13 Things That Happen to Your Body After You Lose Five Pounds
People generally intersperse their fasting days like planning them for Mondays and Thursdays so they're not back-to-back. Some followers take the diet to an extreme by consuming zero calories on their fasting days. Others place restrictions on their non-fasting days by following a high-fat, ketogenic diet. You may have also heard of the diet, which is the same concept but you are required to fast for three days instead of two. There aren't any hard-and-fast rules about what to eat on the diet, so you can essentially eat whatever you like on fasting days as long as it stays within the caloric limits.
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Typically, people will eat lower-calorie foods on their fasting days. These could include vegetables, fish, soup, eggs, and lean meat, plus zero-calorie beverages like water and black coffee or tea. You can eat up to three times a day on a fasting day. Since there isn't an official list of diet foods or diet recipes, you just have to keep track of your caloric intake rather than macronutrients and the like.
It really depends. That's because many of us eat based on scenario, not hunger levels. If you're in an overall caloric deficit for the week, then yes you'll likely lose weight.
Your Fat Cells Shrink
But this diet only controls caloric intake on two days of the week; the remaining five days of the week you have the ability to eat practically whatever you want so in the grand scheme of things, your caloric intake may not be substantially decreased at the end of the week to warrant weight loss. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to diet and nutrition. The first red flag for me when reviewing the diet is that calories is just not enough food to sustain even your basic bodily functions at rest translation: you'd practically pass out by eating that few calories in a day, especially repeatedly over time.
You'll also want to be careful with exercise on those low-calorie days, since you likely won't be taking in enough fuel to power the workout. Plus, it's not enough food to supply even your daily needs of major vitamins and minerals; if you do choose to try the diet, you'll at minimum want to start taking a multivitamin on the fasting days to compensate for the lack of nutrients you're getting through food.
The restriction can also create an unhealthy relationship with food, which is why this diet is especially not advised for people with active eating disorders or a history of disordered eating.
This diet is also not indicated for women who are pregnant, nursing or trying to conceive. If you have a history of diabetes, hypoglycemia, or nutrient deficiencies, the diet is not recommended. If you are still intrigued by the diet and think it may work for you, my biggest piece of advice is to stick with nutrient-dense foods on fasting days that provide more volume.
For example, a standard muffin at Dunkin Donuts is upwards of calories; don't blow your entire day's worth of calories on one muffin please! Prioritize foods like vegetables and fruits which are high fiber and contain an ton of vitamins and minerals, as well as soups which are volume-based and can fill you up on fewer calories not all soups are low-calorie though, check out our GH Nutrition Lab approved picks here.
And over time, that additional strain may lead to joint damage and osteoarthritis. Losing five pounds of excess weight could mean 20 fewer pounds of pressure on your precious joints. 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. Reducing the amount of intra-abdominal fat may lower your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
How Much Weight Can You Lose in a Week?
Slimming down boosts HDL cholesterol—the good-for-you kind—and lowers triglycerides , decreasing your risk for heart disease. In a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association , overweight and obese women who lost weight over a two-year period dropped their total cholesterol levels, regardless of the number of pounds dropped. 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.
Who couldn't use some more quality sleep? One study from the University of Pennsylvania found that even a small amount of weight loss can improve sleep. That means you'll have more energy and a better mood, too! But it depends on how you change your diet.
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. However, if you adjust your diet moderately and don't severely restrict calories or carbs, you're more likely to lose body fat, he adds. When you're carrying around extra weight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood, which can mean higher blood pressure. Lowering the number of the scale can drop systolic and diastolic blood pressure in people who are overweight or obese and had Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Diabetes Care.
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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.
So even if you aren't seeing drastic results on the scale just yet, lifestyle changes like eating better and moving more can have countless positive impacts on your health. Even after losing just a few pounds, you'll start to see positive changes in your body. By Christine Yu. Read This Next.