This is an article on ideas regarding how to lose weight fast based on science and evidence based medical knowledge. Have you ever searched about ‘how to lose weight fast’, in the internet? Well, actually millions out there are trying to find the answer. Our generation is suffering from the obesity epidemic and the people from the whole planet are trying to find an answer to weight gain.
There are really so many causes responsible for being fat.
And we wonder, why we can’t lose weight fast. For that, we need to reverse the above factors. Another important point is that, simple one or two changes will not help, we have to address the problem as a whole. Let us break them into 4 steps and discuss the strategies required to lose weight fast.
Step 1: Dietary modification: This is the cornerstone of your answer to your question of how to lose weight fast. Without proper diet nothing will work at all. You have to be in a state of calorie deficit. This is the base of all weight loss programmes, which means calories out (by BMR, activities, exercises and food assimilation) have to be more than calories in (total calories of all food taken)
Recently, we have seen that ketogenic and low carb diets are giving optimum result. Please remember that research has shown that carb restriction (mainly simple carbs) is much superior to fat restriction. Remember, fat in the diet is not stored as fat in the body. It is the insulin hormone that is primarily responsible for it.
Eat less sugar: Sugar is capable of wreaking havoc in our system. Sugar or sucrose contains lots of fructose. When fructose (in sugar or in fruit juice) taken in higher amounts, our hormonal system cannot handle it. The insulin surge and the cravings by sugar are among the major causes of fat storage. Cutting down sugar, sweets and fruit juice (whole fruit is a different story and is healthier) is a primary prerequisite for fast weight loss
Eat less simple carbs and prefer complex carbs:Simple carbs/starchy food and processed food (they are also common high GI food causing use insulin spiking – somewhat similar to sugars) like rice, potatoes, cooked carrot, bread, pasta etc. should be taken only after exercise. Depleted glycogen stores in muscles after exercise helps in better utilization of those simple carbs. For other times, stick to complex carbs with slower absorption and lower insulin response. Vegetable sources like spinach, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber etc. are excellent sources of complex carbs. Anyway, there is a restriction for low carb dieters for complex carbs too. For keto dieters all kind of carbs have to be minimised to below 5% of total calorie intake. (More on it later)
Eat more fibers:These are often coupled with carbs in fruits and veggies. They keep you full, increases gut motility and decreases the hunger pangs. A minimum of 20 grams of dietary fibers are normally recommended.
Drink more water:Water is more than 60% of our body constituent. Avoid all cola, soda, juice, beer alcohol etc. Drink nothing except cool and pure drinking water. It keeps you full, reduces thirst and hunger as well. Our brain is wired to have cravings for more unhealthy food and drink when we are thirsty. Even drinking more during eating helps to control your portion size as well.
Eat more protein:Protein helps in a lot of ways for losing weight. It keeps you fuller for long time and reduces sugar and carb craving as well. Also protein has high TEF (thermic effect of food) by which lots of calories are burnt to digest and assimilate it. Anyway, for keto dieters, protein should be restricted to max 25 to 30 % of total calorie intake.
Eat fat (good fat) to burn fat:This may seem like a paradox but it is true. For keto dieters, healthy fat has to be the mainstay of the diet with moderate protein and carb intake to be minimised to almost zero! The reason being, fat has no insulinogenic effect and the body turns into an efficient fat burning machine as the no carbs are available for energy. Ketosis is the actual secret of scientific basis of fast fat loss without any significant muscle damage. More on it later… As for all diet watchers, restrict saturated fat, avoid trans fat (like margarine, deep fried food, normal cooking oils being heated to high temperature repeatedly etc.) eat lots of healthy fat like fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, avocados, virgin oil, butter etc.
Have coffee and green tea:Caffeine (obtained from black coffee) – has glycogen sparing and fat burning effect, particularly when taken before exercise. Green tea extract is believed to increase norepinephrine level which helps burning fat. But don’t add lots of sugar/milk etc. to enhance taste!
Supplements for fat loss:Their role is controversial but Garcinia, Orlistat, Caffeine capsules, glucomannan, raspberry ketones, fish oil capsules etc. are said to have some role. But remember, proper diet adjustment with correct macro intake and portion control is the key to fast weight loss
Step 2: Proper exercise: ACSM guidelines say that adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Exercise recommendations can be met through 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (five days per week) or 20-60 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise (three days per week).
Now these are guidelines for cardio exercises for optimum health and fitness. But, to lose weight fast, you have to do proper weight training of all the bigger muscle groups for at least 2 to 3 times a week.
Weight training leads to increased insulin sensitivity, higher metabolism and calorie burn continues for hours during resting periods(even up to 38 hours after completion). Normally 8 to 12 reps max per set and 2 to 3 sets for each muscle group for the whole body workout is an amazing way to start.
If you are deconditioned or in older age group, rep range should be of 15 to 20. Regarding bigger muscle groups, think of lower body muscles (glutes, quads, hamstrings), back muscles (lats, traps) and chest muscles (pecs). Remember endless crunches or bicep curls won’t help.
Also, commonly you can see several fat people endlessly walking on treadmills, doing n numbers of sit ups, panting on the ellipticals/rowing machines and so on. These are not great weight loss exercises for quick results. Several gym guys believe slow to moderate intensity cardio/aerobics are weight loss exercises.
Please understand, there is practically no significant difference between ‘food calorie restriction’ and ‘calorie burn by slow continuous cardios’. Slow cardio has numerous other health benefits and are great. But let us focus on quick fat loss techniques here.
