Losing 5 pounds is one size less clothes! A tantalizing goal that can be difficult to sustain. Discover our winning strategy in 5 points.

Five pounds less is enough to feel better and very often to achieve a drop in cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. But, while losing 5 pounds is possible for almost everyone, keeping them off is less obvious. Depending on where the extra pounds come from, you have to ask yourself if the game is worth the candle. And accept if necessary not to lose weight at very high speed.

1- If you have gained 5 kilos in a few weeks
After you’ve really abused it during a vacation or the holiday season, it’s going to be easy to lose quickly. All you have to do is resume your usual diet, or even eliminate the superfluous for a fortnight: wine and other alcoholic drinks, sodas, cold meats, fatty sauces. If you had lifted the foot, resuming a daily activity, even walking to make your short trips, will also help you.

2- If you have gained 5 kilos in a few months
For example, following quitting smoking, immobilization, or a previous diet. In these cases, you are going to have to give up losing quickly. Indeed, your metabolism has changed. You burn fewer calories than before because you have run out of nicotine or have lost muscle mass. The solution to sustainably losing your pounds is to re-increase your energy need through regular physical activity. Efforts on diet alone will not stabilize your healthy weight. Be patient, the important thing is to see your weight curve pick up in the right direction.

3- If you have gained 5 kilos in a few years
Your pounds have had time to settle, they may be difficult to dislodge. It will be necessary to accept to lose weight slowly. Which doesn’t mean you have to give up if you are actually overweight. To find out, calculate your BMI: being overweight is medically defined by a body mass index greater than 25. If your BMI is less than 25, stabilizing your weight, thanks to a better balance in food and a little more exercise, is already a good goal.

4- If you’ve never weighed 5 kilos less
Chances are, you are not “programmed” to weigh less. Losing weight is not necessarily an impossible task, but consider the benefits of losing weight. Again calculate your BMI and consult your doctor. Slightly overweight people whose BMI does not exceed 27 do not necessarily have a problem related to their weight (high blood pressure, joint pain, sleep apnea, etc.). Better to keep a few extra pounds rather than launching into the infernal cycle of diets and yoyos. If in the end, you think it’s right for you to lose 5 pounds, here is the step-by-step guide.

5- Stop express diets
High protein, Dukan, cabbage soup … “Choosing to restrict yourself, sometimes drastically, to lose weight is not a trivial act” warns Professor Margaritis of ANSES, National Food Safety Agency, to environment and work (ANSES). Because, “the more we diet, the more we promote weight gain”.
Draconian diets also promote eating disorders. “Diets pull the patient between rules (foods to avoid, quantities to watch) and cravings to fill,” adds Katherine Kureta-Vanoli dietician member of GROS, Reflection Group on Obesity and Overweight. “It pumps up a lot of mental energy. And when you crack, the pleasure of savoring gives way to guilt …”.