On The Table

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Rapid Diet Programs: Fast Isn't Always Your Best Bet

Rapid diet programs are not the best option when trying to lose weight. Try a more gradual, and healthy, approach.

Rapid Diet Programs: Fast Isn't Always Your Best Bet

Easy come, easy go. This is the perfect expression for rapid diet programs, or any other means of losing weight fast. Rapid weight loss and other “quick-fix” programs are just that, a quick fix. The only way a person who is overweight can keep weight off for an extended period of time is to change their lifestyle and diet.

Rapid diet programs might get weight off for a short period of time, but soon the person will just balloon back up to their original weight, or end up weighing even more. Most people who attempt rapid diet programs relapse into their unhealthy eating, and go overboard because they have been deprived of their favorite foods for a time and have “lost a few pounds.”

The key to long-lasting weight loss is a gradual loss of weight, over time, through the implementation of a healthy diet, accompanied with resistance training, and cardio.

My first suggestion to a person wanting to lose weight fast, is to change their mentality to a more gradual approach. You didn’t gain all of your excess weight in an extremely short amount of time, so why would you expect to lose it that fast?

Rapid weight loss programs are not only short-lived weight loss, but they are unhealthy as well. The brain, and other body systems, needs a certain amount of calories and nutrients to run effectively, so when a rapid weight loss program deprives the body of necessary calories, bodily health is degraded.

My next suggestion is to take a step back and examine what, when, and how much you are truly eating. This is an important step because many people are in denial how much garbage they actually incorporate into their diet. A healthy diet should consist of low fat proteins (boneless skinless chicken breasts, beans, etc.), whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, etc.), and lots of water, fruit, and vegetables.

Remember, a diet isn’t what you should be going for to lose weight; it is a whole change of lifestyle that should be used. Losing weight takes an extended period of time, so think of endurance, instead of sprint, when it comes to a healthy eating plan’s effectiveness. No one should expect to get in good shape in a short amount of time. Being healthy is an extended activity that requires hard work to achieve.

In conclusion, my suggestion is to start eating a healthy diet rich in whole grains, fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and water. The next step to losing weight, is starting a resistance program, aka lifting weights. The way the body works is to burn muscle first, then burn body fat. To prevent a great loss in muscle, weightlifting is necessary. If this easy, but very effective program is implemented, instead of an unhealthy rapid diet program, the recipient will lose weight and keep it off permanently. Don’t buy into marketing, and celebrity endorsements, of these rapid diets because it will only lead to relapse and an eventual gain of weight.