How to lose weight fast: Five easy evidence-based steps

Franziska Spritzler RD CDE writes:

"Do you want to lose weight as quickly as possible? When it comes to fast weight loss, it’s important to take a healthy approach — one that promotes loss of fat, retention of muscle, and increases your likelihood of keeping the weight off.

What is “fast” weight loss?
Health authorities typically recommend losing about 1 to 2 pounds (0.5 to 0.9 kilo) per week, and many people seem to lose weight at about this rate.

Therefore, losing any more than 2 pounds (0.9 kilo) per week is considered “fast” weight loss. Yet for many people, that may not sound quick.

While losing 10 pounds (4.5 kilos) in a week may technically be possible for some — especially those who carry a lot of excess weight — it isn’t realistic for most of us.

What about severe calorie restriction?
What if you eat only 500 or 600 calories a day? Although drastically cutting calories can cause rapid weight loss, consuming far less than your body needs can be counterproductive.

Severe calorie restriction can make you feel extremely hungry, deprived, and fatigued. What’s more, it often leads to loss of muscle, or lean mass.

Generally speaking, the more lean mass you have, the more calories your body burns at rest.

Loss of muscle during very-low-calorie dieting can slow down metabolism, making future regain much more likely.

So fast weight loss via severe calorie restriction may not be a good idea for many people.

Fast, healthy, sustainable weight loss
Is it possible to lose weight both rapidly and permanently? Yes, indeed.

Recent research suggests that people who lose weight quickly are just as likely to keep pounds or kilos off as those who lose weight more gradually.

Moreover, preserving lean mass seems to decrease a person’s risk for regain, regardless of how long it takes them to lose the weight.

Therefore, for fast weight loss that’s also healthy and sustainable, aim to lose fat without losing muscle.

In addition, several factors influence how quickly you can lose weight. Women typically lose weight more slowly than men.

And because metabolic rate tends to decline with age, older women may lose at a slower pace than younger men and women — despite putting in just as much effort, if not more.

Are you ready to start losing fat in a healthy way while enjoying delicious, nourishing food that prevents you from feeling hungry or deprived?

Below, you’ll find the simple steps to take to start losing weight quickly.

Five simple steps to fast weight loss

Cut way back on carbs

Eat plenty of protein

Keep fat intake moderate

Go for non-starchy vegetables

Get some exercise, but don’t overdo it

Take-home message
Yes, you can lose weight quickly. However, the rate at which you lose isn’t always within your control. Also, preventing loss of muscle may be key for long-term weight-loss success.

Following these five easy steps can help you lose weight in a healthy way without feeling hungry, at a pace that’s right for your body and sets you up to keep the weight off long term."

The above is a snippet of Franziska's post which you can read in full with all research links here

You will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues please take these into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan