How to lose weight fast
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Your approach to exercise and eating depends on where you need to go and how fast you need to get there. Here are some weight loss tips for you to recalibrate your diet and exercise.
Like everything else in life, fitness and weight loss also need to be approached differently based on the goal. Are you looking for short-term weight loss tips with no current worries about the long term? Like getting in shape for an occasion, training for a tournament, and losing a quick couple of kilos after a vacation.
Or are you looking to make a change that will last for a long time to come? Like losing weight gained over the years, making a transformation, and improving performance or strength or functionality for life.
Short-Term Weight Loss Goals: For short-term success…
- Never miss a workout no matter what. Even if you don’t feel your best, get in some form of workout; it could be a very light one.
- Be very specific about what and how much you eat. It doesn’t matter if it is an occasion or celebration; say a strong no to things that are not part of your diet or plan.
- Stay on top of your numbers. For some, this is bodyweight or girth and for others, it is some form of the performance metric. But one way or the other, there are numbers that can dictate the next steps. Track them closely.
- Use external motivators to help yourself stay on track. Such as posting about progress on social media. Or being a part of a program or working with a coach or preparing for a competition or tournament.
- But leading a life that is too disciplined is not sustainable for more than a few months. Exceptions must exist. But people who live like this for longer periods of time are very few in number and are usually those whose livelihoods in some way depend on their fitness or aesthetics (bodybuilders, movie stars, fitness professionals, models).
Long-Term Weight Loss Goals: For long-term success…
- Work out 3-5 days of the week. Don’t stress if you miss a day once in a while or don’t do much during a vacation. This is to be followed not just for a few weeks, but for many years. When duration increases, pragmatism kicks in, and severity decreases.
- When it comes to nutrition, have a decent understanding of what works for you and what doesn’t. Based on this understanding, come up with simple guiding principles or rules to help make, not the perfect choice all the time but, the right choice most of the time. Occasionally, indulge in what life has to offer without overdoing it and if overdone, balance things out over the next few meals.
- Set outer limits to your metrics and work to stay in the right zone. Be it bodyweight or circumference or performance metrics, track only occasionally but ensure progress continues to happen, even if it is very slow.
- Keep the larger goal of fitness, health, and happiness in mind and use habits as a way to stay on track. Exercising regularly, eating protein and vegetables at every meal, not reaching for sugar every day, and sleeping enough, all need to be cultivated. They take time but once they become (good) habits, they stick around for a long time and help keep you fit, healthy, and, happy.
- But feel free to use the short-term approach when trying to work towards a specific goal or accelerate your rate of results. The trick here is that after a few weeks of any relatively aggressive short-term approach, you need to get back to the relatively simple long-term approach in order to maintain those gains.
Not Losing Weight?
Here are the probable reasons, if you’re doing everything right with the weight loss tips but are still not losing weight, you may want to visit the doctor and rule these out.
You’re eating right and you’re exercising regularly. Yet, your system seems to have slowed down, and you’re not losing weight.
The diseases and syndromes could be hampering your weight-loss efforts. If you notice any change in your body, either unexplained weight gain or sluggishness, do consult a doctor.
- Hypothyroidism: An underactive thyroid gland means a sluggish metabolism. So the body stores more fat than it can burn.
- Cushing’s syndrome: The adrenal or pituitary glands are overworking and producing too much cortisol. You are likely to have fat around your tummy, face, and back of the neck.
- Medication: Certain medications, like steroids for arthritis or skin conditions, antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihypertensives, and meds for diabetes, migraine, and seizures, can all cause weight gain.
- Hormonal changes: This happens especially in women at certain stages in their lives, such as puberty, pregnancy, and menopause; it causes weight gain and changes in body composition.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome: Caused by hormonal imbalances, apart from other symptoms like irregular periods, acne, facial hair, and infertility, it also causes weight gain in women.
- Syndrome X: This is a metabolic syndrome that causes insulin resistance and is marked by low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, visceral fat, high blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. It is known to cause weight gain.
- A tumor: If you are hungry a lot or eating much more than usual, the appetite/satiety center of the brain could malfunction, which is sometimes caused by a tumor in the hypothalamus. Tumors in the pancreas can cause the body to produce too much insulin, which can cause weight gain. This is not the most common reason, so don’t be alarmed and jump to any conclusions. Do consult a doctor.
Take Away:
There is no single approach that is superior to the other. It all depends on what you’re looking for. They are tools to help you build a better version of yourself. Use them well and you can look, feel and function better, day after day.
