Among them, the South Beach Diet is one that has been gaining some attention. This diet focuses on the glycemic index where good carbs are separated from bad carbs, and bad fats from good fats. There are no calories to count. You eat until you are full, three times a day with two snacks in between. This diet works in phases where the first phase is extremely limited, followed by a second phase with the addition of good carbs, and finally the third phase which is a liberal maintenance plan.
Another diet, the Atkins Diet, is often confused with the South Beach Diet. However, these two ways to lose weight differ in many ways. In the Atkins diet, all carbs are limited. The aim is to consume as few carbs as possible. No protein or fat is limited. This diet has raised some eyebrows due to its lack of concern for saturated fats.
Then there is Nutrisystem, a complete eating plan where the food comes prepackaged in 4-week parcels. It focuses on the glycemic index, like the South Beach Diet, and offers a variety of foods you can choose from. All foods are instant, meaning that little preparation is required. Because everything is measured for you, this is an easier plan for those with portion control problems.
Another way to lose weight is through the Fat Loss for Idiots diet plan, where foods and types of calories consumed changes every few days. With a menu that constantly changes, you will be able to eat many kinds of foods. The logic behind this diet is swap the menu when your body becomes accustomed to one menu.
Still, other effective ways to lose weight include exercises and there are many exercise plans to choose from these days. You can opt for video and DVD programs like The Firm or Tae Bo. You can also take up classes or training programs at the gym. Results vary due to the individual effectiveness of each program and the way participants eat during the day.
Quick ways to lose weight also includes the Mediterranean Diet and the traditional Mediterranean lifestyle. In this type of diet, foods are rated as frequent, occasional and rare. Some foods are consumed everyday and with every meal while other foods are eaten once every few days. Then, there are foods that are consumed rarely. It is believed that the long lives of the Mediterranean people can be attributed to their diet.
Among ways to lose weight, one of the oldest diets is the low-calorie, low-fat diet. In such a diet, you are restricted to a certain number of calories per day, usually 1600 or less. Carbohydrates can be consumed regularly, while fat-free and low-fat foods are encouraged. The results of this type of diet is questionable as some claim that weight loss attained through this method may be loss of water and muscle.
As you can see, there are many quick ways to lose weight. The trick with any diet is to stick to it and to maintain weight loss at the end of the diet. A diet should be looked at as a lifelong plan. With any diet, weight loss cannot be permanent without some diligence on the part of the dieter. So decide on a plan, take action and stick with it!
Anyone can do it. You do need discipline and motivation to lose weight.
But losing weight fast?
How much time have you got?
1 month? 7 days?
Before I begin, I would like to warn you that if you lose weight fast, you are likely to regain back the weight you lost.
Do it wisely with a permanent change in your lifestyle to keep that weight off. Go for inch loss first by toning your body. Actual weight loss comes later. Muscle is heavier than fat but muscle burns far more calories. I'll elaborate on this later.
Back to the fast ways to lose weight
Here are the most popular options.
1. Crash diets
Crash dieting can let you shed those pounds, at the expense of your health. Once you eat normally, you will regain what you lost and more. When you fast, or when you go on a crash diet, you might lose weight rapidly at first, then your body adjusts, trying to conserve calories just to survive.
Imagine the days of the cavemen. Sometimes, the hunter is successful and returns with food for the familiy. Other times, he returns empty-handed. Our bodies are adaptable. That is how our ancestors survived. When food was plentiful, they ate to their fill. Their bodies stored the food in the form of fat. When food was scarce, they had little, at times nothing to eat, the body could depend on the stores of fat for the necessary energy for survival. Hence when food is available, the body stores what it can for the bad time.
Back to modern day. The first crash diet might seem wildly successful, with the pounds falling off rapidly. Then you reach your target weight and stop dieting. You bloat up and the weight piles on even more easily. Well, congratulations. You tricked your body into going into starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism. Now that you are finally, eating, your body is storing what it can in case of a famine.
Now you diet again. That drastic diet you tried doesn't seem effective. After cutting even more calories, you manage to shed the offending pounds. Satisfied, you take a break from the diet and all your hard work is wasted. The pounds return with a vengeance. Looks like your body is becoming very adept at holding on to the much needed energy stores in case of a famine.
