On this page, you will find an explanation of why losing weight quickly is unwise and unhealthy. You can read our 5 reasons here.

Just google "lose weight quickly" and you will come across promises such as "lose 10 kilos in 5 weeks" or "lose 15 kilos without exercising". Incredibly beautiful commitments that can certainly motivate you.

Click here for the free weight loss webinar

But after a few weeks of following such a diet or program, you will notice that losing weight is not as easy as many stories would have you believe. Such promises are pure marketing. Therefore, do not fall for these marketing tricks and do not focus on rapid weight loss. Below I give you the 5 main reasons why losing weight quickly is unwise.

How fast can I lose weight?

Before I can explain to you why wanting to lose weight quickly is undesirable, you must of course know what is meant by "losing weight quickly". In our recommendations about the rate at which you lose weight, we make a distinction between people who are very overweight or obese and people who have a healthy weight.

We advise people with a healthy weight not to lose more than 0.5 kilograms per week. In practice, this means that you eat about 20% less than your energy needs. In other words, eat 20% less than your body needs to maintain weight.

For people who are very overweight, weight loss is often faster in the first weeks. A whole kilogram per week is no exception. As time passes, weight loss slows down. You can count on it that after this first phase, you can lose about 0.3-0.5 kilograms per week.

How is it possible that I lose weight faster than you advise?

Remarkably rapid weight loss can be due to several reasons.

Firstly, an excessive energy shortage can be the cause of this. In other words: you eat less than 80% of your energy needs.

Click here for the free weight loss webinar

Secondly, we often see that people who follow a low-carbohydrate diet lose weight faster in the first weeks. Often this is not only fat but also a lot of moisture. Carbohydrates are converted into glycogen and glucose in the body and absorb moisture, making you heavier. This does not mean that you immediately lose fat by cutting out carbohydrates. Do you want to know more about this topic? Read here why we are not a big supporter of a low-carbohydrate diet. Simply take a critical look at your diet and do not cut out unnecessary carbohydrates. This is not the long-term solution.

Enough theory for now. Back to the 5 reasons why it is unwise to lose weight quickly.

1. You lose muscle mass

When you lose weight too quickly, you run the risk of losing part of your muscle mass. Muscle mass is not only useful for lifting things but also ensures that your metabolism (burning) is stimulated. A decrease in muscle mass - something that is almost unavoidable in most cases with fat loss - causes your basal metabolic rate to decrease. If you lose weight, both fat and muscle mass, this means that your energy needs decrease. So adjust to this and adjust your energy intake.

Protect your muscle mass by slimming instead of losing weight

2. A deficiency of essential nutrients

Another very important disadvantage of losing weight too quickly is that you get fewer nutrients. By dieting too intensively for too long, you increase the risk of a shortage of important nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Click here for the free weight loss webinar

Preferably do not dive below 1500 calories per day. Possibly take an extra multivitamin if you feel that you are not getting enough vitamins and minerals. Please note that the multivitamin does not contain more than 100 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals.

3. Difficult to sustain

A diet where you cut a lot of calories is difficult to maintain. You feel dull, may be irritable, and have less energy or motivation for everyday things. We regularly see that people who suddenly drastically limit their energy intake, after a while, get a huge appetite for unhealthy snacks and treats. You probably recognize this feeling if you haven't eaten much for a day.

4. Poorer recovery and declining sports performance

Are you going to exercise with a significant energy deficit? Then your ability to recover may suffer. With an energy deficit of more than 30%, you often see that performance deteriorates. This is due to a shortage of nutrients and energy, but also because the body has insufficient building materials available to repair your muscles.

Do you want to prevent your sports performance from suffering from weight loss? Make sure you eat enough proteins and carbohydrates, especially when you do strength training. For good sports performance and recovery, it is mainly about a sufficient intake of this in the 2-3 hours before training and the period after training. For endurance athletes, the glycogen stock must be maintained. Eat enough carbohydrates 2-3 hours before training so that you avoid the man with the hammer.

5. You increase the chance of a yo-yo effect

Previously, many scientists believed that losing weight quickly increases the risk of yo-yoing [1] In other words: if you lose a lot of kilograms in a short time, you increase the risk of falling back to the old weight later, or that you become heavier than before you started losing weight.

The explanation for this is that all kinds of physiological processes occur during weight loss. The body fights back, as it were, by significantly increasing appetite and reducing calorie consumption.

Click here for the free weight loss webinar

Although there is sufficient evidence for this explanation, there is no clear support that this also causes people to yo-yo.

For example, a study of participants in The Biggest Loser showed that those who lost the most weight also managed to maintain the most weight. This result contradicts the previous view [2]. The explanations for this are still unclear. Self-confidence probably also plays an important role in whether you manage to (largely) maintain a certain weight.

Lose weight at a healthy pace

Our advice is to lose weight slowly and focus on learning new habits. This way you reduce the chance of suffering from an energy dip or losing muscle mass. Usually, you lose about half a kilo per week. Do you want to know more about whether you are getting enough vitamins and minerals? Then it is useful to fill in the app 'My Eating Meter' for a while. This allows you to keep track of your nutrition and see whether you are getting enough nutrients.

So what is a healthy pace?

We advise clients without a medical indication to cut out a maximum of 500 calories per day. This way you reduce the chance of suffering from an energy dip or losing muscle mass. Usually, you lose about half a kilo per week.

 Simple weight loss tips

Below are some simple tips that can help you lose weight.

-Drink tea or water instead of soda.

-Consciously choose products with fewer unhealthy fats, added sugars, and calories.

-Eat smaller portions.

-Drink less or no alcohol.

-Provide a diet with a relatively large amount of vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and proteins. This ensures faster and long-lasting saturation.

-Keep track of what you eat during the first week (you can do this in the FIT app, for example).

-Reduce stress, this reduces the chance of unhealthy eating choices.

-Don't stare blindly at the scale. Much more important is your fat percentage and waist circumference.

-Be patient. Healthy weight loss is a long-term project.

-Surround yourself with people who motivate and support you.

Click here for the free weight loss webinar