One of the things we often see and hear from our followers, and on weight loss social media sites, is the  strong desire to lose weight as rapidly as possible. This desire can come by way of a multitude of reasons, but for your own good, you must approach weight loss from a healthier perspective.

While under certain unique circumstances rapid weight loss is medically necessary, it is not healthy for the average overweight individual. Yet each and every day we are bombarded with quick weight loss schemes on every form of media we might use for information and entertainment.  Promises such as these slap us upside the head every time we look at a television, go online or pick up a magazine:

Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days!

Eat as Much as You Want — and Still Lose  Weight!

Drop One Dress Size a Day!

There is an old saying that comes to mind when I see these advertisements for quick weight loss gimmicks; A fool and his money are soon parted. Yet in this case I would replace fool with the desperate and their money are soon parted. If you believe the slick advertising claims we are constantly bombarded with, rapid weight loss can be quick and easy for you. Just send them your money today and sign the damn contract while ignoring the small print that you need a magnifying glass to read. That small print that actually tells you that the results advertised are not actually typical, individual results will vary. This statement always accompanies dieting and lifestyle advertising for a reason—it’s the only thing that guarantees them truth in advertising. Let that statement sink in for just a moment if your will; It is the only thing that guarantees them truth in advertising. Please, do yourself a favor and never let desperation override your common sense when it comes to quick weight loss schemes.

While many diets and “lifestyle” change plans might lead to some weight loss, it is rarely sustainable. Yet there is an over abundance of fad diets, gimmicks, and weight loss supplements that keep promising us a more attractive and slimmer body in a very short period of time. In the U.S. alone, consumers spend $33 billion each year on weight loss products, services and programs. Yet, the obesity epidemic across the country continues to expand faster than some of our waist lines. Always bear in mind, gimmicks, supplements and crash diets will very rarely help you achieve a sustained, healthy weight and body fat percentage. These schemes are often desired by the desperate as they do not approach weight loss as a life style change. Rather, far too many want to approach their diet as something to just get through. Almost all people with this way of thinking will undoubtedly put their weight right back on once they have completed their gimmick approach to weight loss.

What Are the Risks of Rapid Weight Loss?

Rapid weight loss creates physical demands on the body. Possible serious risks include:

• Gallstones, which occur in 12% to 25% of people losing large amounts of weight over several months
• Dehydration, which can be avoided by drinking plenty of fluids
• Malnutrition, usually from not eating enough protein for weeks at a time
• Electrolyte imbalances, which can be life threatening

Other less serious side effects from rapid weight loss are:

• Headaches
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Constipation
• Menstrual irregularities
• Hair loss
• Muscle loss

 Before laying down your hard earned cash on weight loss supplements, you need to know the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does regulate dietary supplements; however, it treats them like foods rather than medications.  Whether it lives up to the manufactures claims or not is irrelevant to them.

The FDA also does not regulate claims made by over-the-counter weight loss products. Unlike drug manufacturers, the makers of  supplements don’t have to show their products are safe or effective before selling them on the market. This means that dietary supplements do not need approval from FDA before they are marketed.

Aside from the very low-calorie diet and weight loss surgery, no other product, pill, or diet has been proven to work for fast weight loss. And even when they do bring rapid weight loss, the results usually vanish soon thereafter as the individual dieter almost always has the wrong mindset about actual weight management. Losing unwanted body fat requires a change of thinking that accepts the only true way to success is a permanent change of life style that revolves around personal accountability to self and healthy living.

In any legitimate weight loss program or lifestyle such as David’s Way, what really burns fat is not a pill, type of food, or gimmick. Our methodology gets back to the nutritional basics which involve a reduction of calories that meet your individual metabolic needs, combined with exercise that has first been cleared for you by your doctor. We promote weight loss and management in a holistic manner where we believe the path to successful weight management involves the mind, body and soul being in the game of achieving and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage rather than attempting to reach and hold a random number on your scale.

