Fast Weight Loss - Is It Really Worth the Pain and Effort?

'Fast weight loss' - 3 of the most searched for words on the internet. It seems everyone wants to lose weight fast; of course they do because being overweight is not a comfortable state to be in. Fat and happy, I don't think so.

So let's just take a step back. If you are overweight you didn't become that way overnight. You didn't just wake up one day and find twenty, thirty or even one hundred pounds of excess fat covering your body. It will have been a gradual process over many months and possibly years. In desperation you may try one or more of the latest diets but you won't be calling it a diet, it is of course a 'lifestyle change'. Right! No matter how much of this 'lifestyle change' you embrace, weight loss may not be forthcoming. And if and when it is, often, according to statistics, that fast weight loss won't be sustainable.

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So how do you get around this? How do you release the fast weight loss ideals you may be carrying around in your mind and shift to the 'do it slower and get it lower' mantra. Firstly you must know that losing weight quickly is not a healthy state to be in. If you are over 40 you can risk the chance of developing extremely painful gall stones as your body dumps the fat you are losing. If you are younger, you risk jumping on the diet treadmill which can be very hard to get off. All that fussing about what to eat and when to eat it. Pretty soon you could be finding yourself developing the yo-yo syndrome which ultimately makes you fatter in the long run.

So what is the answer to sustained weight loss?

1. Take your time - fast weight loss does not equal fast fat loss. Fast weight loss consists of water weight, lean muscle weight and some fat weight. Losing lean muscle mass is one of the worst results of fast weight loss because lean muscle burns fat. So holding on to our lean muscle mass is of paramount importance.

2. Make small changes for big results. I am not saying weight loss doesn't take a certain amount of effort, of course it does, however there is a painless way to go about it by changing the choices you make on a daily basis.

3. Have the willingness to change. Reducing weight takes changes - if you always make the same choices, change will not be forthcoming. Successful weight reduction is so much more than the deficit of energy in verses energy out.

4. Realize there is a better way - be gentle with your body in relation to food choices and exercise. Take time to work on the mind/body connection and disconnect with the negative connotations associated with being overweight.

5. Say 'yes' instead of 'yes but' and do it once and do it right.

Finally, learn to relax into your fat loss journey. Don't make your food choices good or bad, take moderate exercise for enjoyment, and permanent success will be within your reach in no time.