You don't have to slim down to your high school size to get tangible health benefits. Losing just a few pounds makes a big difference. Even if you don’t see the fruits of your weight loss efforts in the mirror, subtle changes are happening to your body after you lose 5 pounds.
The 5% Advantage
Five percent of your body weight -- 10 pounds for a 200-pound person -- can improve all kinds of health problems, and make you feel better, too. Talk to your doctor about whether it might help you.
How to Lose 5 Pounds in Two Weeks
To lose 5 pounds in two weeks, you will need to follow a strict diet and exercise regimen. However, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) advises against rapid weight loss, because people who lose weight rapidly are much more likely to regain it. Plus, you could end up losing muscle and bone density, and it puts you at risk for digestive issues, gallstones and gout. Losing weight this quickly is also not safe for everyone, so talk to your doctor about it, especially if you have a medical condition.
Consider adjusting your goal just slightly to losing 3 or 4 pounds in two weeks. Although this may not seem like a big difference, aiming to lose a maximum of 2 pounds per week is a safer approach to weight loss that puts you in a better position to achieve your desired weight and stay there for the long run.
Cutting Calories for Weight Loss
To shed 1 pound of fat, you need to eat about 3,500 fewer calories than your body uses. So to lose 5 pounds, you'd have to eat 17,500 fewer calories than what you need, which, over two weeks, translates into a 1,250-calorie daily deficit. For most people, cutting that many calories each day is unhealthy and unsustainable - you'd be left feeling hungry and likely be deprived of important nutrients.
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Instead, aim to cut up to 750 calories from your usual daily intake and exercise to burn up to 250 calories most days. This will give you about a daily 1,000-calorie deficit, which would help you lose about 2 pounds per week.
You can estimate how many calories you need to maintain your current weight by taking a look at the chart by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which breaks it down by age, sex and activity level. A calorie tracker can give you a more precise estimate because it takes more variables into account.
The reason you want to create a deficit through both diet and exercise is because you don't want to eat too few calories. Eating fewer than about 1,500 calories could leave you with nutritional deficiencies and may slow your metabolism, making it harder for you to lose weight, according to a May 2013 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Diet for Weight Loss
To make it easier to adhere to your weight-loss plan, be sure to follow a diet that's filled with low-energy-dense foods (this is also called volume eating). These types of foods allow you to eat large portions, which help fill you up on fewer calories, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Fruits and vegetables have the lowest energy density and should make up the bulk of your meals and snacks, per the CDC. Fill half your plate with veggies and fruits at each meal. Lean proteins, such as chicken breast and fish, also have a low-energy density, as do whole grains such as brown rice and oatmeal. There’s no one perfect diet to help you slim down, but there are some basic rules. Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Keep your protein lean and unprocessed: Choose meats trimmed of fat, and eat seafood, beans, nuts, and seeds. Replace refined grains like white bread and white rice with whole grains like multigrain bread, brown rice, and oatmeal. Special weight loss surgery may be an option if you are seriously overweight.
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Exercise for Weight Loss
You should be getting 30 minutes of moderate activity -- a bike ride or brisk walk -- on at least 5 days a week simply to stay in good health. To lose weight and keep it off, you may need more than that. Also include moves to strengthen your muscles, like pushups or light weight training.
Specific Health Benefits of Losing 5 Pounds
Here are some of the specific health benefits you can expect when you lose just 5% of your body weight:
Joint Relief
Just 10 extra pounds add 40 pounds of pressure on your knees and other lower body joints. That can wear them out quicker. Extra fat can also cause inflammation -- when chemicals in your body damage your own tissues over time, including your joints. Losing even a little weight can ease these effects. If you keep it off, you’re much less likely to get arthritis later in life.
Reduced Cancer Risk
One study showed that older women who lost at least 5% of their body weight lowered their chances of breast cancer by 12%. There’s no such clear proof that losing weight protects you from other types, but some changes that happen when you shed pounds hint that it might. For example, overweight people who slim down have lower levels of some hormones linked to cancer, like estrogens, insulin, and androgens.
Diabetes Prevention
If you’re more likely to get the condition, weight loss is one of two ways to prevent or delay it. The other is moderate exercise -- 30 minutes on 5 days a week. If you weigh 160 pounds, you could lose just 8-12 of them to get the benefit. If you already have diabetes, losing that weight can help you take less medication, keep control of your blood sugar, and lower the odds that the condition will cause other health problems. Shedding a few pounds may improve your body’s ability to dial into your blood sugar. “Eating less and exerting yourself more will lead to greater insulin sensitivity, which allows your body to better control and stabilize blood sugar levels,” says Roussell.
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Improved Cholesterol Levels
You can lower your LDL or “bad” cholesterol with healthier food and medications. But it’s harder to raise levels of the “good” kind of cholesterol, HDL. That’s the type that clears bad LDL from your blood, so the more you have, the better. Exercise and losing body fat can get you into the ideal HDL range: above 60 mg/dl, which lowers your odds of having heart disease. Slimming down boosts HDL cholesterol-the good-for-you kind-and lowers triglycerides, decreasing your risk for heart disease.
