Are you looking for a weight loss program that will help you lose weight quickly?
There are a lot of myths and misinformation out there about the best way to lose weight. After 5 years of personal training and having helped hundreds of clients lose weight, we have heard and seen pretty much everything…
But what is the most effective way of losing weight fast?
In this article, we’ll clear up some of the most common confusions about weight loss and give you scientifically-backed facts about fat loss.
Why Lose Weight Fast? What is a healthy weight?
If you are overweight or plus size, you may be concerned about your health and your appearance. Losing weight can improve your health and help you feel better about yourself. But how do you know if you need to lose weight?
There are a few different ways to determine if you are at a healthy weight. One way is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. People with a BMI of 25 or higher are considered overweight, while those with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered obese. However the BMI is not the most accurate indicator, especially for strength and bodybuilding athletes.
The best way to know whether you should lose weight and how many kg you should lose it to use a body composition analyzer, such as the InBody 270 that we use at Oompf! Fitness.
It gives an overall body composition report, showing your muscle mass, body fat percentage and gives you an indicative target weight, as well as ideal muscle mass and how much you should reduce body fat based on your current body composition, age and height.
Contact us if you would like to get your free body composition analysis done in person!
Weight Loss Success Stories from Oompf! Fitness Clients
At Oompf!, we specialise in body transformations.
Our clients come to our gym to achieve drastic changes in their body composition, either they want to gain a lot of muscles or strength, or they want to lose weight fast.
Through a combination of following the weight loss tips we are going to explain in details in the rest of this article and sticking to the weight loss workout plan assigned by their Personal Trainer, our clients manage to slim down and reach their dream figure.
Ivy’s Body Transformation
Huay Sin’s weight loss journey
Yi Guan’s weight loss journey
Keep reading, because in the rest of this article, we are going to explain how to reduce body fat percentage over time.
Weight Loss sounds simple… but it’s not easy!
Weight loss is a hot topic these days. And it’s no wonder – according to the CDC, more than 1 in 3 adults in the United States are obese. So it’s no surprise that people are always looking for the latest and greatest weight loss tips and tricks.
But the truth is, there is no magic formula for weight loss. Yes, there are lots of different techniques and products out there that claim that they can help you burn fat and teach you how to lose body fat fast, but ultimately, the only way to lose weight and keep it off long term is through good old-fashioned hard work and dedication.
It is a common misconception that weight loss is easy and effortless. The truth is, losing weight requires hard work and dedication. The idea of quick-fix solutions and overnight transformations is simply not realistic.
That’s not to say that weight loss is impossible – far from it.
Weight loss is possible, but it requires a consistent effort over a period of time. This means making healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a balanced diet and engaging in regular physical activity. It also means being patient and persistent, even when progress may be slow.
It’s important to remember that weight loss is not just about the number on the scale. It’s about improving your overall health and well-being. Losing weight can lead to a reduction in the risk of chronic diseases, improvement in energy levels, and an increase in self-esteem.
If you’re serious about losing weight, it’s important to be realistic about the effort and commitment required. Be prepared to put in the work, and don’t be discouraged if progress is slow. Remember that sustainable weight loss takes time and consistency, and the benefits are well worth it in the end.
Factors that will help you lose weight
If you’re looking to lose weight, there are a few key factors that will help you achieve your goal. We have ranked them by order of importance:
1. Diet Plan for Weight Loss
Dieting for weight loss can be a difficult and complicated process. But with a little understanding of some basic concepts, it can be much easier to create a healthy and sustainable diet plan.
Understanding Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) will Help You Lose Weight Fast
First, it’s important to understand your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the number of calories your body burns at rest. To calculate your BMR, you’ll need to know your weight, height, age, and gender. Once you have your BMR, you can begin to create a calorie deficit. This is the number of calories you need to eat in order to maintain your weight. To create a calorie deficit, you’ll need to eat fewer calories than your BMR. That is how you could even lose weight without exercise with the proper diet! However you’ll lose weight a lot faster if you add strength training, cardio exercising and the other weight loss tips below to your routine as well. The more muscle you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be!
Example: If your BMR is 1200 calories a day, you will put on weight if you eat 1500 calories a day, and lose weight if you eat only 1000 calories a day.
