Is this weight loss plan safe?
Dear Donovan,
I am 5ft 5inches tall and I weigh 145 pounds. However, I am on a meal plan where I’m given packages of foods to prepare and eat, which promise weight loss if I follow the specifications. Before going on the programme I weighed 170 pounds and now two months later I’m at 145, which is great. However, are these things safe? I fear with the reduced calorie intake, which I assumed caused the drastic weight loss, I might have harmed myself as I wouldn’t be getting the proper nutritional benefits of real food. Also, no exercise was included.
— Alex
Good day Alex,
Congratulations on your 25-pound weight loss. You should be feeling and looking better at this time. Unfortunately, you did not give me enough information for me to answer all your questions. For example, where and who are you getting these packaged meals from? Also, you did not state what these meals consist of.
So in light of these factors it would be difficult to have an idea whether these meals would have all the right nutrients in the right proportions for you. However, what is clear is that you are achieving weight loss on this diet. So far you are losing about three pounds per week, which is good.
This should not harm you if your nutritional intake is fine, but I would like to know what your diet is like. In a general way, in order for you to lose weight, your calorie intake would have to be reduced. This creates a deficit which forces the body to eat some of the excess fat, thus resulting in weight loss. For the most part, the amount of weight loss achieved is usually proportional to the amount of calories reduced. If your calorie intake is reduced by 3500 calories per week, a one-pound weight loss per week is usually achieved. But in my mind, the absolute weight loss is not all.
What if you are as slim as a pencil and you’re often feeling sick? Not good. So as a part of any weight loss diet it is very important to eat healthy and nutritious foods. For example, your diet should include fruits, vegetables and vegetable juices. On your programme you have lost weight, but how are you feeling? How is your energy level? Have you been sick at all? If you are feeling great this might suggest that your diet is fine; however, I wish your weight loss programme included some exercise.
For people on my weight loss programme, I usually recommend that they do exercise with their meal plans instead of just being on a diet programme alone. I would prefer if one develops a healthy lifestyle with proper eating and exercise. The exercise part of your programme will help to keep off the extra calories, thus preventing weight gain.
Find out from the people giving you this diet if you could incorporate some exercise while you’re doing this diet. All in all, it sounds like your weight loss programme is working. Keep going. Good luck!
