Now that I finally understand the ‘how’ and ‘why’ to lose weight, I can lose it more easily and quickly when I want.  I didn’t always have this knowledge.  I certainly wasn’t born with the knowledge of weight loss or even fast weight loss.  I really didn’t know how weight loss worked.  As a matter of fact, I believed a lot of the incorrect information that has been passed around as long as I can remember. I believed that if I stopped eating or went hungry for as long as I could stand it, I would lose weight fast.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I not only didn’t lose weight, I often got headaches, lost energy, felt crabby, and actually gained slightly more weight.  Why?  I learned that my body turns on the ‘survival mode’ mechanism and tries to keep as much body fat as it can, to survive to impending famine it thinks has occurred.  Its part of the way our bodies adapted to survive changing environments –like years of plenty and times of famine.  If my body didn’t try to keep as much body fat as possible when it thought a famine had begun, my pre-historic self would have starved and I wouldn’t be here today.

So, are there ways to lose weight fast without going hungry, without triggering the ‘survival mode’ mechanism?  The good news is yes.  Unfortunately, so many folks still believe the old fashioned ideas and use the wrong approach.  The most important thing I learned is this:  There are no fast ways to lose weight short-cuts that work.  I know, magazines and books, and people we see on TV advertise a variety of shortcuts – but they don’t work, they waste you money, your time, and leave you feeling bad. Shortcuts like body wraps and sweat-suits just make you lose water weight.  The only thing fast about fast weight loss shortcuts like diet pills, patches, herbal teas and lotions is the speed your money goes into their bank accounts.  Don’t fall for the gimmicks and slick talking shortcuts that do not work.

Why am I so sure they don’t work?  Americans spend 50 billion dollars each year on weight loss products, yet two out of every three adults and one fifth of all school children are either over weight or obese.  And the rates are increasing.  If these fast weight loss products on the market really worked, would so many folks still be overweight? I don’t think so.

Are there Fast ways to lose weight?  You bet.  It helped me to think of it as a metabolic equation.  Not very complicated, really.  You must burn more fat than you consume.  It is really that simple.  The faster you burn calories, the faster you will lose weight.  In other words, increase your activity level and reduce the food calories you eat.  The calories consumed as energy depends on the individual person and the activity.  For example, a bicyclist in a race like the Tour de France burns about 6,000 to 8,000 calories each day during the race.  Each racer must consume more calories than he burns or he will lose weight very fast.  As the racers pass by, you can see them consuming high calorie energy drinks and high energy food bars to keep up their intake of calories with the amount of fat they are burning.  It is the same with a man training to run a marathon.  He burns calories at a very high rate because his activity level is so high.  That same man, a year later, working in an office 9 hours per day, watching TV in the evening and walking the dog for 20 minutes daily, needs to reduce the amount of calories eaten or he will gain weight quickly.  The rate he is burning fat now has greatly reduced, so he must reduce his calories eaten by a corresponding amount – or gain weight.

Does this mean if you want to lose weight fast you need to do something as extreme?  The good news is “No”.  Basically, you need to do two things: change your weight gaining habits and increase your activity levels.

Don’t even think about going on a special diet. Diets don’t work.  Diets are not healthy.  Instead, modify your eating habits – replace fast foods with foods that fill you up with fewer calories and higher nutrition.  You can fill up on healthy fiber-filled foods like veggies and fruits.  Eat more natural foods like cold water fish, whole grains, eggs and lean meat.  Eat less of the highly processed foods and those with refined sugars like chips, doughnuts, cake, cookies, take-out pizza and sugar-coated cereals.  Don’t drink sport drinks, energy drinks, soft drinks or colas.  If you really want to drop weight as quickly as your body can, drink water and caffeine-free teas.  Don’t eat foods high in carbohydrates, like pasta and breads, after 6pm.

Exercise Physiologists have learned that after each aerobic activity, your metabolism gets a boost that last 12 hours.  So, if you want to lose weight fast, get a cardio workout in twice a day – once in the AM and another 12 hours later.

Don’t skip breakfast – keep it simple with unprocessed food.  At mealtimes, eat veggies and fruits first.  They are high in natural fiber that fills you up, so you feel full sooner.  Eat slowly.  Eat with a friend and enjoy the conversation – don’t rush it.  Let the food work for you.  Live in the moment and enjoy each bite.  Make it a habit.  Soon, you’ll realize it doesn’t require as much effort or planning.  Eat slower.  Eating more nutritious food will become a normal and regular part of your life.

Don’t think of the process of increasing the calories you burn as “exercise”.  Think of it for what it is: physical activity.  So, increase your physical activity or you activity level so that you are burning more calories than you are consuming.  Walk, run, take the stairs, swim, take a yoga class, paddle a canoe, ride a bike, join in group activities, play ball, play Frisbee with your dog.  Whatever it is, keep finding new and interesting activities you find enjoyable.  Vary your activities, and include other people when possible – social contacts are healthy.

You will find that the fastest ways to lose weight for the long term happen when you change unhealthy habits into healthy habits.  The more you change, the faster the Weight loss, the greater the intensity you apply yourself, the faster the weight loss.

I know a lot of advertisers want you to believe their fad diets and gimmicks work.  I could tell you I lost 40 or 50 pounds in 30 days by using a colonic cleanse, Acai berries, a new patch, or a new diet pill.  But that would be a lie. And you deserve better than that.  You deserve the truth.

The real secret to fast weight loss at any age is common sense.  Using new and accurate information about how the human body really functions, will enable you to develop healthy life-style habits to last a lifetime.