Do you want to lose weight fast?! Most Americans want a magic pill to lose weight - something quick and easy. The majority of us have some desire to lose weight whether it be 5 lbs. or 100 lbs., for cosmetic reasons or for health and we are willing to try every fad diet, every gimmick, every trick in the book to obtain our ideal weight. But the truth about all these gimmicks claiming they have the magic pill is just an illusion filled with false hope. These fad diets usually end up in a crashing result as they are unmaintainable by putting our novice bodies into an extreme caloric deficit or extreme high intensity workouts. We end up doing more harm than good as you put your body at risk for nutritional deficiencies, muscle loss, gallstones, fatigue, nausea, constipation and slowed metabolism.
Maybe you have personally tried one of these fad diets and have actually lost weight. However, your weight loss was most likely due to water weight loss and decreased muscle mass instead of what you actually wanted to lose, which is body fat. More often than not, these “lose weight fast” diets deplete your body of the vital resource, water, which every cell in our body uses to function. By using these diet methods, you force your body to attack itself and break down muscle which dips into the energy source known as glycogen, which when burned as fuel in the body releases water.
In addition, we put our body at risk for developing health issues such as gallstones (which are made of cholesterol and bile buildup) that are crystallized in the gallbladder that can cause pain and nausea, while some complications may even require the gallbladder to be removed. Furthermore, an extreme caloric deficit puts us at risk for many nutritional deficiencies and other health problems. Although a caloric deficit is needed for weight loss, it can be counterproductive for your calorie intake to drop too low. When you dramatically lower your calorie intake, your body senses that food is scarce and lowers the rate at which it burns calories, therefore slowing down your metabolism. All that being said, we need to make good nutritional choices for our body that will boost our immune system and provide us energy to continue down the right weight loss path.
The healthier and most effective way to lose weight is to make a lifestyle change. To begin our lifelong journey with fitness and health we need to set realistic short- and long-term goals. A safe recommendation for weight loss is one to two pounds a week; one pound of fat is 3500 calories, so we need to burn those 3500 calories in order to lose weight. Diet plays a crucial role in our health and fitness journeys, but many Americans have gotten lost in so many fad diets that it has altered our perception of food into a necessary evil. When in reality we need to understand why we eat and how much to eat. Food provides our body with the necessary nutrients to build strong muscles, feel good, and live a quality life. However, what most people struggle with is managing portion size and making smart choices. Having a licensed dietitian can prove to be extremely beneficial if you struggle with figuring out what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat or even just where to start with the process.
Proper physical activity is just as important as nutrition as it helps boost our metabolism, increases health benefits, prevents cardiovascular issues, and so much more. Combining exercise with a healthy diet is a more effective way to lose weight rather than depending on a caloric deficit alone. Focusing strictly on nutrition and how to lose weight fast will only get you so far before your body adjusts and reaches that plateau where you really don’t see any MORE progress. Incorporating exercise along with your diet can prevent that stagnancy and keep your progress on track. Exercise can also prevent, or even reverse the effects of certain diseases! Exercise lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, which can reduce the risk of heart attack. Focusing on diet alone can deprive the body of essential benefits, while combining exercise with proper nutrition can increase bone density and, in turn, longevity. Exercise is also known to help contribute to a sense of confidence and well-being, thus possibly lowering feelings of anxiety and depression. Making sure to have a balance between what you put into your body and what you do WITH your body is the key to a successfully healthy and happier lifestyle that will give you those long-lasting “lose weight fast” results that you want.
Maintenance is the real challenge! Most people who follow a lose weight fast diet struggle to keep off the weight for good and usually regain all the weight back. This is why a slower, steady pace of weight loss is encouraged because it allows us to build healthy eating habits and a strong commitment to our physical activity plans. In addition to our personal efforts, having the support from a dietitian, fitness expert, and doctors can help improve your ability to achieve long-term weight loss. By having professionals guide your journey, you will learn more about your body on how to keep healthy and build good habits in order to stay consistent and accountable. So, kick out that idea of “how to lose weight fast” as it is unrealistic and unmanageable and will cause more harm to your body than good. Losing weight and building muscle is a journey that is well worth the time and effort you put into it. Need some help, reach out to us at 210.495.3131.