Anyway HIIT (high intensity interval training) has been proved to be a much better better option for fat loss rather than slower, continuous cardio. To do HIIT, try to do aerobics in alternately high and low intensity intervals. (For example sprinting on a treadmill at such a speed so that you cannot do it for more than 45 to 60 seconds and then brisk walk/jog at a much lower space). There are several HIIT options and you really need to lose fat in a hurry. Try to do at least 2 sessions of HIIT besides 2 to 3 sessions of full body weight training. If HIIT cannot be done, you can do fasted cardio at empty stomach in morning for best fat loss results.
Be informed and act in a planned way in the gym to lose weight fast. Remember, during keto diet, there are restrictions on weight training and HIIT (more on it later). And for women, the same theory applies too. Never shy away from weight training as you won’t get bulky or muscular by lifting heavy (you don’t have enough testosterone to get big muscles like a man).
Also remember,when you are trying to lose fat, you are in a state of calorie deficit. During quick weight loss by dieting only, some muscle tissues are also lost besides fats. Weight training helps to preserve the muscles and keeps you toned but slimmer. Muscles are the most metabolically active tissues of the body
Step 3: Lifestyle modification: Remember our childhood days? Those were the happy go lucky days, lost forever. Anyway, don’t sigh, we all have a small child inside us despite being mature adults. Try to free that child…
Seriously speaking, we need to get out from our sedentary habits. Simply move your lazy asa around much more. Try these simple changes:
Walk more by cutting down the travel on wheels and use your feet more.
A morning or an evening stroll can do wonders as permanent lifestyle habit.
Do not sit for long time at a stretch. Research proves sitting for long time is injurious to health. Try to move around whenever possible.
Cut down stress as much as you can. Try meditation, yoga, smiling and gossiping more. Try to use several stress reliever techniques (to minimise the damages by the stress hormone cortisol).
Sleep more and improve its quality and time.
DO NOT miss your breakfast. A hearty breakfast will keep your cravings lower throughout the later part of the day.
Try to cook you own food and keep track of the calories and macros by using app/website like MyFitnessPal
Make the eating pattern boring, repetitive, calculated and home made. Frequent small meals with smaller portion size are good choice (prevents excessive insulin surge)
Try to minimise habit of eating out or bring outside food. Dietary habit has to be disciplined.
Step 4: Diagnosis and treatment of medical reasons hampering your weight loss goal:
Chronic stress, depression and anxiety – anxiety, stress, depression etc. your body can produce some chemical substances that make your body more likely to store fat, especially around the waist area. Also anxiety and depression makes people overeat.
Cushing’s syndrome – when the adrenal glands produce too much cortisol, which leads to storage of fat in the face, upper back, and abdomen.
Hypothyroidism – When your body cannot produce enough thyroid hormone. As a result, your metabolism gets slower and you will tend to store more fat if you are less active.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – When there are multiple cysts in the ovaries, a disease extremely common among young women. Common symptoms are irregular menstrual bleeding, acne, excessive facial hair, thinning hair, difficulty getting pregnant, and the weight gain is not caused by excessive eating.
Insulin resistance or Metabolic syndrome (high insulin levels) – When your body is resistant to the hormone insulin. This results in belly fat accumulation and leptin resistance (which adds to hunger signalling disruption) causing overeating and weight gain. It also affects other hormonal systems and causes fat gain which becomes difficult to lose in high insulin environment. More on it later..
Natural hormonal changes in women – Some women may gain weight during puberty, during pregnancy and at menopause due to lots of complex alteration of hormonal status.
Medications causing weight gain – A few common medications cause weight gain and need to be addressed for weight loss. The common examples are antipsychotics, antidepressants, beta blockers, birth control pills, postmenopausal hormonal therapy, corticosteroids and antiepileptics.
Covers things in depth! Good one.. To put it simply, a deficit in calories gives weight loss.. one just need to make sure that the deficit is not too large to create any health issues. Further, there should be enough amount of protein and some physical activity to ensure the lean body mass or muscles are not lost in the process of losing weight. One should aim at losing only fat and not muscles
[…] Increases your strength and power in weight training: It is a common experience by gym rats and there are few random studies on this too. Pre-workout black coffee definitely helps you to squeeze one or two more reps. It gives you more strength and you can lift more. Remember, weight training and building/preserving muscle is extremely important for good diet and weight loss. Read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
[…] Increases your strength and power in weight training: It is a common experience by gym rats and there are few random studies on this too. Pre-workout black coffee definitely helps you to squeeze one or two more reps. It gives you more strength and you can lift more. Remember, weight training and building/preserving muscle is extremely important for good diet and weight loss. Read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
[…] you want to lose weight, cardio may not be best option for you. Read my post on how to lose weight fast. What you actually need to do (for best and quickest result) is to use resistance training and be […]
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Covers things in depth! Good one.. To put it simply, a deficit in calories gives weight loss.. one just need to make sure that the deficit is not too large to create any health issues. Further, there should be enough amount of protein and some physical activity to ensure the lean body mass or muscles are not lost in the process of losing weight. One should aim at losing only fat and not muscles
Yes, precisely so…
[…] Also read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
[…] Increases your strength and power in weight training: It is a common experience by gym rats and there are few random studies on this too. Pre-workout black coffee definitely helps you to squeeze one or two more reps. It gives you more strength and you can lift more. Remember, weight training and building/preserving muscle is extremely important for good diet and weight loss. Read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
[…] Also read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
[…] Increases your strength and power in weight training: It is a common experience by gym rats and there are few random studies on this too. Pre-workout black coffee definitely helps you to squeeze one or two more reps. It gives you more strength and you can lift more. Remember, weight training and building/preserving muscle is extremely important for good diet and weight loss. Read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
[…] Also read my post on how to lose weight fast. […]
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[…] you want to lose weight, cardio may not be best option for you. Read my post on how to lose weight fast. What you actually need to do (for best and quickest result) is to use resistance training and be […]