How to Lose Weight Fast: 7 Scientifically Proven Steps to Quick Results

You probably agree that it seems impossible to lose weight fast.

Most people believe that it involves counting boring calories or putting your body at risk. But when you have the right knowledge and system in place, losing weight fast is not only possible…

It can actually be relatively simple and you don’t have to starve yourself!

These 7 scientifically proven steps on how to lose weight fast will help you see results much quicker than you have before.


Why You Should Lose Weight Fast

So there is this myth that exists about fast weight loss:

“Losing weight fast is dangerous and will mean you put more weight back on afterwards.

Nothing in this article is dangerous or involves taking some risky pill that you have no idea about.

In fact, it’s not even advice that will leave you starving or counting calories.

Everything is backed by science and has been proven time and again to have better results than following the “lose weight slowly” advice.

So why should you lose weight fast?


#1 Motivation to Lose Weight

Here’s the truth…

People are motivated by results.

Fact.

If you start to shed a few pounds by next week, chances are you will get a kick of motivation as you can see it is working.

Most dieters try 3-4 diets in a year and less than 1% of people reach their goals.

Motivation

When you are trying to count calories, or use intense exercise when your body isn’t used to it, it very quickly becomes difficult.

Motivation is very fickle.

In fact, it has been proven that we only have so many good choices we can make in a day.

So if you lose weight fast, chances are you will have more motivation to keep going.


#2 People Die From Being Overweight… Not Losing Weight Fast

Do you know how many people die from trying to lose weight using the science below?

You got it… nobody.

However, it’s become very clear how bad the issue is with obesity around the world.

There are over 300,000 obesity-related deaths in the United States every year.

Overweight

Losing weight quickly is not the issue here.

Being overweight for a long period of time is the issue.

The really good news for you is that it doesn’t take long for your body to adjust to the things you put in your body.

So if you started right now, your body will thank you for doing so this time next week!


#3 Short Term Gain Actually Improves Long Term Results

This is another myth that needs to be busted…

Losing weight fast does not mean you will just put more weight back on.

Ignoring the science below, eating McDonald’s every day and never getting out of bed will mean this will happen.

In fact, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has proven that people losing weight quickly within the first 2-4 weeks actually had the greatest weight loss results the following year.

Therefore, losing weight fast will help you in the short term AND long term.

Now, I can almost hear your mind asking what these proven steps are.

So let’s dig in…


How to Lose Weight Fast: The 7 Proven Steps

First of all, it’s important to note that if you do not follow every step it is unlikely you will see the best results.

Each step is important and helps the body in different ways.

Missing a step is like trying to drive a car without having the key, the steering wheel or any gas in the tank.

These steps are not miracles, it’s just basic science used to your advantage. If you take action on the 7 steps you will:

  • Be able to eat food without counting calories
  • Lose weight quickly without starving yourself
  • Sleep better
  • Increase your metabolism
  • Have more energy
  • Be happier

But, it is completely up to you to take action and implement the steps.

Nobody else will force you to do it (although finding an accountability partner, ideally someone you live with will certainly help).

So let’s find out how to lose weight fast…


1. Cut Out The Sugars & Bad Carbohydrates

Sugar and bad carbohydrates

This is by far the most important step.

There is so much research into this, but by cutting back on sugars and starches, aka carbohydrates, your body starts to adjust in ways that you can use to your advantage to lose weight fast!

First of all your body won’t be as hungry as normal (Study in 2007)… as long as you follow step 2!!

The result is that instead of burning the easily accessible carbs, your body will start to burn stored fats.

The next benefit is that you will find that you will lose excess water weight quickly (you will urinate more!) and can drop up to 10 pounds in your first week! This is because cutting back on carbs lowers your insulin levels causing your kidneys to shed the excess sodium out of your body (2007 Study).

Another study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows the difference between a low-carb and low-fat diet in weight loss.

How to lose weight fast- carbs vs fats

The best part about this study was that the low-fat group was calorie restricted (eurgh calorie counting!) whilst the low carb group could eat until fullness!

And are you beginning to notice this is just science? It’s nothing really complicated or dangerous for your body?

Well-Fit tips:

  • Get into the habit of checking ingredients- if something has sugar, glucose, fructose, corn syrup (or anything ending with “ose”) then you should avoid this
  • A simple way to decide if you can eat it is…if there is an ingredient on the label that you can’t pronounce, don’t have it!
  • Try to look for whole foods rather than man-made processed food.

Now, I can almost hear your mind saying…

So what am I supposed to eat?


2. Eat Protein, Fat & Low-Carb Veggies

Protein and low carb veggies- how to lose weight fast

Diets that have a higher percentage of fats and protein helps to reduce hunger (2011 Study).

