Weigh loss and time

Weight loss and time needed

The two first questions of nearly all are clients are:

And the ones that do not ask this question have it on their mind and are hesitant to ask it.

The standard answer from our doctors is it depends and then there are a lot of conditions added to this. And this is the right answer, the professional answer but we understand that this does not satisfy everybody. So here a small overview of how much you can expect to lose of our weight working with our specialist.

What is weight loss?

Sounds like a simple question. Weight is weight you might say.

But no — weight is not equal weight.

Your body in principle consist of fat, water, muscles and bones.

When you lose weight you actually only want to lose fat. That is real weight loss. To lose muscles and water is actually harmful — even though this is also a «weight loss».

In order to measure that you lose fat the Personal Dietology Center Palitra Pitania has a special scale measuring the different body components. Our clients are measured by this special scale every time they are at our Center. Thus our doctors and dietitians as well as our clients know how if they lost fat (which is good) or just water (which is temporary and bad).

Why to lose weight

Actually a good question. And we do not advise all our clients to lose weight. Sometimes we just advise them how to eat in a more balanced and more healthy way and not to lose weight.

The standard reason for the wish to lose weight is esthetics. While 200 years ago overweight was a sign of being wealthy and many people wanted to be overweight today it is quite the opposite.

The better reason for the wish to lose weight is health. There are just too many studies that show that the human body was developed for an ideal weight which is somewhere in the range of 20 to 25 measured with the body mass system. Being below and above results in a worse health, shorter lifetime, more illnesses and a lower quality of life.

Weight loss per week

The average weight loss per week of our clients is 500 grams to 1 kg. The average is not achieved by each client every week but on average this is very achievable.

In the first weeks the weight loss can also be higher, especially if you start our with a higher body mass index (BMI) above 30 or so. In clients with a BMI above 30 we have seen weight losses in the first weeks of 2 kgs and more.

Weight loss per month

Weight loss per month is around 2 to 6 kgs for our clients. This really depends on the starting weight of a client and the body mass index of the client. For more information about the body mass index system please read below.

Weight loss is also directly linked to what extend our clients follow the instructions our our specialist.

We know, from our clients and our own experience, that it is sometimes difficult to follow all the instructions. There are too many temptations, holidays, parties and sometimes just too much other stress to follow all the nutritional instructions by our specialists.

Weight loss in our programs

Our standard program «Easy Step» is a 15 lessons program. A meeting once a week with our dietitan at our Center.
As such the entire program takes about 4 month. Based on a higher body mass index, above 30 or so, a weight loss of 10 to 15 kgs is achieved by many of our clients.

A number of our clients after having successful lost 10 to 15 kgs in our program Easy Step continue on to lose more weight by taking one of our extension programs.

Several of these clients have lost now around 20 kgs and feel much better about themselves and their weight. For them to achieve this level takes about six month. Key is that after the rather intensive Easy Step course of 15 lessons which are in weekly intervals the time intervals for meetings with our diatitians are stretched, often to only one neeting per month.

Weigth loss and then

The hardest time comes actually after you successfully lost your weight. To keep your weight down is a challenge. The challenge is partially psychological. You think you made it, you are not thinking about nutrition and diet so much and you lose easily control if you are not careful.

There are also a number of bodily factors which make it more difficult for you to keep the weight down. I a perfect presentation at the latest international congress on Obesity in Stockholm a US specialist detailed that a person having lost weight needs less calories to keep the body weight stable than a person with the same weight who was not overweight. Simply put your body reacts to the diet in becoming more efficient in the burning of calories after a diet. And this is not temporary but it seems for ever. One of these efficiencies many of us could really live without. A punishment for life in fact.

Also some strand effects happen psychologically. Basically people feel more hungry after a successful diet, estimate that they ate less then they did than their same weight counterparts who did not diet. Against the odds are stacked against you!

So we know about these effects and will teach you the best methods to successfully fight and win against a weight gain. There have been a number or trials and studies which show how you can achieve continued weight loss.

While without the specialist support your chance is about 5% to keep you weight down more than 50% of our clients achieve a continuous weight loss.

Body Mass Index and when it is too much

A global system to measure weight, overweight and obesity is based on the body mass index. The system measures weight divided by height square.

There is a lot of criticism around the body mass system. The criticism is about that is some cases the system just does not work correctly. On balance though the system is useful as it allows to categorize a person very fast and without any bias.

The criticisms is:

• The BMI systems ignores if a person is very active and has many muscles or fat. As such an active sportsman might have actually overweight based on the system.

• The system seems to overestimate the BMI of men and underestimate the BMI of women.

• The BMI system does not work for all races, for Asia so a different BMI measurement was proposed.

• The better and newer system is to measure the cm of the waist.

The indications are that for women more than 86 cm and for men more than 90 cm result in increase risk of diabetes and many other illnesses. If you want to measure your waist though you need to do it right. Follow these instructions in the picture:

And what about all these companies promising more weight loss

Well it is a promise. Not a guarantee. And what is worst these companies do not tell you what will happen after you have lost weight with their magic medicine or method.

In principle all the companies trying to sell you an easy and fast weight loss lie. Your body is not able to lose in a natural and healthy way weight so fast as these companies promises. 5 kg per week without anything except some pills, 20 kgs per month just by drinking some magic drink, 10 kg per month lost in your sleep is just a promise.

And even worse. With all these so called diets there can be very serious negative health effects. The first effect and it is nearly 100% guaranteed that you will gain more weight after the diet than you have lost. The second also assure effect is that you have less money.

And if you want to read about our clients who achieved their weight loss gains click on the logo (in Russian).