The Benefits of Slow Weight Loss – Why I’m Happy Losing Less Than One Pound Per Week
I’m sure you’ve heard the weight loss advice that recommends losing no more than two pounds a week. I’ve lost weight quickly before, but I don’t want to do it again. I’ve found many benefits of slow weight loss and I’m glad I chose to take my time getting to my goal weight.
In January 2019, I began my final weight loss journey with a two week keto reset. I lost almost five pounds in those two weeks, which was likely due to losing water weight.
After my two week keto reset I began a low carb high fat diet. By thirty weeks into my weight loss, I’d lost an average of .76 pounds per week.
I decided early on to set a weight loss goal of around a half pound per week. Although I’m not upset at losing just slightly more than that, I really want to keep my weight loss very slow, but always steady.
Check out the ten reasons I prefer slow weight loss and why I’m happy losing less than one pound per week.
Ten Benefits of Slow Weight Loss
Slow Weight Loss is Sustainable
When I wrote about my weight loss journey so far, I told you about my weight losses and gains over years. I’m not losing weight for the first time, but I’m serious when I say I’m losing weight for the last time.
When I’ve lost weight before, the weight came off pretty quickly. I probably averaged around two pounds a week like conventional weight loss advice calls healthy.
It may be healthy to lose weight that quickly, but it’s not sustainable. My experience with faster weight loss lead to weight regain after I reached my goal.
Slow Weight Loss is Easier
Should I admit one of the benefits of slow weight loss is how easy it is? Yeah, I think I’ll let you in on my secret.
Slower weight loss requires less intense effort. There I said.
I’ve lost weight quickly before and it wasn’t easy. It required a lot of focus and a lot of work.
I put a lot of effort into other areas of my life such as my businesses and my children. I don’t have the mental space for intense dieting. Especially when my history shows that quick weight loss always results in eventually weight gain.
Slow Weight Loss Doesn’t Feel Like a Diet
You know how you feel when you’re on a diet. You’re hungry. You’re cranky. You’re low on energy.
What if you could lose weight and not feel those things? Of course, it’s best to wait until you’re hungry to eat, but there’s no need to feel cranky or tired just because you’re losing weight.
I prefer losing weight slowly so I can skip the feeling of being on a diet.
I eat when I’m hungry. I eat bacon and butter. Slow weight loss doesn’t feel like a diet to me.
Slow Weight Loss Doesn’t Require Strict Control
In my weight loss story I talk about my troubles with disordered eating. One of the reasons I set a two week limit on my keto experiment relates to my tendency to become restrictive with food.
To avoid my old patterns of disordered eating I choose to keep things fairly relaxed even if it means losing less than a pound a week.
I’m not someone who can be trusted not to over-restrict macros when I feel stressed. I set my weight loss expectations for slow, but steady weight loss. I remind myself often that I have the rest of my life to reach my weight loss goals – and it’s certainly not going to take that long.
Slow Weight Loss Helps Me Develop Better Eating Habits
The worst thing about dieting is that it’s temporary. I know that sounds crazy. Who would want to be on a diet indefinitely?
Actually, my experience and that of others tells me that dieting doesn’t work long term. Once you stop the calorie and macro nutrient restriction you fall back into old habits.
If I thought of my low carb, high fat way of eating as a diet, I’d be prepared to drop it as soon as I reached my goal weight.
Instead, the way I’m losing weight is the way I plan to eat for the rest of my life. Same calories, same foods, etc.
I’m more interested in developing healthy eating habits than achieving quick, short term weight loss.
Slow Weight Loss Doesn’t Deprive Me of Nutrients
When I started eating a real food diet in 2012 my health made a miraculous recovery. I no longer needed the medicine prescribed to me. I felt energetic and happy. Real food changed my life.
As I mentioned in my article about why I gained weight, I learned which foods were truly real, healthy foods and which were not. More importantly I learned which foods provided my body with the most nutrients per calorie.
Losing weight slowly means I can eat calorie rich but nutrient dense foods like whole, raw milk, bacon, and butter.
I want to reach my weight loss goal as vibrant and healthy as possible.
Slow Weight Loss Doesn’t Tank My Metabolism
Some of the benefits of slow weight loss go hand in hand. By eating higher calorie, nutrient dense foods I keep my body from feeling as if there’s a famine going on out here.
My body gets a steady flow of vitamins, minerals, and other healthy nutrients so it keeps all systems running normally. A nourished metabolism makes a healthy metabolism.
Slow Weight Loss Allows for Treats
I don’t want to be the person at the holiday get-togethers who talks about her diet the whole time. I don’t want to say no to Grandma’s traditional Christmas cookies. I don’t want to skip cake at the celebration.
Because I’m losing weight slowly I don’t have to skip treats. Granted, I’m not eating sugary, high carb foods every day or even every week, but when there’s an opportunity to share food with loved ones or celebrate with delicious, nostalgic food I don’t have to say no.
And even more important – I don’t have to feel guilty about a well-deserved indulgence.
Slow Weight Loss Makes It Easier To Get Back on Track
When I do indulge I can get right back to my healthy way of eating at the next meal. Because I don’t use strict dieting to lose weight quickly one indulgence doesn’t do much damage.
I simply get back on the plan and carry on. No guilt necessary.
Slow Weight Loss Helps Me Listen To My Body
I’m in no hurry to lose weight because that’s not fair to my body. It took time to gain weight and it will take time to lose weight in a way that keeps my body nourished.
One of the benefits of slow weight loss is having time to experiment with what works for my body and what doesn’t.
For example, I’ve discovered that my results on strict keto are too quick. Low carb high fat provides a happy medium for my body. I also learned how carb cycling benefits me.
If I was dead-set on quick weight loss I wouldn’t have the time to experiment. I wouldn’t have been able to up my carb intake to see how much causes my weight loss to stall, how much causes me to gain weight, and how much is perfect for slow weight loss.
Losing weight slowly allows me to listen to my body and learn what’s best for me.