David’s Way

• Get your mind wrapped around the idea of a permanent lifestyle change that focuses on a healthy body fat percentage.  You are doomed to fail if you think you can just go about this as a temporary challenge to get through. Good health needs to be a permanent focus.
• Learn to make your world small. What this means is, make it a daily point to try to reduce your stress day each by only concentrating on issues of true importance that affect you and not the superfluous problems of others around you. Misery loves company and if you allow the crabs to pull you down, they most certainly will.
• Live by principles of the Serenity Prayer in all endeavors. Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept that which I cannot change. The Courage to change that which I can. And the Wisdom to know the difference.
• Exercise on a regular basis with the approval of your doctor. Exercise not only helps you to burn off body fat while increasing your strength and cardiovascular fitness. It also helps immensely with stress reduction which we all know can be a significant trigger to binge eating.
• Figure your caloric needs for each day by visiting our Calorie Counter Pro. Simply fill in your basic information and hit calculate. This information is 100% private and cannot be seen by anyone other than whom you might share it with. We respect your privacy and comply with all HIPPA regulations to protect your privacy. We strongly recommend you choose the calories required to only lose one pound of body fat per week.
• Be sure that you consume all your calories each day. If you go over one day and under the next, remember that what is really important is that the total caloric average at the end of the week should not exceed your daily needs. In other words, if you go over one day, this can be offset by going an equal amount under the next.
• Quit eating and drinking refined sugar and simple carbs unless the simple carbs come with a fiber component such as fruit.
• Quit eating processed foods that are usually heavy on added sugars, unhealthy fats, high in sodium and full of preservatives.
• Do eat whole foods that pack plenty of nutritional value that meet all of your macro-nutrient needs of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats.
• Do ensure you eat plenty of lean protein to ensure you are taking in all the nine essential amino acids required by your body to replace and repair all of your body’s tissues. Essential amino acids can only come from food sources and are not stored in your body. Therefore they must be replenished on a regular basis.
• Eat 25 to 40 percent of your calories in lean protein, especially during your weight loss mode. This will help to protect you from losing lean muscle tissue along with your body fat, and will also help to keep you better satiated between meals. The rest of your caloric intake should come from complex carbohydrate foods and healthy fats such as found in fish, nuts and seeds etc.
• Do not weigh yourself more than once a week. Your body weight fluctuates from day to day, hour by hour, simply by water retention. A focus on the overall trend of your weight and the way your clothing fits is more important than one slight increase in the number on the scale. If the trend is climbing after a month, simply reduce your daily calories by a couple hundred. One pound of body fat equals 3500 calories which is 500 per day when divided by 7 days in the week. If the monthly trend shows you are losing more than 4 pounds per month, increase your calories to where it slows to 1 pound per week on average. If the monthly trend shows you are gaining, simply reduce your calories by an appropriate amount to meet your needs.
• If you decide to combine David’s Way with Intermittent Fasting, think about this; Intermittent Fasting, while being effective, is nothing new. It is how we used to eat back before the obesity epidemic became so bad. Once dinner was over and the dishes were cleaned and put away. the kitchen was closed until the next mornings breakfast. I recommend Intermittent Fasting for those who are on weight loss mode as it helps you to build upon your personal discipline to only eat when truly hungry, or during your time to feed. Be sure if you do “IF” to consume all of your daily calories during your feed time too.
• Do visit our web site “Recipes” section and try our delicious and healthy recipes. We provide you with a plethora of sugar free dessert and treat recipes along with an abundance of hearty meal ideas. Going sugar free does not mean you can no longer enjoy an occasional treat.
• Do not ever let yourself get caught up in gimmicks or paid weight loss plans that are vague in their instructions. Even some of the big name companies that have been around for years only care to string you along as a perpetual income source. At David’s Way, we will never charge you for our information that helps you live a healthier life. We charge nothing for you to access our articles and recipes. These will always be free to you. That is my pledge.
• Do subscribe in order to get every article and recipe we publish straight to your email Again, this is also 100% free to you. Be sure to share us with your family, friends and anyone else whom you think might benefit from David’s Way.

We are here for you and can be contacted through comments or questions at the end of our articles in the Comments section. Or, you can contact us privately through our web site “Contact” menu. We promise to protect your privacy. Please bear in mind, Brenda Sue and I are certified Nutrition and Wellness consultants. We do not, nor can we make any medical diagnosis. We cannot provide any medical diet for people with a specific diagnosed health problem. For medical specific needs, please consult with your physician and follow their orders.