reducing calories

Question
hey,i've tried nearly every diet and nothing works. i;ve put a stone on recently and i want to get it off in about 4 weeks for summer. is it ok if i eat a cereal bar, piece of fruit and dinner a day?
thank you
becky x

Answer
Becky,

I understand that you want to lose the one stone in the next four weeks, but I must caution you about some things.

First, if I'm correct, a stone is about 14 pounds.  Safe and long-lasting weight loss occurs at a rate of no more than 2 pounds per week.  That means you would need at least 7 weeks to lose 14 pounds.  I cannot responsibly recommend weight loss any faster than that.

Second, if you plan on only eating a cereal bar, a piece of fruit and dinner each day, you are essentially starving yourself -- which I cannot recommend that you do either.

Another thing you have to keep in mind is that when your body is starving, your metabolism slows down and your ability to lose weight grinds to a halt.  You end up not losing the weight because your body thinks it needs to hold on to everything it can get.  Also, you should never go below 1200 calories per day.  You need at least that to make sure that your body can take care of its necessary functions.

Third, let's address the diet issue.  You say that you have tried nearly every diet and nothing works.  This may sound simple, but have you been exercising? The best combination for weight loss is a proper diet, strength training and cardio exercise.

Your meals should be 3-4 hours apart and should include a lean protein and complex carbohydrate at every meal (such as beans on whole wheat toast).  Also, you should be drinking a couple of liters of water per day.

As for the exercise portion, strength training should be for about 20-30 minutes 2-3 days per week and the cardio should be for about 30-60 minutes 3-4 days per week.

I hope this information is helpful to you.  Please do not stress out over a stone and just concentrate on your overall health and fitness.

Best of luck to you!

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