You crash diet again. This time, your hair falls, the pounds seem even harder to lose. You are depriving your body of the nourishment it needs and that shows in your brittle hair, nails and dull skin.
Basically, although crash diets seem effective at first, they are a bad idea in the long run.
2. fasting to lose weight
People do fast for religious reasons. Muslims fast for an entire month in a year, eating lightly only before sunrise and after sunset. In between, for that fasting month, the devout muslims would train their discipline by not eating or drinking anything.
I've seen a Muslim friend slim down each year after that fasting month, wearing dresses that show off her slimmer figure after that. So how about fasting to lose weight?
Personally, I have not tried it. I have a problem with gastritis and for me, skipping a meal can lead to a gastric attack. Once you have gastric problems, they are pretty hard to get rid of, so if you do want to fast, check with a doctor first to see if you can do it safely in the first place.
My concern about fasting as a way to lose weight fast is the same as my concern for crash diets. Would you end up slowing your metabolic rate the way you might with on and off crash dieting?
3. Endurance sports
Did you notice how lean marathon runners are? How about those who engage in endurance sports.
I actually did go for a day trip cycling to a beach with a group of friends. 3 and a half hours cycling up and down hill with hardly any breaks to get there. The next day, another 3 and a half hours to get back. All of us lost some weight on that trip.
A friend of mine had a dynamite figure even though she had 3 kids. She was training for a marathon and it showed in her figure. Lean where it mattered. She showed off her figure in gorgeous dresses and looked better than most women ten years younger than she was.
I doubt if you can lose weight that fast, like in a week, by picking up an endurance sport but over the weeks, training for a marathon, or cycling as long as you can to explore your surroundings, or for day trips would go a long way in losing weight.
You would need to pick up speed first. Training for half an hour a day, before you increase your time to an hour or longer if necessary.
4. Strength training
Muscle burns far more calories flab. Basically, if you work out and tone your body, you boost your metabolic rate. Yes, you burn calories when you workout, but even after the workout, your body would continue to burn more calories at rest than if you had been lazing around all the time.
Incorporating strength training might not bring down the numbers on the scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you might even end up heavier.
Instead, you would see inch loss, which translates to a slimmer figure. On a guy, bulking up is far more positive effect than just reducing the fat.
4. Diet and exercise plan
The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to incorporate both a healthy diet and a daily exercise plan you follow for the rest of your life.
You will have to fit the daily exercise into your lifestyle. Something that incorporates strength training to boost your metabolism and tone your body with aerobic exercise to burn calories all around. Maybe get a set of weights you can use for strength training at home and an aerobics video for the aerobics part of it. Or a pair of running shoes for a daily run. Then get a diary specially to write down what you eat and drink each day, totaling up your calorie count per day. Use that to monitor your diet. Substitute unhealthy foods with healthier substitutes. Grill food instead of frying it. Take fruits instead of sweets. Drink water instead of sodas. You know the drill.
If you want to lost weight quickly, or rather, reduce inches quickly, incorporate crunches and abdominal exercises before you go for a daily run. Do strength training exercises to boost your metabolic rate and aerobic exercises to burn calories more rapidly. Eat a healthy diet focusing on more fruit and veggies, less carbohydrates and enough protein to get you through the day. Cut down on junk food and watch your drinks. A glass of coke could contain 200 calories. Now how hard do you have to work out to burn those calories. It is easier to keep them off by not taking unnecessary calories than to burn them off.
Personally, I would vouch for Billy Blanks workouts for fast inch loss. If you really follow that plan, in one week, you can measure the difference in your waist with a tape measure. The workouts are demanding but effective. They also have a decent meal plan which if you follow strictly, can help you shed the inches quickly. There are many other weight loss plans in the market. The ones that focus both on exercise and a healthy meal plan are your best bet.
Both Kelvin Ho & Janice Tham are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kelvin Ho has sinced written about articles on various topics from Wedding Bells, Skin Care and Face Cream. Did you know that up to 80% of people who want to lose weight never succeed? The reason is that they do not have 100% intention of losing weight. Are you one of the them? Discover how you can get on an Idiot Proof Diet Plan that works at. Kelvin Ho's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
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