Is there an easy and fast way to lose weight or is all a lie?
It is such a complex issue, and there is no easy fix. Sometimes it seems to be an easy fix, another diet which worked for thousands and may work for me, too.
We can see celebrities or someone trying to sell yet another diet plan. “Lose 10 pounds in a month”, “replace meals with scientifically calculated shakes”, “the best exercise for weight loss”, “you just need to be in a caloric deficit, as simple as that”, and on and on, the list can go on for a few more pages.
The illusion is that weight loss is followed by weight maintenance after we return to the “usual diet”. The reality is that the body has a weight set point, and it does everything it can to return to that after weight loss (and after occasional short-term weight gain, too). So it increases the hunger hormones, decreases the satiety hormones, and slows down the metabolism to revert to the set point.
Short answer: yes, it’s a lie.
A fast and easy way to lose weight doesn’t exist!
It is a complex bio-psycho-social issue which can’t be minimised with another diet plan.
The backlash to all this nonsense and the damaging effects on mental and physical health has been the counter movement about rejecting anything diet-related and celebrating large bodies. Of course, all bodies are beautiful, and self-confidence helps with many aspects of life. There is no point in shaming or bullying someone towards “health”; the effect is the opposite. But is it possible to have a middle way between the two? Can we celebrate all body shapes and accept everyone’s choices while trying to find ways to promote public health?
The downside of the “diet industry” is that it sells the impossible and places blame on the individual, with damaging long-term effects. All this while overall, the western countries continued to see increased rates of obesity. So obviously, the miraculous diets don’t work.
The downside of the “body positivity” movement is an underlying pressure to “love your body”, which is a step too far for many. It maintains the focus on looks, and it normalises obesity. It is “normal” in the sense that in some parts of the world, there are more people who are overweight than “normal” (this is debatable too) weight. So it is normal, but is it desirable? For someone who is already very large, yes, it’s desirable. When someone has been severely overweight for an extended period and has been through yo-yo diets, the chances of losing weight without medical intervention are so low (around 1%, reference here), that acceptance and self-love are the best strategy. There is no point in triggering shame and self-hate; it just increases stress levels, which increases weight further and can lead to other complications, such as anxiety and depression. But at the societal level, we need a balanced message. We must ensure that our younger generation has a better education to have a healthier life, with the best chances towards stress-free “normal” weight, to reduce their risks of poor health outcomes. As in the 80s and 90s, we grew up with models worryingly thin; now, we can see comments on social media on pictures of very large women saying things like, “it’s so nice to see real women represented”. Representation is desirable, but all bodies are “real”, small or big. I wonder what it does to an impressionable teenager’s brain seeing messages like this. And it’s also about women but I won’t go there now.
And there is a counter Movement to the countermovement
Body neutrality
It is something that I have been doing clinically in my work, but I didn’t know that it had a name. The idea is to respect the body, regardless of size, health, or ability level, and appreciate what it can do. For people who are into sports, it involves focusing on performance rather than looks.
It will look something like this:
- appreciating that my body was able to go through two pregnancies and that I am a mother as a result
- enjoying that my body can take me to beautiful places
- enjoying that I can run and with training, I can increase the distance and get so much benefit out of it
And so on, the list can go on, but it needs to be individualised; my appreciation is based on my lifestyle and preferences.
Focusing on the body’s function and body respect helps shift the focus from beauty to more in-depth knowledge and appreciation of the body.
But are looks not important at all?
But for many people, and I think that it applies to the majority, how they look is still important. I believe that we are evolutionarily wired to care and to want to look reasonably good. If we look at the animal’s kingdom, we can see how they make themselves look bigger, and the birds display beautiful peonage around potential partners or perform a dance. So I think that as long as we can procreate, we are wired to care and want to improve our looks. And there is nothing wrong with that. Of course, a strong social conditioning is at play too, with all the advertising and the glamorising of certain looks.
How can we accept all the Opposing views?
I am in favour of a middle way and of accepting that many times opposites can be true simultaneously.
So I can focus on respecting my body, doing what I can to keep it healthy, and looking after it. I can focus on performance, on how amazing my body is to be able to do so many things, including running longer than I ever thought possible.
