The Fastest Way to Lose Weight is Actually the Slowest

Every once in a while, we get emails and questions from the community that go along the lines of “What’s the fastest way to lose weight?” This is a straightforward and simple question, but the answer is not what you’d expect.

This is because the question makes an implicit assumption that is incorrect. People who ask it assume that once the weight will be lost, it will be kept off. Sadly, this is not the case. 95% of people who lose weight gain it back.

Sure, you can starve yourself for a few weeks, severely limiting your calorie intake. Yes, you can exercise for 4 hours every day for a month (assuming you don’t injure yourself). You’ll drop those pounds, feel good, get compliments from friends and family, and feel proud.

However, you will very quickly find yourself “cheating”, skipping exercise days, and falling back to old habits. The diet is just to brutal to stick to. Slowly but surely, your weight will creep up. After a while, you’ll be back at your original weight and start the weight loss cycle again. Raise your hand if this has happened to you!

Therefore, a better question to ask is “What’s the best way to lose weight and keep it off?”

The answer to this question will be disappointing to those in a rush, because the best way to lose weight is not by dieting. It requires a complete shift in your mindset and lifestyle:

Ingredients are just as important as calories, if not more. Diet foods with artificial sweeteners, fillers, and colors are not the yellow brick road to weight loss nirvana. Ask yourself, are you eating the right foods?

Counting calories works, but only if you can do it all the time. Be honest with yourself, is this something you see yourself doing daily for the rest of your life?

Regularly eating out will lead to weight gain. Whether fast food or fine dining, eating out means more fat, sodium, and refined carbs compared to similar meals prepared at home. Can you commit to more home-made food?

Exercise is wonderful for health, but not for weight loss. Shocking, sad, and true. Keep on running, lifting, and sweating, but don’t expect significant weight changes without a change in your eating habits.

Losing an average of half a pound a week is the slower, yet healthier way, to reach your target weight. It requires less effort. It allows you to focus on habit changes one at at time. It’s also easier because you only need to create a 500 calorie deficit per day.

That’s why, when it comes to weight loss, you should be the tortoise, not the ha