Which Is Better, Fast or Slow Weight Loss?

tortoise and hareOr Is There More To Weight Loss Than Just Fast And Slow?

A very common question in the world of weight loss is whether to lose weight slowly or quickly. Which will have the longest lasting effects? Which will be easier to accomplish? There are pros and cons to both sides of this age-old question that has left many people unsure of how to proceed on their weight loss journey.

fast weight lossFast Weight Loss

Fast weight loss is typically accomplished through crash diets, restrictive caloric intake, aggressive exercise and/or diet pills. In order to lose weight quickly, one must shock the metabolism into converting fat to energy resulting in the loss of pounds. But unhealthy habits such as overeating and poor food choices are replaced with equally poor habits such as severely restricting food-types creating a deficiency of nutrients to support a healthy body, and even creating dependencies on harmful synthetic diet pills.

Results of fast weight loss are also typically very hard to sustain since fad diets simply cannot be maintained for a long period of time, and the weight is re-gained quickly once the fad diet is stopped and poor eating habits and activity levels resume.

Pros of losing weight quickly:

  • Ability to fit into a smaller size quickly
  • Feeling of accomplishment
  • Motivation from seeing the pounds come off

Cons of fast weight loss:

  • Often lacks adequate nutrients for healthy mind and body
  • No healthy change in old poor habits or lifestyle
  • Restrictive diet hinders social interactions involving food
  • Weight comes back on as soon as fad diet is stopped

slow weight lossSlow Weight Loss

Slow weight loss is usually accomplished through careful and healthy eating with moderate physical activity. When weight loss occurs over a longer period of time, the person has time to fully adjust to their new diet, body and lifestyle. Losing weight is not just a physical change, but a mental and emotional one as well. Taking the time to learn new habits, adopt them and integrate them as new habits is the key to maintaining a healthy weight for the long term.

Pros of losing weight slowly:

  • Old habits are replaced with new, healthy habits
  • Nutrient dense diet means better health
  • Easier to maintain weight in the long term
  • More flexibility than with rigid diet plan

Cons of slow weight loss:

  • One may easily lose motivation over time without seeing results
  • Weight-related health issues may take longer to resolve

Fast or Slow? Or Is There More To It?

Weight loss of any kind can be difficult and takes patience and effort. A New York Times article discussed the inherent biological and hormonal reasons that can make it difficult to lose weight. When an overweight person embarks on a weight-loss plan, it is generally recommended that their weight loss be slow and consistent.

Also, according to US News and World Reports, the best diets are the ones that promote healthy eating, positive lifestyle changes and a slow, consistent weight loss.

However, another study conducted at the University of Florida, and published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine has created quite a stir.

The study compared the weight-loss rate of 262 middle-aged, obese women who were subjected to strict diets and exercise programs. After the first month, the ladies were split into three groups:

1 – FAST, women who lost 1.5 lbs. or more pounds per week
2 – MODERATE, women who lost between .5 and 1.5 lbs. each week
3 – SLOW, group lost under .5 lbs. per week.

They continued the study for six months and, of course, the FAST group lost the most weight, followed by the MODERATE GROUP, and then the SLOW group.

However, after 18 months the researchers again interviewed the ladies, who had been on their own for the past year, for the final time. The results were surprising, to say the least.

The women in the FAST group were shown to be five times more likely to achieve their goals of 10% total weight loss than those in the SLOW group. And, most surprisingly, they were the ones most able to maintain their new weight after 18 months.

The researchers also calculated that ladies in the MODERATE group were three times more likely to achieve and maintain their weight loss goals than the SLOW group women.

While this study may not show that losing weight as fast as possible if preferred, it does indicate that one can possibly be losing weight too slowly! If a person isn’t seeing tangible results quickly enough, such as 1.5 lbs. per week, it can hinder motivation.

Yes, There Is More To It

It’s generally accepted that the secret to long term weight loss is a slow “lifestyle change” based on changing poor eating and exercise habits into good eating and exercise habits which will give you long-term results and a healthier life. However, building these new habits quickly and losing weight rapidly upfront can give a huge big boost in confidence and enthusiasm that is critical at the early stages of a weight-loss plan, giving proof that the new habits will produce continued results over the weeks and months to come, and a healthier life over the years to come

So there’s a question just begging to be asked:

“Can we safely integrate fast weight-loss techniques into a slow weight-loss plan and get all the pros of both without any of the cons?”

fast and slow weight lossFast THEN Slow Weight Loss

At Gold Source Labs we believe that good nutrition is the foundation for health. Any fast weight loss plan that doesn’t include good nutrition is bound to be a failure. We believe a healthy diet such as the Paleo Diet along with regular, sensible exercise will bring about healthy, steady weight loss when done consistently over time.

However, we also believe that certain weight-loss supplements can play an important role. All-natural supplements such as Yacon Syrup and Saffron Extract have prolific health benefits and can assist both with appetite control during the transition, as well as boosting the metabolism during the early weeks of a long term weight loss plan.

Combined with sound nutrition, in this way one can proceed with a slow, healthy weight-loss plan and have the advantages of otherwise unhealthy fast weight-loss plans without any of the negative effects.

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10 Comments on “Which Is Better, Fast or Slow Weight Loss?

  1. Great article. There are certainly benefits to either method of losing weight and everybody needs to figure out what works best for them. I’d probably do a combination of both. Start with a rapid weight loss program then switch over to a consistent, long-term program.

    • Dear Nancy, Thank you for your comment! Yes, you are absolutely correct. Implementing fast weight-loss techniques for the first 30 -90 days and implementing safe, all-natural supplements as a “spring-board”can greatly increase the success rate for people who are embarking on a weight-loss program. But it’s just as important to design the plan to also integrate changes in lifestyle – specifically, diet and activity level – for the best chances of long-term weight-loss and health.

  2. Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News.
    Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
    I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
    Many thanks

  3. Fantastic article. Thank you so much for bringing this information out in the open. I imagine it will help a lot of people, as it has helped me.

  4. That’s just what I was searching for, what great material present here at this weblog, thanks admin of this web page.

  5. When I read the Pros & Cons of Fast Weight Loss vs Slow Weight Loss, its not rocket science that to me Slow Weight Loss wins. The Pros & Cons of Slow Weight Loss beats Pros & Cons of Fast Weight Loss, There are more Pros in Slow Weight Loss & Less Cons than there is to Fast Weight Loss.

  6. Hi Mark,

    Wondering why you don’t mention Gold Source Yacon Syrup in this articlle for help with appetite and weight loss?

    • Hello Wayne,
      Good question! The answer is that we published this article prior to our involvement in Yacon Syrup. But you are right, Yacon Syrup clearly should be mentioned here! So I went back and edited the article.
      Regards,
      Mark

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