And I can be honest with myself and say that I find it sexy to have toned arms and some muscle definition. For me, that is beautiful. For others, beauty is clear skin, particular facial features, nice clothes, hairstyles or makeup. If beauty is important, the idea is to find your way to work towards that.
Honesty with ourselves and our wishes helps with self-acceptance in general, and we don’t need to feel pressured to fit into a particular trend. If body neutrality becomes a widespread trend, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong to enjoy a lovely lipstick or anything else which enhances our looks.
What's the way to lose weight then?
First of all, it's not "fast".
Second, do not diet. Never, ever.
The only good reason to diet is if you are due for surgery and the doctor asked you to lose weight to prepare for that. Other than that, don’t. If diet means making some changes in order to return to what you do now, later on, it’s a terrible idea. The result is weight gain in time, alongside feelings of failure and increased stress levels.
Change is possible but only if you are willing to make this change your new lifestyle
I would focus on health rather than weight loss. Poor diet is a significant cause of early mortality, and the outcomes improve with a better diet, even if the weight remains the same. In cases of severe long-term obesity, weight loss can be difficult or unlikely, but health improvements are possible anyway.
Here are a few strategies that will help:
- make sure you allow a reasonable break between dinner and breakfast (12 hours at least, towards 14–16 is better)
- choose non-processed foods as much as possible; home cooked is ideal
- make sure you eat enough good quality proteins (ideally aim for 1.5 grams/kg of your ideal BMI, divided in 2-3 meals)
- reduce some of the highly processed sugary foods (this needs to be done by allowing yourself “nice” foods, not cutting down completely unless you find that easy), anything that you can see yourself doing many years down the line
- eat mindfully (really feel the taste and smell of food) and chew properly
- work on improving sleep and reducing stress, if these apply to you
- look after your gut. In short, this means aiming towards 30 different plant foods per week, plus things like kefir, kombucha, fermented foods…
- start from a place of self-love and self-acceptance and not self-punishment
- aim for at least 7000–10000 steps daily.
- strength exercise helps as muscle uses more energy. You may find helpful my other post about how to increase motivation to exercise – link here. Don’t worry, lifting weights won’t make you bigger overnight; muscles take time to build and the muscle mass has an overall positive effect on metabolism.
- explore the “why” behind the food cravings. Before eating, stop and think if it’s a nutrition need or an emotional need. If it’s emotional, is there anything else that you can do to get the same emotional benefit? Sometimes just by noticing we can make different choices, if we don’t act on the initial urge.
- above a certain BMI especially if it’s a longstanding issue, weight loss is very hard if not impossible with lifestyle changes alone. There are specialist services available, that include other measures such as medication or surgery. See your doctor for these options.
The above is a very brief summary; all the points above are complex and need planning and slow implementation. I will write other posts on this topic in the future.
summary
- Avoid diets as the long-term outcome is weight gain and poorer overall health
- Implement small changes to improve your health; it needs to be sustainable in the long term, so nothing too restrictive or drastic
- The fast and easy is a myth. But a slow approach through lifestyle changes is possible
- Start from a place of self-acceptance and self-appreciation
- Explore what need does the food fulfil – if it’s an emotional need, is there anything else that can satisfy that need?
- For more severe cases it’s best to access medical care with a multidisciplinary approach, which can include medication (such as Saxenda) or surgery
You made so many great points in this post! I’ve heard time and time again that diets lead to weight gain in the future. I like when you said “focus on respecting my body, doing what I can to keep it healthy, and looking after it”. So true. Thank you for sharing!
Great post! A friend of mine recommended me to check my glucose levels since she started to lose weight by changing the way she treated glucose and her diet.
I’ve managed to keep weight off by exercising everyday at least a bit and watching what I eat. I hate diets.
I always love this type of message! Working with my population, athletes, and aspiring athletes can be challenging as they all want to be fit, lean, and strong. Sports are hard! So, I always show them the graph you included and remind them that it’s OK to “seesaw” as long as you “seesaw” up over time!
if there is a fast way to lose weight it probably is a scam
I completely agree. “Dieting” as it is sold is not sustainable.
Great tips. I have been on a weight loss journey for a year and 3 months and I find the reality is like a roller coaster up and down. I get frustrated with my scale and my measurements, but I know I’m eating healthier and working out more than I ever have and I feel great. a lot better.