The whole idea here is that you don’t want to eat with a scarcity mindset. You should actually be adding many new food types to your diet.

Just use the science and eat until you are full… but not past that (sounds like a good diet huh?!)

Some great protein food sources are:

  • Organic chicken
  • Organic eggs
  • Grass-fed beef
  • Salmon
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Edamame (soybeans)
  • Beans
  • Nuts
  • High-quality protein powder

There are even high protein vegetables that are great to focus on. Also, a high protein diet helps to do two things:

  1. Boost metabolism by 80 to 100 calories per day (National Institutes of Health)
  2. Reduce cravings (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)

But you cannot live off just a diet focussed on protein.

So here are some of the veggies you can include in your diet to make sure you are getting the right amount of fibre and vitamins. Check out 13 healthy recipes that are under 500 calories each for more ideas.

Low-Carb Vegetables

  • Broccoli
  • Peppers
  • Cauliflower
  • Avocados
  • Spinach
  • Tomatoes
  • Asparagus
  • Kale
  • Mushrooms
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Zucchini
  • Swiss chard
  • Lettuce
  • Cucumber

This list is not limited to the only veggies you can eat. But to avoid taking in too much sugar you want to avoid dried fruit and most juices. Check out the best 27 salad recipes to help you lose weight.

So what about fat?

Fat Sources

  • Olive oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Butter
  • Avocado
  • Flax seeds
  • Chia seeds
  • Eggs

It is slowly becoming more common knowledge that fat is not bad for you.

Now, eating a whole wheel of cheese will do you no favours! But using oil or butter with your meals is totally fine.

Well-Fit tips:

  • If a vegetable is green, it’s probably low carb as a rule of thumb!
  • Fat is NOT bad for you! A lot of research actually suggests full-fat options are better for weight control than low fat (2013 study)
  • Fat is not the issue… SUGAR is! Cut the sugar and lose weight… simples!
  • Some great foods to help get enough good fats are Avocados, coconut, nuts (pistachios, walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews etc… try to avoid peanuts & anything salted or processed!), flaxseed & chia seeds.

3. Focus on QUALITY Whole Foods

Whole foods- how to lose weight fast

This is a hugely important point but the first 2 points are more important to lose weight fast.

A study in the Journal of American Medical Association found that there wasn’t much difference in weight loss over a 12 month period between a healthy low-fat diet or a healthy low-carb diet.

Yes the low carb diet was slightly better (6kg average weight loss compared to 5.3kg in the low-fat diet), but the main finding was this:

Eating quality whole foods is far more important for weight loss in the mid to long term than anything else.

Rather than focusing on how a certain food makes you feel in the moment try to shift your focus to how you feel afterwards.

Do you feel tired and moody? Do you feel hungry again 30 minutes after eating? Does it make you feel satisfied and energetic?

FYI- it is not normal to feel sleepy and lethargic after eating a meal… that means you have either eaten too many bad carbs or eaten too much!

Well-Fit tips:

  • Focus your attention on how a certain type of food makes you feel after eating it.
  • Avoid man-made processed food, go for the whole food options.
  • Eating whole foods is far more beneficial for weight loss than counting calories or any type of fad diet.

4. Drink More Water

Drink water

So here are some scientifically proven facts about drinking more water:

Just think about it…

It makes sense, doesn’t it?

If you drink more water, you will be less likely to grab that can of coke (yes even diet coke can make you gain weight due to the effects it has on your body and brain!)

Well-Fit tips:

  • Avoid fizzy drinks all together… water can be hard to take at first if you’re not used to it, but your body quickly adapts
  • You can add a squeeze of lemon juice or add some fruit/ veg to the water i.e. strawberries, cucumber, orange… try it out and see what you like
  • Always have a water bottle with you, that way you know exactly how much water you have drunk in the day. We recommend getting a good-sized bottle that keeps the water cool for hours so you don’t have to keep refilling it, such as the reasonably priced Cognito Chill Water Bottle.

5. The Sleep and Weight Loss Relationship

There have been several studies that show the effects sleep has on our bodies.

Here are some consequences of poor sleep:

  • Increase your appetite & increase your calorie uptake
  • Decrease your resting metabolism
Sleep

But if you can get a good nights sleep here is what happens:

  • Helps you fight cravings & make better choices
  • More likely to take part in physical activity
  • Prevents insulin resistance, which means the sugar in the body gets used as energy rather than stored in the bloodstream

Sleep is crucial for your body to function at its best, and when you want to lose weight fast you need to be at your best to make good decisions.

