Lose 9 lbs in 11 Days, What Are You Really Losing?
The Quick Weight Loss Bug
Everyone seems to have it. It seems that many products out there are making this weight loss claim and that weight loss claim. However, the question I always have to ask is:
What are you actually losing?
Really, think about this for a second. What type of weight is actually leaving your body? The problem lies in the fact that the distinction is never made. Let's be honest, what do the Lose 9 lbs In 11 Days of the world really guarantee.
Is it 9 lbs of body fat?
People are always asking me, "How do I lose weight the quickest?"
Easy answer: take a hatchet and chop of your leg.
You get the same results as you would following some of these diets. Well, if you chop your leg off, you'll actually know what you're losing. Interesting, huh?
Follow me for a second.
One pound of body fat has the equilvalent of 3500 calories. Let's say you don't eat a thing for 11 straight days and your body is used to burning roughly 2200 calories per day. Now if we assume that no muscle will be burned off (which won't happen), over 11 days your body will "burn" 24200 total fat calories. Dividing out, I get that by starving yourself for 11 days, you will drop 6.9 lbs of body fat. (In my little made up ideal world)
Now, we know that (1) your body is going to deplete its supply of glycogen in the muscles and liver first. We also know that 1 gram of glycogen attracts 2.4 grams of water. With that being said, the loss of 1 gram of glycogen really means a loss of 3.4 grams of total body weight (through excretion)
Therefore, it's pretty safe to say that most of these "quick weight loss" claims have more to do with the purging of water weight from your system than anything else.
Of course, we haven't even gotten to the muscle loss. But, you know what. This isn't an ideal world and we now have shown that it is impossible to lose 9 lbs of body fat in 11 days without liposuction.
Our red flags so far:
1. Any program that promises over 2 lbs per week of weight loss
(cont'd tomorrow)