring Health Transformation

Ignoring Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Your BMR represents the number of calories your body burns at rest. It’s important to factor in your BMR when trying to decide your total caloric intake.

Real-Life Weight Loss Journey: From 180 lbs to 138 lbs

One individual shared their personal experience of losing 42 pounds, going from 180 lbs to 138 lbs, over a year through consistent workouts and healthy eating.

The Turning Point

This person's journey began after a difficult personal experience, using heartbreak as motivation to get a "revenge body."

Dietary Changes

Initially, small changes were made by tracking calorie intake using the MyFitnessPal app. The focus shifted to fully committing to healthy eating, including:

• A healthy breakfast of egg whites with avocado, spinach, and hot sauce, and sweet potato.
• Drinking black coffee to cut back on sugar and calories.
• Light lunches such as chicken and broccoli or salmon and asparagus.
• Snacking on protein bars, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and fruit.
• Choosing fibrous carbs like quinoa over bread and pasta.
• Incorporating one to two cheat meals a week for sanity.
• Making healthy substitutes for cravings, like pizza with cauliflower crust.

Workout Routine

The workout routine was regimented, including:

• Monday: Leg day followed by cardio.
• Tuesday: Back and biceps followed by cardio.
• Wednesday: Chest and triceps followed by cardio.
• Thursday: Shoulders and abs followed by cardio.
• Strength training was incorporated, working with a trainer to learn proper techniques.
• Varying cardio workouts with dancing, kickboxing, cycling, and the stair stepper.
• Working out with a friend for accountability.

Staying Consistent

• Having a workout partner for accountability.
• Shopping for healthy foods together and meal prepping.
• Seeing clothes fitting looser as a motivation booster.

The Rewards

The lifestyle change led to:

• Easier mornings.
• No more breathlessness from walking up stairs.
• Increased happiness and confidence.
• A sense of accomplishment.
• Achieving a lifelong dream of becoming a professional dancer for the NBA and WNBA.

Key Takeaway

The individual emphasized that weight loss isn't easy, but the effort is worthwhile. It's essential to love yourself at your heaviest weight, realizing your worth and deciding that you are enough. You have to know that it isn't going to be easy, but you will thank yourself for putting in the work more than you will ever know. Once you get past the stage of craving everything under the sun and being frustrated from not seeing immediate results, you'll start to love it. You may not get that flat stomach in a month, but if you stick to your goals and are consistent with your methods, you will get there in time. I've learned that if you don't love yourself at your heaviest weight, losing weight isn't going to magically make you love yourself later. No matter what size you are, you need to realize your worth and decide that you are enough.

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