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Before we start let me ask you a question. Why do you want to lose weight fast?
Is it because you've been asked to a wedding and you want to shed 40 lbs to get into that slinky dress? Or have you woken up, looked in the mirror and suddenly realised you’re slightly more – er – cuddly, shall we say? – than you ought to be?
Or is it because you’re going on holiday and don't want to look like a beached whale in your bikini?
There are a thousand-and-one scenarios where we suddenly realise just how overweight and unfit we are, and the same number of reasons why we want to lose all that extra fat.
But slow down a minute. Before you start looking for websites on “How to Lose 10lbs in 4 days” or similar (and yes, they are out there), stop and have a think and read the rest of this article.
We all realise that being overweight isn’t ideal. It’s bad for our health, our self esteem and the future of the human race. I definitely agree with you there; I’m a Personal Trainer and my job is to help people like you achieve their health and fitness goals on a daily basis.
But trying to lose weight fast is downright dangerous. Yes, I’ll say it again. DANGEROUS. Advice on losing weight fast should carry a great big warning on it, like cigarettes; HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. Attempting to lose weight fast is the worst possible thing you could do to your body and will destroy any chance you have of reaching your desired weight and shape.
I have never understood why otherwise sane and intelligent people go down this route. It has probably taken you years and years to pack on the extra weight you are carrying right now. How on Earth do you think you can get it off in a few weeks or months? Nature doesn’t work like that, or we’d all have died millennia ago! You just can’t lose weight fast. Quick weight loss equals even quicker weight gain a short time later. We all know of people who have lost large amounts of weight quickly. We all admire them and wish we could be like them. How many of them 6 months or a year later have kept the weight off? Of all the people I know who’ve tried it, precisely none. Zip. Zilch.
The human body does not like rapid weight loss – or rapid change of any kind, for that matter. Inside, we’re still prehistoric. The body is designed to keep you alive for as long as possible on as little food as possible. We haven’t been programmed to cope with the opposite – too much food, too easy to get!
There are many reasons why rapid weight loss doesn't work. Here are some of them:
- Reducing calorie intake beyond a certain point triggers the body’s "You’re starving me - there must be a famine" mode. Our minds have developed much faster than our bodies. The primitive part of our system that deals with survival doesn't care that we are surrounded by food. The only thing it knows is that it is being starved. This triggers defensive measures that (in its limited view of the world) will ensure survival of the body. Your metabolism – your body’s fat-burning engine - slows down, so you burn fewer calories. Which is the exact opposite of what we really want! Your system will release hormone “messages” which will cause you to feel hungry all the time. It will also (and this one is the real killer) cause you to store the very fat you need to get rid of and burn off the muscle tissue you need to keep! Muscle tissue is an expensive resource. It burns more calories than almost anything else so it must be sacrificed at all costs, as far as your “starving” body is concerned. Having muscle tissue means you burn calories even when you’re not doing anything. Having fat instead burns barely any calories at all. You are ruining your body’s fat-burning capability – the very thing you absolutely need if you’re going to get rid of the fat! Now, how insane is that?
- In their quest to lose weight fast, some people will take drugs to try and speed things up. This is not the best idea in the world! Not only do you get all the bad points of (1) but you are artificially speeding up your metabolism. What do you think will happen once you stop taking the drugs? Yup, rapid weight gain! On top of that, these drugs can have nasty side effects and won’t do your immune system any good.
Bottom line is, if you want to feel ill, have no energy, lose muscle, lower your body’s defences by damaging your immune system and look flabby even after you've lost weight (because you have no muscles to tone), then by all means crash diet. Go ahead and try to live on bananas, cabbage soup, camel dung or whatever the latest “miracle” diet is.
If, on the other hand, you want to actually reach your fat loss target you need a totally different approach. Safe and effective weight loss is not rocket science. It just isn’t “instant”. And there are a few rules:
- Burn (use) more calories than you take and you’ll shed fat.
- Eat more healthily. Just cutting out most of the junk food will make a difference.
- Take regular exercise. 15 – 20 minutes 4 times a week is manageable.
- Accept 1-2 lb a week fat loss and be pleased. If you do it right, it will all be fat.
- Make small changes to your eating habits, but maintain them over the long term. (Forever!)
- Adjust your expectations. Imagine how you'll look in a year, not by next Tuesday and be happy in the knowledge that, if you follow this advice, you will be one of the few who will be successful. Permission to be smug, Sir!
So which is it to be? Fast weight loss and yo-yo dieting, drugs, gimmicks and hype or slow, steady, safe and sustainable fat loss that leaves you feeling and looking great and, more importantly, actually WORKS.
So you've read this far and I thank you for your valuable time, but now it's time to CHOOSE. You could click off this site and just pretend you never read this (9 out of 10 will do just that), or you could accept the truth of what I say and say YES to slow and sure.
Remember the old fable of “The Hare and The Tortoise”? Who came through in the end?
To all the Tortoises out there – I salute you! You'll whip the Hares; it will just take a little bit longer!
If you would like to read more common sense (and truthful) articles like this one, please visit my Weight Loss Articles page.
All the best, and good luck to you,
Carol J Bartram
(Personal Trainer, Pilates Instructor & Massage Therapist)
How To Lose Weight Fast |