Hey, it’s no secret. We live in a time and in a society where we want what we want and we want it now. No where is this trend more prevalent than with weight loss. I can’t count the number of products I’ve seen that promise you can lose weight fast. But, I wonder, do they actually work as quickly as they claim to?
Well, to a large degree, I suppose it depends on what your definition of « fast » is. For some people, losing a pound or two a week would be considered fast.
Others may have a big event coming up in a week and they want to lose 10 lbs. before the big day. Now, that would definitely be what I would call fast.
The reality of weight loss is this: to lose weight you have to do some simple math. You need to take in fewer calories than you burn. It really is that simple.
How you go about burning the calories and cutting back on the calories can be where things get interesting though.
For example, if you want to take in fewer calories (but still make sure that you are feeding your body enough nutrients so it keeps working properly and your metabolism doesn’t shut down) than you can change your day to day diet habits, you can invest in some sort of diet meal replacement drink, etc.
In other words, if you want to lose weight fast you have a few ways you can « attack » the problem.
Ideally, you should use a « two pronged » attack. You should focus not just on what you eat or not just on what you do, but a combination of diet and exercise.
That may not sound easy or sexy, but it is the best way to ensure that you lose weight in a healthy way. Also, by making long term lifestyle changes, rather than short term changes, you can ensure that you will be in shape and fit for the rest of your life and not just until your big day is over.
Which would you rather have? Would you rather work at losing weight with some diet plan that isn’t really nutritious and / or is so restrictive that deep inside you know you won’t be able to stay with it and you will eventually gain the weight back?
Or, would you rather make some simple changes over a period of a few weeks or months to your day to day food and exercise habits knowing that your weight loss will be healthy and permanent?
Of course, the choice is yours but personally, if I’m going to put in the time I want my results to be permanent. And I would want to be able to keep the weight off as easily as possible.
That will only happen if you change your lifestyle habits permanently.
Make your mind up to make some simple changes in the way you eat and the amount of exercise you get. Plan on making these changes permanent and you will lose weight more quickly and more easily than you would have thought possible. It can also be permanent then too.
Lose weight fast or lose weight permanently? You can have a little bit of both if you do it right. Talk to your doctor about the best diet and exercise plan for you and then make some much needed lifestyle changes.