| How would you like to drop ten pounds? | | | | weight? |
| Anyone can do it. You do need discipline and | | | | Personally, I have not tried it. I have a problem with |
| motivation to lose weight. | | | | gastritis and for me, skipping a meal can lead to a |
| But losing weight fast? | | | | gastric attack. Once you have gastric problems, they |
| How much time have you got? | | | | are pretty hard to get rid of, so if you do want to fast, |
| 1 month? 7 days? | | | | check with a doctor first to see if you can do it safely |
| Before I begin, I would like to warn you that if you lose | | | | in the first place. |
| weight fast, you are likely to regain back the weight | | | | My concern about fasting as a way to lose weight |
| you lost. | | | | fast is the same as my concern for crash diets. Would |
| Do it wisely with a permanent change in your lifestyle | | | | you end up slowing your metabolic rate the way you |
| to keep that weight off. Go for inch loss first by toning | | | | might with on and off crash dieting? |
| your body. Actual weight loss comes later. Muscle is | | | | 3. Endurance sports |
| heavier than fat but muscle burns far more calories. I'll | | | | Did you notice how lean marathon runners are? How |
| elaborate on this later. | | | | about those who engage in endurance sports. |
| Back to the fast ways to lose weight | | | | I actually did go for a day trip cycling to a beach with a |
| Here are the most popular options. | | | | group of friends. 3 and a half hours cycling up and |
| 1. Crash diets | | | | down hill with hardly any breaks to get there. The next |
| Crash dieting can let you shed those pounds, at the | | | | day, another 3 and a half hours to get back. All of us |
| expense of your health. Once you eat normally, you | | | | lost some weight on that trip. |
| will regain what you lost and more. When you fast, or | | | | A friend of mine had a dynamite figure even though |
| when you go on a crash diet, you might lose weight | | | | she had 3 kids. She was training for a marathon and it |
| rapidly at first, then your body adjusts, trying to | | | | showed in her figure. Lean where it mattered. She |
| conserve calories just to survive. | | | | showed off her figure in gorgeous dresses and looked |
| Imagine the days of the cavemen. Sometimes, the | | | | better than most women ten years younger than she |
| hunter is successful and returns with food for the | | | | was. |
| familiy. Other times, he returns empty-handed. Our | | | | I doubt if you can lose weight that fast, like in a week, |
| bodies are adaptable. That is how our ancestors | | | | by picking up an endurance sport but over the weeks, |
| survived. When food was plentiful, they ate to their fill. | | | | training for a marathon, or cycling as long as you can |
| Their bodies stored the food in the form of fat. When | | | | to explore your surroundings, or for day trips would go |
| food was scarce, they had little, at times nothing to eat, | | | | a long way in losing weight. |
| the body could depend on the stores of fat for the | | | | You would need to pick up speed first. Training for half |
| necessary energy for survival. Hence when food is | | | | an hour a day, before you increase your time to an |
| available, the body stores what it can for the bad time. | | | | hour or longer if necessary. |
| Back to modern day. The first crash diet might seem | | | | 4. Strength training |
| wildly successful, with the pounds falling off rapidly. | | | | Muscle burns far more calories flab. Basically, if you |
| Then you reach your target weight and stop dieting. | | | | work out and tone your body, you boost your |
| You bloat up and the weight piles on even more easily. | | | | metabolic rate. Yes, you burn calories when you |
| Well, congratulations. You tricked your body into going | | | | workout, but even after the workout, your body would |
| into starvation mode, slowing down your metabolism. | | | | continue to burn more calories at rest than if you had |
| Now that you are finally, eating, your body is storing | | | | been lazing around all the time. |
| what it can in case of a famine. | | | | Incorporating strength training might not bring down the |
| Now you diet again. That drastic diet you tried doesn't | | | | numbers on the scale. Muscle weighs more than fat, |
| seem effective. After cutting even more calories, you | | | | so you might even end up heavier. |
| manage to shed the offending pounds. Satisfied, you | | | | Instead, you would see inch loss, which translates to a |
| take a break from the diet and all your hard work is | | | | slimmer figure. On a guy, bulking up is far more positive |
| wasted. The pounds return with a vengeance. Looks | | | | effect than just reducing the fat. |
| like your body is becoming very adept at holding on to | | | | 4. Diet and exercise plan |
| the much needed energy stores in case of a famine. | | | | The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to |
| You crash diet again. This time, your hair falls, the | | | | incorporate both a healthy diet and a daily exercise |
| pounds seem even harder to lose. You are depriving | | | | plan you follow for the rest of your life. |
| your body of the nourishment it needs and that shows | | | | If you want to lost weight quickly, or rather, reduce |
| in your brittle hair, nails and dull skin. | | | | inches quickly, incorporate crunches and abdominal |
| Basically, although crash diets seem effective at first, | | | | exercises before you go for a daily run. Do strength |
| they are a bad idea in the long run. | | | | training exercises to boost your metabolic rate and |
| 2. fasting to lose weight | | | | aerobic exercises to burn calories more rapidly. Eat a |
| People do fast for religious reasons. Muslims fast for | | | | healthy diet focusing on more fruit and veggies, less |
| an entire month in a year, eating lightly only before | | | | carbohydrates and enough protein to get you through |
| sunrise and after sunset. In between, for that fasting | | | | the day. Cut down on junk food and watch your |
| month, the devout muslims would train their discipline by | | | | drinks. A glass of coke could contain 200 calories. Now |
| not eating or drinking anything. | | | | how hard do you have to work out to burn those |
| I've seen a muslim friend slim down each year after | | | | calories. It is easier to keep them off by not taking |
| that fasting month, wearing dresses that show off her | | | | unnecessary calories than to burn them off. |
| slimmer figure after that. So how about fasting to lose | | | | |