Well-Fit tips:

  • Do not look at any screens (phone, TV, laptop) for at least 1 hour before going to sleep. Try reading before bed and even try out a relaxing bedtime yoga routine.
  • Make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible… turn off any lights (including TV standby, alarm clock or hallway lights) and make sure you have blackout curtains to prevent moonlight or streetlights coming in.
  • Go to bed 9 hours before you need to wake up… this should help to get at least 8 hours of good sleep i.e. if you wake up at 7 am go to bed no later than 10 pm

6. Be More Active… in Easy Ways

The more active you are in the day plays a huge role in weight loss and obesity (2015 study).

But this doesn’t mean you need to run a marathon every day!

Walking on the stairs

There are some simple ways to be more active in your daily life. For example:

  • Use the stairs rather than an elevator or escalator
  • Walk or cycle to work or the shops… if it’s too far try parking 10 minutes away from work and walk that bit
  • Set 25-minute alarms if you work at a desk… stand up and walk for 5 minutes then return for another 25 minutes (this is called the Pomodoro Technique, which is also proven to improve productivity… try Noisli for free to help)

Are you beginning to see that none of these activities are hard to do?

But they are also easy not to do… the decision is yours.

Well-Fit tips:

  • Your small decisions every day will make a huge difference to lose weight. We highly recommend reading the book The Slight Edge to help you make better decisions every day (reading 10 pages today would be easy for you to do… but it’s also easy not to do!)
  • The big actions of intense exercise and eating 500 calories a day are not how you lose weight fast.

7. Exercise 3x Per Week AFTER the Detox

The reason the first 4 steps are all focused on what you put in your body is that it has been scientifically proven that it’s possible to lose weight without exercise.

STOP!

Re-read that last sentence.

Yoga

If you are dramatically changing your diet, you actually shouldn’t even consider exercising within your first week of the detox.

Here are some important reasons why:

  • You will lose weight without exercising.
  • You have limited will power. It’s proven you actually only have so many good decisions you can make in a day. This explains why you opt for the easy takeaway after a long day at work rather than the healthy home-cooked option!
  • Long strenuous cardio exercise increases cravings and depletes glycogen levels (US National Library of Medicine).

There is a lot of research that suggests running and certain types of high-intensity exercise cause more cravings.

This is why at Well Fit Fam we recommend two types of anaerobic exercise:

Well-Fit tips:

  • Try different yoga routines to see what you enjoy. It’s much easier to continue something that you enjoy (try relaxing yoga for beginners, or the best yoga poses to lose weight)
  • Find times of the day that suit you i.e. before you leave for work (yes you may have to go to bed earlier), after you drop the kids at school, during a lunch break
  • We recommend finding time before you get home from work (this is the hardest time to stay motivated as you have used many of your good choices for the day!)

How to Lose Weight Fast Summary

So there you have it!

No more guessing about what to do to lose weight quickly.

It is way more important to put the right food in your body before thinking about exercise. This explains why those “30-day summer body workouts” you have tried before haven’t been as effective as you hoped.

Cut out the processed food…

Eat lots of protein and low carb veggies…

Go to bed earlier (this will help you make better choices)…

Easy as 1, 2, 3.

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How to Lose Weight Fast: 5 Crucial Steps to Quick Results

6 thoughts on “How to Lose Weight Fast: 7 Scientifically Proven Steps to Quick Results”

  1. Wow thanks for enlightening  me on the ways to lose weight I initially  believed I can lose my weight only if I work out or do some exercises  but I don’t  know i can actually lose it through  the foods I eat and sleep also with me drinking water always thanks so much for the post and recommendation  and also for the references  .

    Reply
    • You’re so welcome Rose!

      What we put in our body is far more important than the exercise we do. However, once you get that in check and improve the quality of your sleep, then exercise will certainly help achieve faster results. As mentioned towards the end we recommend yoga and specialised circuit training rather than other endurance activities (the great thing is these can be done for free at home!)

      Reply
  2. I find that every time when I lose weight fast, It is mostly water weight (usually 1-2 lbs) and that is not a quality weight loss at all! However, losing weight fast is definitely not rocket science. I aim for eating whole foods and eliminate or indulge in sugar and carbohydrates. Instead of eating a big strawberry shortcake, which is my favorite, I substitute with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and it is so satisfying. I eat more healthy fat and protein to keep me satiated. I like walking around town or go to museums or even go to a dance class just to keep myself active without forcing myself to the gym. I think we all have to just start slow and you will see the result fast 🙂

    Reply
    • Bang on! I couldn’t put it better myself!

      The thing is with anything to do with weight control or fitness is “it’s not rocket science” like you say. Those small habits and actions will add up to big things. Especially if you eat whole foods and cut the carbs you will see those results so much quicker than someone who exercises 7 times a week then binge eats the entire candy cupboard! Love that positivity with it 🙂

      Reply

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