The Quickest Way to Lose Weight

According to Google, the phrase "quickest way to lose weight" gets over 12,000 searches every month. That phrase, when searched for (without quotes) returns over 400,000 results. I think it is safe to say that finding a fast way to lose weight is on a lot of people’s minds, and plenty of people have opinions on how it can (or should) be done. Is that really the question you want to ask, though? Let’s see.

What is the Quickest Way to Lose Weight

If this is your only concern, I can answer your question in one sentence. First, let’s assume that by "lose weight" you really mean "lose fat". I think that’s a fair assumption, right? If so, the 1 sentence answer is:
The quickest way to lose weight is to drink large amounts of water, exercise for 8-10 hours a day, eat just enough food in the form of vegetables and fruits to keep you from passing out, supplement your diet with large amounts of caffeine (or other types of stimulants) and get 8-10 hours of sleep every night.
Is that it? In a nutshell, yes. Is it what I recommend? Not really, and there are a few reasons why.

Why it’s a Bad Idea

There are several reasons why the above idea is not the best idea in the world.  First of all, the regiment above is dangerous.  While it is sound in principal, and will help you to lose weight super fast, it is very stressful for your body.  This is the type of program that professional athletes go through under strict supervision by their trainers.  Your average person cannot keep up that type of program for more than a couple of days (if that) without risking serious health concerns.
The second reason that I don’t recommend it is because, even if you did accomplish your goal without killing yourself, what would you do when you finished reaching your goal?  You would go right back to your old routine and get fat again.  Then you would need to start all over again trying to lose weight.  This is called yo-yo dieting, and it is very dangerous.

What You Should Be Asking Instead

So let’s forget about asking about the best way to lose weight fast, and start to think of it from a different angle. How about thinking about it instead of terms of safely and effectively getting into shape in a way that allows you to lose excess body fat and keep it off? Doesn’t that sound more like what you really want? Good. Now we can get somewhere.

The Crucial Elements

To be able to reduce weight and keep it off, there are some elements that are crucial for your success.  Once these elements are in place, everything becomes a lot easier, and you’ll find that there are numerous combinations of techniques that you can use to accomplish your goals.  They all pretty much have to do with your mindset and your way of thinking, and some of them will go against common teachings, but you will see why they work.

It’s a Way of Life

The first element is to change your thinking around what you are doing.  You are not going on a diet.  You are not trying to lose weight.  You are not changing your eating habits, nor are you changing your exercise habits.  You are making a lifestyle change.  This is an important distinction, because it is this thinking that will help you to make your changes last (keep off the weight).  If you are changing your lifestyle to a healthier one, you cannot quit when you are thin, or you will be changing your lifestyle again, only thins time, for the worse.  It is rewarding to know that you are changing your life for the better.  It is depressing to know your changing it negatively.  That alone will help you to stick with it.

Think "Healthy" not "Thin"

This element will help you to pick the right foods to eat every day. For people trying to lose weight, counting calories is one of the hardest steps. Stop it! It’s useless. Calories are not a measure of weight; they are a measure of energy. Counting them will not help you to lose weight very effectively. I know people that eat very few calories every day, but still gain weight. Why? The gain weight because they eat the wrong stuff.
If you think of the process as "eating healthy" it all becomes much easier. All you have to focus on is "fueling" you body with quality fuel. Is scarfing down a Big Mac healthy? Obviously it isn’t, so don’t do it. How about a piece of baked fish, some whole grain rice, and a side of broccoli? That sounds healthy to me. I am not going to go through the whole list of what to eat and what not to eat here, but if you are interested, I do have a bit more info on that topic in the article I wrote about "Weight Loss and the Foods You Eat". Let’s just suffice it to say that you should focus on eating healthy.

Why You Should Exercise

You should also rethink your need to exercise.  The real reason is tied into the healthy element above.  Exercise not only burns off extra pounds, it is necessary for your body to work efficiently.  You don’t exercise to burn the food you eat, you eat to replenish your body and give it fuel so you have the energy to exercise.  You exercise to keep your body in shape, and consequently, feeling good and healthy.  If you do not exercise your body, your body will slow down, weaken, and get lethargic.  You will lose your motivation to do anything, and the effect has a tendency to feed on itself.  Proper exercise will give you a more energetic body that loves to be active and motivated.


Forget Your Weight Loss Goals

Now, this one seems completely backwards, but I’ll tell you why it is essential.
First of all, most people set weight loss goals that are completely unrealistic.  When those goals are not reached, people get discouraged and demotivated.  Second, if you have an overall weight loss goal that you are focusing on, once you reach it, you will have no reason to continue.  Why keep working towards a goal that you’ve already attained?  The counter argument is that it gives you the opportunity to set new goals, but it is just entirely too easy to set secondary goals that are too easy to attain.
Your goal should be to get healthy.  You will feel the benefits of that goal much more quickly, and they are much more satisfying.  If you attain that goal and decide to slack off, the effects will be immediate, and you will miss the feeling of being healthy, making you want to get back to it right away.
If you forget about "losing weight" and instead strive to "be healthy", the weight loss will happen on its own, and it will happen quickly.  Forget about the diet pills, supplements, special foods, special equipment, and all the other hype out there.  Go buy some healthy food, get some running shoes and sweat pants and go get healthy.  You can thank me later.