Fast or Slow Weight Loss?

Hot water, lemon juice and cayenne pepper; the ingredients in the master cleanse. When I was 20 years old I was told that it was the ultimate cleanse and weight loss plan. Drink it for 10 days and watch the fat melt.
HA! Ya no shit Sherlock! - When you're only drinking spicy lemon water all day for 10 days you better believe you will lose weight!
I think I lasted one day and that was the end of my Master Cleanse.
If you're anything like me, you have been around the block when it comes to dieting and will have at some point, tried some crazy fast weight loss schemes. Today I am going to discuss what the science says about  fast vs slow weight loss , which is better and how to decide which route is best for you.

Which One is better?

Neither! Studies show that for some people fast weight loss is a success and for others slow weight loss is. The bottom line... it doesn’t matter how fast you lose the pounds, the outcome will have no bearing on whether or not you will keep the weight off. Let’s take a look at each of these individually starting with fast weight loss!

Fast & Furious

The Pros The benefits of fast weight loss is that it’s fast… duh! You see results quickly which means that you may be more likely to stick with the eating plan because the rapid changes in your body keeps you motivated. These types of programs can be super handy when you need to lose weight in a short amount of time -let’s say for your wedding or bikini season. If you have a lot of weight to lose this can help speed up the process so you don’t feel like it is taking you years to get down to your goal weight,which once again, can help you stay motivated. If your weight is making it hard to work out or get around, fast weight loss can jump start your energy and slim down your body so you are more likely to start exercising.
The Cons The all or nothing attitude can get many of us in trouble. Many times I was known to hop on to the next best extreme diet or cleanse drop a bunch of weight and at the end of the “program” crash and burn, eat everything in site and gain that weight back plus some. It’s the ol' classic yoyo dieting which is extremely hard on your metabolism and hormones. Most of these programs are simply not sustainable. Not too many of us want to drink a meal replacement shake for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of our life in order to stay slim. Plus suddenly restricting calories and lets say doing a juice cleanse or master cleanse can send the body into detoxing and release toxins into the body. If you don’t have the proper nutrients in place which most of us don’t, in order to carry these toxins out of the body they become free radicals. Excessive free radical damage is associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease and some forms of cancer. If you have repeatedly tried these quick fix diets and have always gained the weight back then it’s time to be honest with yourself and try taking the slow and steady approach.

Slow & Steady

The Pros Changing the way you eat is alifestyle change and for some, a very drastic one. Learning to eat differently is all about creating new habits and it takes time. Creating these new habits, however can help make for sustainable changes in your life andultimately in your health. People tend to feel less overwhelmed with this approach and easier to family to get on board when things change slowly, rather then all at once. It can be safer than fast weight loss because the release of toxins doesn’t happen so quickly.
The Cons It's slow…..
Which can be disappointing when you feel like you are making these changes and only seeing tiny results. For some people this lack of results causes them to give up on their goals and go back to their old habits.

Which do I recommend?

I believe every person has their own path that needs to be discovered and this is part of it. I think fast weight loss definitely has its place when done correctly and safely. I always suggest getting your eating habits under control, learning how to eat better and make healthier choices before trying the fast route. This can help you maintain the weight dropped and avoid the whole yoyo dieting. I recommend that if you are going to attempt fast weight loss to do so with the guidance of a health practitioner. As for me and The Master Cleanse…..  never again!!!