Taking on a 28-day weight loss challenge has become a popular way to approach dropping unwanted pounds. However, before you get started on your next hashtag-based dieting strategy, it is a good idea to take a closer look at whether these are a good idea for you. Are they healthy? Will they really help you to get to your goal? Will it be easier or harder to maintain your goal after a strategy like that one? These are all very important factors to understand before you get started on your next effort to lose weight.
Does a 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge Work?
To start, let’s get right to the point. Does a 28-day weight loss challenge even work? Can you expect to see results from this type of plan? Will you be better off at the end of four weeks than you were at the beginning?
The answer isn’t a straightforward one. The reason is that it depends on your lifestyle, the 28-day weight loss challenge you take on, and what you plan to do after you’ve completed it. Remember that your health isn’t something that can be summed up in four weeks. It’s something ongoing and that will affect you for your entire life.
Therefore, if you do a daily plank challenge, for instance, the odds are that yes, you’ll see some results and you’ll likely be able to hold a plank longer at the end than you could at the start. However, if you don’t keep up workouts that target your core and arm muscles, the odds are that your progress won’t last and what you’ve gained will fade.
When it comes to your actual weight on the scale, you’re in a more complex area. Here, you’re tinkering with your metabolism. This could mean that you’re setting it up to keep going with great results over time, or it could mean that you’re setting yourself up for starvation mode and exceptionally sluggish results that are hard to build up again.
The Unexpected Impact of These Challenges
Though it can appear that a 28-day weight loss challenge lasts for only four weeks, there are other impacts that many people don’t expect and that last considerably longer. They fall into three primary categories:
- Metabolism – The impact of your efforts on your metabolism depends on the strategy you use. If you are sticking to a calorie-controlled diet you plan to continue over time, then the first four weeks is a good start. If you are taking on more extreme strategies in the hopes of getting the fastest results from the four weeks, you could end up doing far more harm than good in the long run.
- Motivation – Depending on the strategy you choose, you could give yourself a strong start, or you may end up setting yourself back when you don’t get the results you want and can’t maintain what you did achieve over time.
- Relationship to a healthy lifestyle – If you make extreme changes during your 28-day weight loss challenge, you could build harmful relationships with your food and exercise. Or, if you are already off to a rough start in that department, you could make it worse. It’s important to take care while choosing the strategy you will follow.
