Losing weight is definitely not an easy task by any means. Many people embark on weight loss challenges, invest considerable effort and time, and after 30 days, may observe little to no positive results. As you can imagine, this is deeply frustrating and may cause many to give up on weight loss entirely. However, a weight loss challenge based on the right components greatly increases your chances of losing weight. So what are these components and what makes a 30 day weight loss challenge effective?
Trying to lose weight is always a daunting task, regardless of the season, but losing weight in the summer is particularly difficult. For one, summer typically involves more events, parties, and vacations, which almost always correlates to more opportunities to indulge and binge eat.
Also, there are actual scientific explanations that justify weight gain in the summer. For instance, studies show that cortisol increases in warmer weather. (1) Since cortisol increases blood sugar levels, over time, there is increased insulin output by the liver. The combination of more cortisol output and the extra insulin can contribute to significant weight gain, especially around the belly.
Furthermore, while the rate of metabolism normally increases with temperature increase, at much higher temperatures, as you would expect in the summer, the metabolism rate rapidly declines. By implication, the body conserves more calories, in the form of fat, and you eventually gain weight.
This weight loss challenge involves concerted efforts to lose significant weight in 30 days. For any weight loss challenge to be a success, it requires a lot of grit, focus, determination, and motivation. However, if the challenge is intrinsically flawed and not backed by proper weight loss components and principles, there will not be significant weight loss after 30 days.
Below are the components an effective 30 day weight loss challenge should incorporate.
The one, most fundamental principle about losing weight is losing more calories than you consume. You get calories from food, with different foods containing varying amounts of calories. You need these calories to keep your body running. In fact, even if you maintain as sedentary a life as possible and avoid physical exertion entirely, your body still requires calories to survive. The calories your body burns at rest constitute the basal metabolic rate (BMR), comprising the energy needed for life-sustaining processes like digestion and breathing.
To lose weight, you need to maintain a calorie deficit; that is, your calorie output should be greater than your input. The calorie output includes both calories expended in the form of physical activity and the BMR. The average BMR for women is 1400, while it stands at 1700 for men. However, the exact amount of calories burnt depends on physical attributes (weight, age, sex, body composition), genetics, hormone function, and organ properties. Calorie intake is entirely from what we eat and drink. Generally, calories come from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Fats contain 9 calories per gram, while proteins and carbohydrates contain 4 calories.
For an effective 30 day weight loss challenge, you need to know how to track your calories. Some monitors and trackers can help you calculate how many calories you burn, and you need to add this to your BMR. You can also get a rough idea of your BMR through calculators online. Also, you should closely monitor what you eat and drink to assess their calorie content.
According to the CDC, you can safely lose between 4 to 8 pounds of weight a month. One pound is equal to a deficit of 3500 calories. With the 30 day weight loss challenge, you can meet this mark, but you need to be careful not to lose too much in a short time.
Building on the fundamental principle of losing weight – a calorie deficit – most weight loss challenges revolve around a CICO (Calorie In, Calorie Out) Diet. However, while a calorie is the same no matter its source, all calories are not created equal. For instance, 100 calories from fruits is worth far more than 100 calories from soda. This is because there are other components of the soda that can harm weight loss efforts.
Here are a few considerations that are necessary when choosing the right diet for a 30 day weight loss challenge.
No one food can cause weight loss. Even enough quantities of the healthiest foods can cause weight gain. However, some foods are known as superfoods for losing weight because they are rich in nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants that can promote health.
Superfoods are typically plant-based and don’t cause blood sugar spikes. This implies that these foods help maintain a good glycemic variability level, meaning there are no frequent peaks and valleys in your blood sugar levels. An important benefit is a much lower risk of insulin resistance, allowing your body enough time to burn fat for energy between meals.
Moreover, these foods promote the feeling of fullness, ensuring you don’t overeat. Also, superfoods for weight loss are rich in antioxidants, which help battle inflammation. This is particularly essential, as chronic inflammation can also cause insulin resistance, slowing metabolism and promoting weight gain.
