The Best Way to Lose Weight Fast

Today, more and more Americans are fighting against obesity and the problem seems to have skyrocketed within the last 15 years: in 1999 more or less every other person thought they needed to lose weight and the average number of weight loss attempts was four. In 2005 the numbers have risen significantly: two out of three people had tried to lose weight at some point of their lives, and the average number of diet attempts was seven! At the same time the number of adults who are overweight (Body Mass Index, BMI of 25 or more), obese (BMI 30 or more) and severely obese (BMI 40 or more) has continued to increase.

Surprisingly, even paradoxically the knowledge about health issues has also increased and people try to follow the official guidelines about eating and exercising the best they can. Can the growing obesity problem be only caused by the people who fail to follow the guidelines? Come on, let’s be serious for a while: I am sure you know someone who keeps an eye on their calorie intake, avoids fat, exercises several times a week and tries to find the ultimate solution for staying fit by reading fitness forums, ab belt reviews and whatnot. Yet they are STILL gaining weight, no matter what they do. Perhaps you are one of them too? This equation does not make sense, and here is the reason: the best way to lose weight fast is not counting calories and trying to eat as little fat as possible. The reason people gain weight lies in what our generation has seen as something safe and healthy: refined carbohydrates. High amounts of white flour, sugar and starches are making us fat and sick.

The best way to lose weight fast is to modify your daily eating habits. The low carb lifestyle is the leading fat burning diet. The idea is reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates and sugar in your food regime. This way you will be able to control your blood sugar level and stop your insulin levels jumping up and down. Since the low carbohydrate lifestyle is such a broad topic and there is a wide selection of books, we have included four book recommendations on this article for your convenience. You do not necessarily have to get all these books at once, you can start with the one which interests you the most: scientific background, health benefits, different diet plans or best recipes available.

Gary Taubes is a science writer, who has won several awards for his excellent work. In his book Good Calories, Bad Calories (titled The Diet Delusion in the UK and Australia) he takes a close look at the research done on nutrition and obesity. He continues to point out how the research has failed to show that the low fat – low calorie diet would actually make us leaner or healthier. He also talks about exercise and why it might not actually help us lose weight after all (but that there are several other health benefits in exercising). Taubes’ idea is that the best way to approach the obesity problem is to look at how the body fat is accumulated. Since insulin is the hormone regulating fat accumulation, the obvious answer to the question “what is the best way to lose weight fast” is “controlling your body’s insulin level”.

Good Calories, Bad Calories is well-written and interesting and contains many shocking revelations about the diet and health research. It takes a look at the history of the research all the way from the 1800s and explains the results thoroughly, which can make the book a bit heavy from time to time. However, Taubes has made a good job in explaining the complicated topics in a way which is understandable to everyone.

Low carbohydrate diets have been associated with several health benefits. Most of the books talking about the low carb diets take the weight losing point of view, but a book called Life Without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can Save Your Life concentrates on low carbohydrate nutrition’s health effects. Life Without Bread is based on the experiences of Dr. Lutz, who has treated thousands of patients with low carb diets. The authors explain the basics and show how low-carbohydrate diets can be used to reverse or even cure conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and gastrointestinal disorders. Since weight is a significant factor in our well-being and low carbohydrate diets have been found to be the best fast way to lose weight permanently, the book has a chapter on weight loss as well. The authors have included a low carb plan of their own. They don’t give any specific guidelines, only that the amount of carbohydrates you consume should be below 72 grams a day, which is enough to give you the full benefits. Life Without Bread is easy to read and it might even save your life!

Low carbohydrate dieting can feel confusing in the beginning and since we are all unique and different, you need to learn to know yourself and experiment a little find the best diet plan for you. Most health advisors suggest reading a book or two about the different low carb approaches. Dana Carpenter’s book How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds has them all! It is a fun and non-technical book which gives you the pros and cons of several low-carb plans to help you choose the variation which suits you the best. Carpenter’s writing style is witty and smart, and she gives good examples from her own life. This book has all the information you need about how to lose weight fast and easy. Definitely worth your money and time!

Since we are so used to eating refined carbohydrates on every meal, it may take a while to get used to the carbohydrate conscious lifestyle. A good cookbook makes the change easier. Having a wide variety of delicious recipes to try will prevent you from getting bored with the diet. You will also learn the basics of the carbohydrate conscious lifestyle just by following the instructions. Give it a try! You will love it!

One of the best low carb cookbooks there is is the George Stella's Livin' Low Carb: Family Recipes Stella Style. Stella is a professional chef and a real food lover, and his whole family has had weight problems. Once they all went on a low carbohydrate diet, they started to lose weight and have kept on going ever since. That is how Stella’s cookbooks got started. This book is a great asset for someone who is just starting the low carb life and has also a lot to offer to the people who are already familiar with the basics and looking for new ideas and more recipes. Stella’s recipes are easy to follow and the whole family will love the foods! The book covers all the meals. There are two things to keep in mind: Stella uses a lot of Splenda and soy flour on his recipes. The research is not clear on either of these foods so it might be a good idea to replace Splenda with Stevia, which is a natural sweetener, and only use soy flour in moderation. Otherwise Livin' Low Carb: Family Recipes Stella Style is highly recommended.