What does sweating have to do with weight loss?
Nothing much and definitely nothing permanent. Sweat is basically water mixed with electrolytes, mostly sodium. Sweating is a way for the body to control its temperature.
Sweat prevents the body from overheating, which would otherwise cause damage to the organs of the body.
ADVERTISEMENT
If you sweat enough by sitting in a sauna or by doing a lot of physical activity you will notice an immediate drop in body weight because your body has lost a lot of water and this is called as dehydration. As soon as you are dehydrated you naturally feel thirsty, and you drink water. Immediately your kidneys hold onto that extra water to return your body's water balance to normal, and this called as hydration, which is very important to your health.This water weight-loss is unfortunately not the kind of long-term weight control you're looking for.
Your weight will fluctuate with hydration and dehydration levels.
ADVERTISEMENT
Losing weight requires increased levels of exercise, non exercise physical activity and calorie restricting. Sitting in a sauna for an hour will do nothing for a long term weight loss goal.
Losing Weight Permanently
Losing weight requires a calorie deficit, a state in which you are burning more calories than you eat. When you burn more than you eat, your body is forced to use fat stores for energy which causes permanent and long term weight loss.
There are two ways to create a calorie deficit; you can exercise or you can eat less. For the fastest, most permanent and healthiest results, you need to combine an exercise routine with a calorie restricted diet.
Remember:
Excessive sweating has no useful purpose in weight loss.
It may also lead to a number of health problems such as heatstroke, extreme loss of electrolytes, kidney damage and cardiovascular-related emergencies.
Always hydrate yourself before and after any vigorous exercise.
Maintain a healthy level of electrolytes by consuming an adequate amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Instead of spending time sitting in a sauna trying to “sweat your weight out”, step out and walk or run a few miles.
Work out regularly. This will cause you to sweat, but more importantly, help you burn some serious calories. Only by burning calories and eating less will you lose real weight, look better and improve your overall health.
Bhaskar is a fitness professional. Read more about fitness on his website www.60minuteworkouts.com