Is It Really the Best Way to Lose Weight Fast?

What is the best way to lose weight fast? That depends on a number of factors. Do you want to keep it off, or do you just need to fit into a favorite article of clothing in a week? There are ways to lose pounds fast and there are ways to lose fat permanently. Usually, they aren’t the same, but you can do both if you choose the right diet or lifestyle.

Most people think the best way to lose weight fast is to go on an extreme diet for a few days. The “lemonade diet,” also called the “Master Cleanse,” is a great example. You throw the juice of a couple of lemons, some genuine maple syrup, and a bit of cayenne pepper into a half-gallon of water, and that is what you get to “eat” for the day. Then, you “rinse and repeat” as long as you can stand to.

If you don’t care about it coming back soon after you stop, this might be the best way to lose weight fast. The problem, though, is that it puts your body into starvation mode. When the body thinks it is starving, it will do everything it can to conserve calories and store fat.

It starts consuming tissue from your muscles and even your organs, while trying to save the fat for a “rainy day.” It also lowers your metabolism. You can see where this is going. As soon as you stop the fast, the weight comes back, and you usually gain an extra pound or two to go along with it. If that isn’t enough, you are now tired from what you put your body through and disgusted with yourself for gaining the weight back.

This brings us to the fundamental tenet of weight loss: the best way to lose weight fast usually isn’t the best way to lose weight. So, what can we do to lose weight as fast as possible without starving and keep it off? The best way is to eat five or six small meals every day, making sure that they always have both lean protein and complex carbohydrates.

There are other factors involved, but just doing that one thing will make you lose weight on auto-pilot. This does, of course, mean that you don’t get to overeat, because the meals should almost never be over 500 calories. Also, it is a good idea to give up sugar and alcohol as much as possible, because both have a lot of calories and both can cause the body to store fat.

Eating like this will help you lose excess pounds fast at first, but without throwing your metabolism into starvation mode. When you consume a lot of simple carbohydrates, whether they are from sugar, white flour, or alcohol, they sit in your body, where they latch onto water. Much of this is in your intestines, but it really seems to happen all over.

Luckily, when you sharply reduce your intake of simple carbohydrates, you lose four to seven pounds of water and/or inflammation in the first two or three days. If you exercise, it also helps lymphatic fluid circulate and can push a little more weight out of your body. When you add this to actual fat loss, it is possible to lose up to twelve pounds your first week without starving yourself.

So, as you can see, the best way to lose weight fast isn’t to actually lose weight fast. All you really need to do is stop overeating and eat frequent, small meals that always have lean protein and complex carbohydrates. The trick is to do it in a way that is fun.