If you're looking for a way to lose some weight really fast then this article will show you how.

Bear in mind, though, that a weight loss plan that causes you to lose several pounds in just a few days is not necessarily the plan that will help you make that weight loss permanent.

There is a price to pay, of course, and that price is taking control of your diet and your physical exercise. This is because your weight is a result of each of these factors. You take in calories when you eat, and you expend them when doing physical exercise.

When we talk about the quickest way to lose weight what we are talking about is losing an impressive amount of weight over the course of a week - any period less than that is not practical enough for our purposes. What happens after that is up to you, as this method cannot be used for a longer period unless you adapt it to a changed lifestyle that you have the determination to maintain in the long run.

So for just a few days you have to ensure that the physical activity and exercise you do burns up more calories than are provided by the food you eat. Let's, then, take physical activity first.

Physical activity doesn't have to be exercise necessarily. It could be something as mundane as housework, as long as it burns up the calories. But we're after fast results, right? So you have to do some proper physical exercise. What it is and how much depends on whether you are used to it, and how much you normally do anyway. The point is that if you don't normally do any then you have to start doing some, and if you normally do some you are going to have to do more.

But - and this is important - you must start gradually. I know you're looking to get fast results, but if you're not used to much, or any, physical exercise, then to suddenly launch yourself into it can cause injury in the form of pulled muscles and ligaments. If you're worried about this then opt for the gentlest form of exercise, which is almost certainly walking.

Don't underestimate walking as an exercise. The average person can burn up over 120 calories by simply walking for 30 minutes at an average speed of just 3 miles per hour. This goes up to over 180 calories if you increase your speed just a little, to around 4 miles per hour.

If you can do something a little more demanding, though, then do it. This could be running, even at a gentle pace over short distances. Never overdo things. Placing sudden and unexpected demands on your body, especially if you're not still in the first flush of youth, is asking for trouble. Circuit training is even better, but only if you are normally very active and your body can take the punishment.

Whatever form of physical activity you choose, you must do it every day for at least 30 minutes. If you can manage two sessions, say one in the morning and one in the evening, of 30 minutes or so each, then you will be rewarded with the best results.

Turning to food intake, again, much depends on your diet up to the time you start this program. For best and quickest results, though, you should cut out all fatty foods, sugars, alcohol, fried foods and other junk food. Even cut down on tea and coffee if you can. Substitute them for healthy foods - nuts, oats, plenty of roughage, fruits, fish and lean meats. Cut out all snacks in between meals, and if you can make your meals smaller but more frequent - four or five small meals a day rather than three big ones.

Keep this up for seven to ten days, with no respite, and you'll be amazed at the results. You'll almost certainly be encouraged to make your weight loss more permanent by following a proven weight loss program.

You can find a review of three proven programs at our home page

Copyright © 2009 Philip Gegan