Lower Triglyceride Levels
They’re particles in your body that transport fat for storage and energy. High levels (more than 200 mg/dl) mean you’re more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. You can get closer to healthy levels (around 150 mg/dl) if you slim down a little.
Reduced Blood Pressure
Extra body weight makes your blood push harder against your artery walls. That makes your heart work harder, too. You can lower the pressure by about 5 points if you trim 5% from that number on the scale. Cut your salt and eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy, and you may lower it even more. When you’re carrying around extra weight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood, which can mean higher blood pressure.
Relief from Sleep Apnea
People who are overweight gain extra tissue in the back of their throats. When your body relaxes when you sleep, that tissue can drop down and block your airway. It makes you stop breathing over and over all night, which causes all kinds of health problems, especially for your heart. Slimming down a little can often help with sleep apnea -- sometimes enough that you can stop using the bulky breathing devices that treat it.
Reversal of Insulin Resistance
Body fat, especially in your belly area, gives off chemicals that make your body stop reacting to the effects of insulin, a hormone that keeps the level of sugar in your blood normal. Even though your pancreas works harder to make more insulin, your blood sugar can get too high. A little bit of weight loss can help reverse this effect. Reverse insulin resistance: Body fat, especially in your belly area, gives off chemicals that make your body stop reacting to the effects of insulin, a hormone that keeps the level of sugar in your blood normal. Even though your pancreas works harder to make more insulin, your blood sugar can get too high.
Improved Sleep
Some studies have shown that not getting enough ZZZs can make you more likely to be obese. Others show that losing at least 5% of excess weight can lead to better sleep. But don’t overdo it. Sleeping too much isn’t good for your weight or your health. One study from the University of Pennsylvania found that even a small amount of weight loss can improve sleep.
Better Mood
Weight loss may help chase your blues away. Scientists are still trying to work out why, but better body image and improved sleep may be part of the reason. In one study, depressed people who were very overweight felt better after they lost an average of 8% of their body weight. Other research shows you’ll continue to feel better, even after 2 years -- as long as you keep the weight off. Losing five pounds may make you feel happier, even if it’s just the kick-off to your weight loss journey. One review of published research found that people experienced positive mental health benefits, such as higher measures of self-esteem, when they shed a few pounds, and sometimes when they didn’t lose any weight at all.
Reduced Inflammation
Fat cells, especially those around the belly, can release chemicals that irritate and inflame tissues all over the body. This is linked to health problems like arthritis, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Work toward a 10% weight loss goal, and you can lower the amount of these substances and cut your chances of having a serious illness. You’ll tame inflammation: While it is a part of your body’s natural defense system, carrying extra weight can cause it to go into overdrive, leading to chronic health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. But in a study published in Nutrition Research, researchers found that losing an average of six pounds decreased inflammation by tamping down the production of pro-inflammatory proteins.
Increased Libido
When you’re overweight, you typically have less sex. It might be because you just don’t feel good about your body. But it also may be that you have less desire and that even when you’re in the mood, your body doesn’t respond as well. Shed a few pounds and you’ll not only feel better about yourself, you may be in the mood more often, too.
Reduction of "Bad" Fat
According to a study published in Cell Metabolism, dropping a few pounds was enough to decrease not only liver fat but also intra-abdominal fat. That’s the “bad” fat that clings to your organs and can trigger the release of molecules linked to a variety of health conditions.
Other Effects of Weight Loss
Here are 13 things that happen to your body when you start shedding weight. And if you lose more than five pounds, you’ll rack up the health benefits and see even more noticeable differences.
Shrinking Fat Cells
To lose weight, you take in fewer calories than you expend. But where does your body get the extra energy it needs? Your fat cells. “As your body starts to pull energy from your fat cells to make up for the energy from the food you’re not eating, your fat cells will shrink,” says Dr. Mike Roussell, PhD, co-founder of Neuro Coffee. And if you need more incentive to keep the weight off, Rousell says that rapidly regaining weight can hyper-inflate your fat cells.
Increased Hunger
And it’s not just your imagination. “When you reduce your calories to lose weight, your body will release higher amounts of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin tells your brain that you are hungry and could eat,” says Rousell.
Metabolic Rate
You know that your metabolism is the engine that drives calorie burn. And when you start to lose weight, your metabolic rate will decrease, because your body will need fewer calories per day to keep your body running. But those changes can be relative. “A 200-pound person who loses five pounds will have less of a metabolic impact than a 115-pound person who loses five pounds,” Roussell explains. “The severity in which you cut calories and increase exercise will also have an impact.
Reduced Strain on Bones and Joints
It makes sense: The more you weigh, the more force you exert on your bones and joints when you move. And over time, that additional strain may lead to joint damage and osteoarthritis.
Body Efficiency
Your body that is. When you begin to exercise as part of your weight loss plan, your body has to work hard to keep up with the new activity. But once you get the hang of it, your body requires less effort (and calories) to maintain the same level of activity, says Roussell.
Water Weight
But it depends on how you change your diet. “If you cut carbs significantly, then some of the weight that you will lose will be water weight as your body stores carbohydrates in your muscles along with water. When those carbohydrates are used up and not replaced (since you’re eating a lower-carb diet), you will lose the water that was also stored there,” says Roussell.