| The Simple Strategy for Rapid Weight Loss
Conventional wisdom says losing weight gradually is best. Drop a lot of pounds quickly and you're probably just losing water weight; you'll likely yo-yo back to your original size. And maybe gain even more pounds.
I used to think that way, too, until reading some research that suggests the slow and steady approach doesn't necessarily win the weight-loss race. In one study at the University of Copenhagen, nutrition experts analyzing different diet programs found that losing pounds rapidly in the first 2 to 4 weeks resulted in the greatest sustained weight loss during the following two years.
The researchers believe motivation made the difference. Those subjects who lost weight slowly soon became frustrated and lost motivation to continue following a healthier diet and exercise program. But those who dropped weight fast, stuck to their diets.
That made sense to me. Like a lot of people, I thrive on positive feedback that comes quickly and often. It's why I like video games but can't finish jigsaw puzzles. It takes too long to start seeing the big picture.
I decided to try the hare shortcut versus the tortoise-slow path by testing out the Rapid Weight Loss Diet.
Now, compared to a lot of people, I'm not exactly what you'd call overweight. But compared to me when I feel my best, I was heavy. I don't use a bathroom scale, but I could tell I was over my feel-good weight in other ways: by the tightness of my trousers, by the realization that I couldn't do more than one pull-up, by having to stop twice to rest on a three-mile run. But I really got the message when my doctor showed me the results of a blood test that indicated my blood sugar was way high. Scary.
It was a perfect time to try out the Rapid Weight Loss Diet. It's really a pretty simple program. The diet is about eating much more simply than I had been. You try to eat mostly foods rich in flavonoids, healthful nutrients primarily found in plants. Using the acronym FLAVOR, they are easy to remember:
Freshly Brewed Tea
Lentils and Beans
Apples, Berries and Other Fruits
Vegetables and Leafy Greens
Oils, Nuts and Seeds
Red meat and Other Protein Sources
When you focus on eating those healthy foods, you automatically elbow out the not-so-good stuff that causes inflammation, bloating and weight gain (and high blood sugar), foods like breads, pastas, rice, processed meats, baked goods and other foods filled with added sugars, fillers and preservatives. Plus, the FLAVOR foods fill you up, keeping your body's fat-burning hormone leptin at a high level.
Of course, there's more to this exclusive program than a food acronym. You get 15-day meal plans, tasty recipes, easy exercise routines, and ideas for calorie-cutting swaps. There's a bonus Success Journal and Fitness Tracker to fast-track your weight loss, motivate you and boost your body confidence. I love the 1-Minute-In-The-Morning Energizer exercise routine, which jumpstarts your fat-burning metabolism and is ideal for days when you don't have time to get to the gym.
The Rapid Weight Loss Diet is simple, yet comprehensive, and it does work fast. In only 1 week of eating this way, I felt my body being cleansed. I had more energy. I was sleeping better. My mood was up. And I was feeling much more motivated to exercise.
I still haven't stepped on a scale. But after two weeks, my shorts felt loose. After four weeks, I could almost see my abs. My blood sugar returned to normal. And here's the real test: pull-ups. I can now do eight in rapid-fire succession. That's really good for me.
A friend I hadn't seen in some time said I looked quite lean when I met him at a recent party. "What’s your secret?" he asked.
"Fasting," I joked. But then I came clean. I told him that simplifying my diet triggered rapid weight loss and that fueled my motivation to want to feel this good all the time.
Hmm, he muttered. Then he put down his baklava and started filling his plate...from the vegetable tray.
--Jeff Csatari, Executive Editor, Eat This, Not That! magazine
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