Fastest Way to Lose Weight?

by Nev Dodds
author of 'Fat Loss For The Rest of Us'

Is there actually a fastest way to lose weight?

Obviously, if there is a 'fastest way to lose weight' then all would-be slimmers would want to know about it...

So, what are the claims for this quick way to weight loss? The methods are many and varied, so it's easy to see that they can't all be right.

Slimming Pills:

If there were one pill that was sufficiently effective, then it would have cleaned the floor with the opposition. The problem with pills etc. is that they don't help you change to a sustainable lifestyle, so you're likelier to regain weight once you stop relying on them.

Starvation:

Many people like the readout on the bathroom scales when they starve. It doesn't continue, though, as the weight loss falls away and people drop off the diet, because starvation is no fun when you're not getting the results you expect.

Exercise:

It's hard to criticize any approach that includes exercise, because it is so good for the body (and the mind). What can be stated, though, is that exercise alone is rarely the provider of significant and lasting weight loss. It is heartbreakingly possible to be very fit but consistently overweight.

Eating Infrequently:

Many people try to control their calorie intake by avoiding food except at one meal. This method has many detractors, but there is little scientific evidence that it's bad for the person during a weight loss campaign. If continued over years, then the effects might be worsened, but nothing concrete is known, despite many claims to the contrary.

If this approach works for you, then fine, but be aware that most people lose heart with eating once a day. It takes an iron will not to fall foul of impulse eating. And it becomes even more important to eat all the right ingredients for good health, since you only have one chance each day.

Eating Frequently:

Despite claims of miracle effects for this approach to weight loss, there's little hard evidence to support its efficacy. It has the advantage over the one-meal-a-day approach of not allowing the body to develop a craving for food...

... and that's probably why it works for so many people. It makes it easier to be consistent with calorie control and food types, because it avoids major cravings.

Prescribed Daily Food Plans:

Over the last several years, some online diets have made lots of money for the proprietors of popular websites. It seems that not having to think for ourselves is a popular approach to losing weight.

The truth seems to be that any sustained concentration on diet has the immediate effect of helping the body shed weight. How much of that weight is fat and how much is water or muscle is quite another consideration.

One thing is for sure; when you have to cough up a monthly fee, it makes you concentrate on what you're eating - and therein lies the short term success of such prescriptive schemes.

The downside, as with most short term fixes, is that you are likely to regain weight once you're thinking for yourself again. Which probably means that you go back to paying someone to think for you... Good business to be in if you're looking for long-term customers.

Conclusion

So, is there a fastest way to lose weight? 

Well, we're all different, with different lifestyles and different reactions to life's events, so the one-size-fits-all approaches are unlikely to help maintain a slim body.

The main thing to remember is that you want your weight loss program - whichever one it is - to be your last. No more yo-yo dieting from now til Doomsday!

And that means one thing; you need to select a system that will not only allow you to lose that body fat effectively, but also to keep it off for the rest of your life. Otherwise, what's the point?

My own recommendation would be to follow a program that monitors calories, does not restrict your food excessively, does not require you to become a gym rat and helps you work through what's best for you and your situation.

A program, in other words, that will be your very own fastest way to lose weight.

Be responsible, and don't opt for a diet or program that is unsustainable, either because it is too expensive (cost of foods or memberships) or because it makes you so miserable that all you can think about is eating 'normally' again.

Remember, the trick is not just how to lose weight fast, but also how to keep it off!

Find out more about how to customise your own effective weight loss program.

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