Fast weight loss diet

When it comes to weight loss we all want quick results. We want to look slim and terrific now, not is six months time. We want the new car now, the new plasma television, the new house. We have become a society of instant gratification. And as long as the credit card holds up we can achieve most of these goals.

So how are we going to get there? Looking trim, taut and terrific is not going to happen overnight no matter how hard we try or wish it was so. Well, there are some proven successful fast weight loss diets that can get us to our destination a little sooner if we are prepared to given them a chance. Together lots look at some.

Always in the news, of the most famous and controversial weight loss program must be the Atkins Diet. I have personal experience of this diet and I will say that it works. I lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks and it was genuine weight loss, i.e. fat not water. Critics of this diet argue that the weight loss comes from water loss by the body but this wasnt the case when I used the diet. This is how the Atkins Diet and all the low carbohydrate diets work.

Carbohydrates and protein both contain 4 calories per gram. However when we eat carbohydrates our bodies digest them and convert them into sugars which the body can use for fuel. When sugars are absorbed into the bloodstream our pancreas responds by releasing insulin which either converts the sugars into glycogen which it stores in the liver for future energy needs or into fat which it stores in the muscles. The more carbohydrates we consume the more is converted into fat which we store and which leads to obesity.

Dr Atkins used existing research to suggest that the overabundance of carbohydrates in our diets was the cause of most of our ills, from diabetes type 2 to obesity and heart disease. He believed that if we severely limited carbohydrates in our diets, our bodies would be forced to utilise the glycogen in our livers for energy first and then start converting stored fat into fuel for energy. Meanwhile our diets would have much higher proportions of protein and fat. This process is known as ketosis and kicks in after 2 ” 3 days. The body changes over from intake mode to consumption mode where it starts using its stored fats. If we stay on this very low level of carb intake we can watch the fat drop off. I have used the diet and I can categorically state that it works very well if you stick to it. I lost over 3 pounds a week for better than a month and stopped because I hit my goal weight.

The difficulty is that your diet becomes very restricted. For example in the first two weeks you can have 20 grams of carbohydrates a day, which is about one slice of bread. After 2 weeks you can increase the carbohydrate intake for the next 2 ” 4 weeks and so on until you find a carbohydrate level which maintains you weight where you neither gain nor lose weight. It just got too complex for me. Also I found it difficult to stay on long term because of the need to constantly monitor my carb levels. However it definitely works and I lost 10 pounds in the first three weeks and my body shape changed to reflect. It was not water loss despite the naysayers as the weight I lost came back quite slowly over the next two years. Atkins works if you can devote the time to creating a new menu for living and can live with the restrictions. With “meal planner” software and a bit more commitment to simplify my daily diet I think I could live with the program.

The next fast weight loss diet popular at the moment is the “meal in a shake” style of diet. Essentially you replace one or more meals with a pre-packaged milk shake. The results are fast if my friends are anything to go by. One lost 51 pounds in 17 weeks or an average of 3 pounds a week. (Unfortunately as soon as she returned to regular meals her weight also returned.) However now you are stuck with shakes the rest of your life. Your lifestyle hasn’t changed for the better and you have built in no strategies for staying slim in the long term. There is no exercise program provided and only general information on diet. My final problem with this style of diet is the content of the packets. You have now entered into the world of processed foods which have questionable nutritional value and are actually very high in carbohydrates in order to have any flavour. In addition they are expensive compared to “real” food and they don’t prepare you for the future.

Finally we have to consider the “Meal Plan” diets provided by big companies like Jenny Craig, among others. There is no question that they work and they use real food to achieve their aim. And their food looks and tastes great according to friends who have tried it. These are respected companies with long histories and good track records. As fast weight loss diets go these are probably the easiest to follow and enjoy results from.

However there is a downside and that is the cost. If you buy their ready-made food the cost is enormous. It is a weight loss strategy for the rich and famous in the long term. It also does not equip you to look after yourself in the long term. What are you going to do when you are on holiday and away from home or eating out?

If you want to achieve fast weight loss the only solution is to put aside the silly, expensive and unsustainable diets and find a program that prepares you for the long term. It should help you lose weight in the short term as well. It must provide dietary information you can use, meal plans you can easily prepare without struggling to count carbs, calories or grams of fat. This is preparing you for the real world.

To successfully achieve fast weight loss you need a weight loss program that makes good sense and commit to it. The program should provide really useful information on how to plan your meals and must include a meal planner program that helps you plan ahead with your grocery shopping. An exercise program integrated into the program is a must. The rule of weight loss is that you have to move it to lose it! There are some excellent weight loss programs available on the web but the key is to find a good weight loss program and commit yourself wholly to it. Stay with it for the weeks and months until you reach your goal weight. By then your new lifestyle will be so ingrained you won’t return to the unhealthy lifestyle you once had and a new and slimmer you will enjoy life. Now that’s SUCCESS!