Adrienne Bailon and sweetheart, Israel Houghton, tied the knot earlier this month in Paris, and the wedding photos show a slim Bailon enjoying her special day. It’s been reported that she went on an intense weight loss program to slim down for the big day, losing a whopping 22 pounds in only two months.
That’s impressive, but I’m also willing to bet she will put a lot of the weight back on. Losing 22 pounds in two months is an unrealistic expectation for most, and this form of crash dieting very rarely results in long-term or sustainable weight loss. At most, you should be aiming to lose between one and two pounds per week to achieve your goals. The faster the weight comes off, the less time it takes to come back.
Intense Workout
If you want to lose weight fast for something like a wedding or beach vacation, then adopting an unsustainable training program might be the best way to do it. It’s not necessarily healthy, but it will result in weight loss. Bailon’s trainer told E! News that she worked out four to five days per week for about 90 minutes. Each morning, Bailon would perform 30 minutes of cardio to help shed some fat, likely keeping her heart rate in the 130 to 150 range (if she was performing steady state like jogging or walking). Then she would meet up with her trainer in the afternoon for 60 minutes of circuit training. Circuit training offers little room for breaks, keeping your body in a fat-burning zone, while at the same time taxing muscles to build lean mass.
Strict Dieting
Losing 22 pounds in two months requires a very strict diet—every calorie (or lack of calories) counts. It’s hard to say exactly what her caloric intake was per day, but it was likely very low considering all the activity she was doing. Reports indicate she didn’t stick to a plant-based diet however, you can bet she was getting plenty of veggies. According to her trainer, she drank two plant-based protein drinks per day (one in the morning and one at dinner) while eating eggs, salad, whole grain toast, avocado, cashews, and yogurt. Her trainer also said alcohol was prohibited and that she went dairy free (which is unlikely considering she reported eating yogurt). Protein is proven to have positive effects on weight loss for a number of reasons, so it’s highly recommended you keep it in your diet.
Although Bailon lost a lot of weight fast, the method she used can be applicable to you, too. You just want to set your sights a little more realistically if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Adopting a healthy diet full of lean protein, veggies, and healthy fats (nuts and avocado), can help you lose weight and fuel exercise sessions. In addition, performing cardio with weight training is the best way to shed fat and build more lean mass—and the more lean mass you have, the harder it is for fat to accumulate.
Sources:
Miller, B., “How crash diets harm your health,” CNN web site, April 20, 2010; http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/20/crash.diets.harm.health/, last accessed November 23, 2016.
Fisher, K., and Mortellaro, A., “How Adrienne Bailon Lost 22 Lbs. in Just Two Months Ahead of Her Wedding Day,” E! News web site, November 22, 2016; http://www.eonline.com/news/811357/how-adrienne-bailon-lost-22-lbs-in-just-two-months-ahead-of-her-wedding-day, last accessed November 23, 2016.
Robinson, M., “ADRIENNE BAILON’S TRAINER REVEALS HOW SHE LOST 22 LBS. BEFORE WEDDING,” Inquisitr web site, November 23, 2015; http://www.inquisitr.com/3738023/adrienne-bailons-trainer-reveals-weight-loss/, last accessed November 23, 2016.
