Perhaps you've heard the joke about the shocking news headlines from the year 2050: "New study reveals that exercise and proper nutrition is the key to successful weight loss!"
It seems that we're always looking for a quick and easy way to lose fat, but those darn studies and that reputable research just keeps getting in the way of our dream!
There's always someone out there telling us we can lose fat without watching our diet and without any exercise. As much as we'd like to believe that's true, deep down inside we know better. The ads promising that we can 'get slim quick' remind us of the 'get rich quick' infomercials we see on late-night television. Still, there's no shortage of 'get slim quick' products out there.
A YaHoo search of the term "Easy Weight Loss" yielded about 10,600,000 hits.
A Google search of the phrase "Quick Weight Loss" showed about 14,300,000 recommended sites to visit.
Looking up "Easy Fat Loss" on YaHoo revealed about 4,290,000 answers.
Finally, running a Google search for "I want to lose weight but I don't want to exercise because I don't have the time, money or will power" will bring up about 633,000 sites. We're not kidding!
Compare that to the Google results for "Weight Loss Truth": only about 2,760,000.
PERMANENT FAT LOSS REQUIRES EFFORT:
Let's face it, there really is no good way to lose fat without any effort. Successful and permanent weight (fat) loss takes some time, it takes some effort, and it certainly requires some exercise. Consider what Dr. Gabe Mirkin had to say on the subject: "There are many products on the market today that promise to help you lose weight. None will help you unless they get you to exercise more and eat fewer calories." (Source: The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc. - DrMirkin.com)
DON'T BE TEMPTED BY SHORTCUTS:
So is it possible to lose weight quickly? Sure, but weight loss achieved quickly and/or by 'cheating' will never be permanent and is usually not healthy.
Remember the phen-fen pills that were popular just a few years ago? While they certainly helped you lose weight, they were withdrawn from the market in September of 1997 after being linked to the occurrence of serious cardiac valvular disease, and primary pulmonary hypertension.
Ephedra, another weight loss pill, was pulled from shelves on April 12, 2004. After a careful review of the available evidence about the risks and benefits of ephedra in supplements, the FDA found that these supplements present an unreasonable risk of illness or injury to consumers. The data showed little evidence of ephedra's effectiveness, except for short-term weight loss, while confirming that the substance raises blood pressure and stresses the heart (Source: nccam.nih.gov).
Please note that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that ephedra was effective for only short-term weight loss. Does that sound like a permanent solution?
There are lots of other 'shortcuts' out there, from laxatives to harsh stimulants. There are also some honestly good products that can help us lose fat if they are used in conjunction with regular exercise and healthy nutrition. Green tea is a good example. Clinical studies conducted by Dr. Abdul Dulloo, of the University of Geneva in Switzerland brought the conclusion that green tea weight raises metabolic rates and speeds up fat oxidation (Source: green-tea.dminternational.biz).
THE TAKE-HOME MESSAGE:
So what's the take-home message? The bottom line is that there is no 'get slim quick' miracle out there. The only way to achieve permanent fat loss is by following the same advice we've been hearing for years: exercise regularly and watch what we eat.
Let's watch out for products that claim we can achieve the body we've always wanted without diet or exercise. We know that's not true, so let's not be tempted by the empty promise.
Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com/ for more information.
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