Did you know that your weight has no bearing on how quickly you can lose weight? It’s true. Despite what you may think, being either underweight or overweight won’t make it more or less difficult to shed pounds. In fact, all of the latest science points to the idea that your weight isn’t as big an influence on how quickly you can drop pounds as other factors. And while some people may view this as a negative thing, it actually makes things much simpler. If you’re looking for ways to lose weight fast, it’s important to understand that your weight is not going to get in your way as much as other things will. Here are 6 reasons why weight doesn’t matter when trying to lose weight.
Your weight has nothing to do with how many calories you should eat
When you’re trying to lose weight, one of the first things that people will tell you is that you should cut your calories by X amount in order to lose one pound per week. There’s only one problem with that: your weight has nothing to do with how many calories you should be eating. Your weight is dependent on your body composition, not how much energy your body uses. When you’re trying to drop weight, the number of calories you eat has nothing to do with your weight. The calories that you consume are either stored as fat or used to fuel your body for the day. If your body needs the energy, it will use what you eat. If your body doesn’t need the energy, the excess will be stored as fat. Your weight will not change unless you either burn more calories than you eat or eat fewer calories than you burn.
Your weight doesn’t determine how much exercise you should do
When people are trying to lose weight, they often think that they need to sweat it off at the gym. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, exercise is great for a number of reasons, but dropping pounds isn’t one of them. You see, there’s a big difference between losing weight and losing fat. And while exercise can help you lose fat, it can’t make you lose weight. In order to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. No amount of exercise alone will help you do that. In fact, if you’re trying to lose weight and you exercise too much, it will make it much harder. Exercising can help you lose fat. But it can’t help you lose weight unless you create a calorie deficit.
Being overweight or underweight won’t make it more or less difficult to lose weight
Whether you’re overweight or underweight, you will have to reduce your energy intake in order to lose weight. And while it may be true that you will have to do it at a higher rate as an overweight person, it won’t be any harder as a person who is underweight. In fact, being underweight will actually make it harder to lose weight. When you’re underweight, your body will try to retain fat so that it can get enough energy. So while you may have to reduce your calories even more as an overweight person, it won’t be any easier for people who are underweight. If anything, it will be harder.
Dropping pounds is more about your diet than your weight
Weight loss is a result of eating less energy than you burn. So, if you cut your calories and increase the amount of exercise you do, you can create a calorie deficit that will lead to weight loss. But if you do the same thing but have a high body weight, you’re not going to see the same results. Let’s say you cut your calories by X amount per day, exercise for Y amount, and have a body weight of Z. If you have a higher body weight, you will have to eat much less than someone of a lower body weight to create the same deficit. So, even though you’re eating the same amount of calories, you will lose weight at a slower rate because of your weight.
Your weight doesn’t matter when it comes to losing fat and gaining muscle
When you’re trying to lose weight, you want to lose fat, not muscle. And while some people think that lifting weights will cause you to build muscle, the reality is that you have to actually work harder to do so at a higher body weight. On the flip side, if you’re trying to gain muscle, you can do so at any weight. Whether you’re underweight or overweight, you can build muscle. The only difference is that it may be easier to do so at a lower weight due to the increased calorie intake.
Your Genetics and Body Composition play a role
As we’ve learned, your weight has nothing to do with how quickly you can lose weight. But, while your weight won’t hinder your ability to lose weight, it can make it easier or harder to do so. Depending on your genetics and body composition, you may find it easier to lose weight at a higher weight or at a lower weight. If you’re someone who has a high amount of muscle mass and little body fat, you may find it easier to lose weight at a higher weight. Someone with a higher body fat percentage and less muscle mass may find it easier to lose weight at a lower weight.
Bottom Line
As you can see, your weight has nothing to do with how quickly you can lose weight. Sure, some people will have an easier time losing weight at a higher weight, but others will have an easier time when they are underweight. No matter what your weight is, you can lose weight quickly if you have the right diet and exercise plan. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t get caught up on the number on the scale. Instead, focus on the number of calories you eat and how much exercise you get. You’ll be in a much better position to see results that last if you do.