These superfoods for a 30 day weight loss challenge include:
Drinking water is beneficial to the human body for multiple reasons, and that includes weight loss. Water can promote the feeling of fullness, which reduces appetite. And, because water contains no calories, it is a perfect solution for entirely eliminating the extra calories that you would have otherwise taken in soda, juice, or other flavored drinks.
Many people even confuse thirst with hunger. In such cases, they end up eating and consuming extra calories when all they really need is a glass of water. Water can also help rid the body of toxins and improve nutrient delivery to the cells.
When trying to lose weight, it is essential to rid the diet of sugars, processed foods, and artificial sweeteners as much as possible. Ultra-processed foods contain ingredients common in industrial food manufacturing, like hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup, which are calorie-dense. (2)
Also, these foods usually have low fiber content, as manufacturers strip them off when processing. Fiber is essential in weight loss as it promotes fullness, ensuring you consume fewer calories daily. Therefore, the risk of overeating is much higher with sugary and processed foods, and this can cause the blood sugar levels to spike and spiral out of control.
Metabolism is the series of reactions that breaks down energy necessary for survival. Scientists often express metabolism as metabolic rate, which is the rate at which the body burns energy. The faster your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn daily, both at rest and during physical activity.
Since the basic principle behind weight loss is maintaining a calorie deficit, increasing metabolism seems a practical way to lose weight. This is not an easy task, though, with some scientists even contending that improving metabolism is beyond our control. However, many argue that, with proper strength training and the right supplements, you can increase your metabolism. You can also burn more calories through regular exercise and being physically active.
On the other hand, you should never starve or overexert yourself in a bid to increase your metabolic rate. Doing this is counterproductive, as it forces the body into emergency mode, causing adrenal crashes and a slower metabolism.
Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is a non-Addison's form of adrenal dysfunction in which the body cannot cope with chronic life stressors. The body has a built-in mechanism that deals with stress, known as the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response. The NEM system comprises six circuits, spanning several organs and systems. However, in the face of chronic stress, one or more of the NEM circuits may dysregulate. This increases the strain on the adrenals to produce the hormone cortisol, and while cortisol production increases initially, it eventually falls as the adrenal glands become fatigued. If this persists, AFS results.
The 30 day weight loss challenge is particularly difficult for people with adrenal fatigue because in the early stages of adrenal fatigue, cortisol and insulin levels in the blood are high. The body stores the extra glucose as fat, which accumulates in the belly. This fat is very difficult to lose, as the body treats it as an active tissue, and only sheds fat here if it has exhausted other options. In addition, it's hard for those with adrenal fatigue to exercise intensely and some with adrenal fatigue have reactive hypoglycemia, making them need to eat very often and consume high calorie diets in order to feel enough energy. If you have adrenal fatigue, it's important to fix the underlying problem first before trying to lose weight.
Any weight loss challenge has to be rooted in the right principles and components. For an effective 30 day weight loss challenge, you need to monitor your calories closely, adopt the right diet plan, and try to increase metabolism. However, it is important not to go overboard and starve when trying to lose weight, as that can actually cause your metabolism to slow and result in weight gain instead. Aiming for 4 to 8 pounds of weight loss per month is best. If you choose to use any supplements, ensure you speak to your healthcare provider first.
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Kanikowska, Dominika, et al. "Seasonal Differences in Rhythmicity of Salivary Cortisol in Healthy Adults." Journal of Applied Physiology, vol. 126, no. 3, 2019, pp. 764-770. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00972.2018.
Hall, Kevin D., et al. "Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake." Cell Metabolism, vol. 30, no. 1, 10 May 2019, pp. 67-77.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.05.008.
According to the CDC, you can safely lose four to eight pounds in a month. Some can even lose up to 10 pounds. So, that’s a good target to meet. However, you should never overexert or stress yourself when trying to lose weight because this will only slow down your metabolism and cause weight gain.
