If you’ve been looking for fast ways to lose weight you’ve probably come across websites promising a fast weight loss diet only to find out that you are expected to sacrifice your favorite foods or even eliminate entire food groups all together.
There are many diets out there that promise fast ways to lose weight but not all of them are entirely safe or easy to maintain; then there are other diets which are perfectly safe and will help you lose weight quickly but require you to cut out entire food groups or a particular type of food. Probably the most effective fast weight loss diet is intermittent fasting which you can easily do without sacrificing your favorite foods and without spending a fortune on diet pills, shakes or supplements.
As we know, people go on diets for many different reasons; and not all are just because they need a fast way to lose weight so they can look good in a dress. Some diets are for religious customs (such as Ramadan) while others are done for medical reasons (food allergies or intolerance). People even diet for their career or to best compete in sporting competitions.
All of these diets are valid and when done for the right reasons and in the right circumstances they are safe – but not all are a fast weight loss diet that you can follow daily.
Are all diets fast weight loss diets?
One of the best and fast ways to lose weight isn’t a fast weight loss diet or any particular diet plan – it is combining good healthy food with regular exercise.
There are some interesting diet plans on the market that promise fast ways to lose weight or promote themselves as a fast weight loss diet. These types of plans usually involve strict eating (or drinking) of particular foods or supplements to make up a calorie deficit. These types of plans include:
- Liquid diet plans – where you consume 2-3 of drinks per day as a replacement for a traditional meal.
- Atkins diet where you cut out most, if not all, of your carbohydrate intake in a bid to lose weight
- Beverley Hills diet or Food Combination Diet which lets you eat most things as long as you eat certain foods together (for example protein and fat) but don’t eat other combinations (protein and carbohydrates for example).
While diet plans like Atkins can be one of the fast ways to lose weight, it isn’t always the best option to do so, as it cannot be sustained for any length of time as your body needs carbohydrates to function adequately (in fact, your brain uses them to keep you alive).
While there are plenty more unsafe fast ways to lose weight there certainly are some ways to lose weight that are safe; they just don’t market themselves as widely because they have no diet pill or supplement to sell you as a quick fix, fast ways to lose weight but for many people they actually achieve incredible results.
A lifestyle change, not a diet
These types of diets aren’t ‘diets’ as such but more lifestyle changes. Many people turn to following these diet plans because they feel certain changes taking place in their body that is causing them to rapidly gain weight; they might be bloated, fatigued and lethargic and experience an uncomfortable digestive system which leaves you feeling anything but your best.
Diet plans that come under this banner include paleo, LCHP (low carb, high protein), LCHF (low carb, high fat), HCLP (high carb, low protein), ketogenic and calorie controlled plans. These plans are often quite healthy and beneficial and are used by people from all walks of life from body builders, stay at home moms to busy executives.
The problem some people find with the above programs is that you have to cut out certain food groups – carbohydrates, dairy and gluten being the more popular options. For many this is too dramatic of a change and too cumbersome to their eating habits as changing from eating cereal and milk every morning to eggs and veggies (with no toast) for breakfast is just too hard.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is one of the more recent fast ways to lose weight to hit the fast weight loss diet market.
Intermittent fasting is one of the more recent fast ways to lose weight to hit the fast weight loss diet market. While fasting may not sound safe to you, you must remember that this isn’t a ‘fast’ as such – you are still eating some food, just not as much as you normally would.
The great benefit to intermittent fasting or the 5:2 diet as it is often referred to; is that you don’t need to cut out entire food groups to lose weight. Sure it is beneficial for you to cut out processed foods, added sugars and fats, but you don’t need to. You can eat your ‘normal foods’ and have regular meals five days a week but for two days of every week you just restrict your calorie intake.
People are often attracted to the 5:2 diet as a fast way to lose weight as they believe that they can eat anything you want on your non-fast days like pizza, hamburgers and ice cream and while this is true what usually happens is due to the increased awareness of hidden calories in food you start to make healthier choices on the other five days of the week.
You quickly realize there is no point in restricting yourself to 500 calories on your fast day to then go and binge on fat laden fast food the remaining five days of the week.
Some people may think that this is not a fast ways to lose weight because of the time you need to take to prepare what you are going to eat and consider the calorie intake, but it is through this planning that makes this diet a fast weight loss diet; and is perhaps why intermittent fasting is probably one of the best diets available to anyone as is very affordable and anyone of any age group can follow it.
Remember, there is plenty of great information on the site to help you. But if you are just starting out, then make sure you check out this article… How do I start the 5:2 fasting diet?
Do I need to join a Gym?
Let’s face it, one of the best and fast ways to lose weight isn’t a fast weight loss diet or any particular diet plan – it is combining good healthy food with regular exercise. Either option will help you lose weight but combining the two will accelerate your weight loss further. An exercise plan can be incorporated with any diet plan that you undertake, and should be incorporated as long as it is safe for you to do so.
When it comes to exercise and dieting you should keep in mind that if you are reducing your calorie intake, such as when intermittent fasting, there is no need to be doing heavy exercise and spend hours sweating it out in the gym, rather a brisk walk or a cycle will do.
If you are worried that exercise is going to be expensive in terms of time and money, just remember that you don’t need to join a gym – you can workout at home using DVD’s or online videos, join a local boot camp, or simply get outside and go for a walk, hit the park or kick the soccer ball around with the kids or play tennis with some friends.
While there are many fast ways to lose weight, you need to ensure that the program you are undertaking is safe and will not impact on your current health in a negative way. With that taken care of you do not need to be deterred by additional out of pocket expenses either; as there are fast weight loss diets such as the 5.2 diet that can be followed without you having to spend an extra cent.