The bigger the gap between your BMR and your calorie intake is, the faster your weight will change. However we do not recommend having too big of a difference, because if you eat a lot less calories than your BMR, you will feel hungry, tired and that is not sustainable. You’ll then eventually give up trying to lose weight and end up eating back all your progress.
That is why we recommend eating 5% less calories than your BMR for sustainable progress.
Foods to Eat and Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight Fast
Next, you’ll need to focus on eating healthy foods. This means eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins. You should also limit your intake of sugar (sweet drinks, snacks, cakes, and excess amounts of noodles/pasta are typically the worst offenders…) and processed fat (fast food, fried food, cakes…).
You also need to eat a healthy mix of protein, carbs and unsaturated fats. The right allocation of macro nutrients will depend on your age, gender, physical activity levels and other factors. We encourage you to talk to a doctor, nutritionist or personal trainer to receive personalised advice.
While eating healthy food is technically not an absolute requirement to weight loss, it’s more than wise to combine your new weight loss diet with healthy food to improve your health as well as your figure.
2. Strength Training
If your goal is to lose body fat, you might think that cardiovascular exercise is the best weight loss exercise. And while cardio can certainly help you burn calories and lose weight, it’s not the most effective way to lose body fat.
Strength training, on the other hand, is an excellent way to lose body fat. When you lift weights, you not only burn calories, but you also build muscle. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. This means that strength training can help you lose body fat even when you’re not working out.
In a meta-analysis of 114 scientific studies, it was demonstrated that supervised resistance-based exercise programs significantly reduces body fat percentage and whole-body fat mass in participants with overweight and obesity regardless of age and sex, with supervised resistance-based exercise programs combined with a caloric restriction being the most effective workout program for weight loss.
So if you’re looking for the most effective way to lose body fat, we recommend strength training. There are many other health benefits to weight lifting for weight loss, including improved bone density, reduced risk of injury, and improved overall health. However, many people don’t realise that strength training can also help you improve your balance and coordination by making your muscles stronger and improving your proprioception (the ability to sense where your body is in space).
In short, strength training is the best type of physical exercise you can do if you want to lose weight fast. This is why if you are looking at how you can reduce body fat, we recommend adding strength training in all your weight loss programs, coupled with a healthy weight loss diet.
3. Cardio
In our experience, cardio by itself will not do much for your weight loss journey, but once you have implemented a healthy diet and proper strength training, the next best exercise to lose more weight is cardio. And it doesn’t have to be super intense cardio that gets your heart rate in the red zone or running an outdoor marathon… Even walking for weight loss works!
Let’s review the different options you have for cardio:
HIIT: the fastest way to lose weight?
High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, is an effective and efficient workout method that involves alternating periods of intense exercise with short periods of rest. The idea behind HIIT is to push your body to its limits, working at a high level of intensity for short periods of time. This can typically involve 40 seconds of intense exercise followed by 20 seconds of rest.
HIIT is designed to get your heart pumping fast, which can help to burn calories and increase cardiovascular fitness. It is also a great way to build muscle, improve endurance, and increase overall fitness.
One of the key benefits of HIIT is that it can continue to burn calories even after the workout is over. Studies have shown that HIIT can result in an additional 30% of burned calories post-workout, also known as the “afterburn effect”. This means that you can continue to burn calories long after you’ve finished your workout, making it an effective and efficient way to lose weight and get in shape.
HIIT can be done using a variety of exercises and equipment, such as bodyweight exercises, running, cycling, and resistance training. It’s important to keep in mind that HIIT is a high-intensity workout and should be approached with caution. It’s important to consult with a personal trainer or healthcare professional before starting a HIIT program, especially if you have any pre-existing health conditions.
According to several studies, HIIT provides 28.5% greater reductions in total body fat loss than regular cardio.
If you are looking for the best exercise for fat loss, you can join our HIIT classes in Singapore!
Running to lose weight
While we just saw that running is not the fastest weight loss exercise, it is still the most popular weight loss exercise. And it does work, as proven in multiple scientific studies: running provides 90% more weight loss than walking! So it’s time to start your running plan to lose weight, if you enjoy outdoor exercising… or treadmill sessions at our cardio area!
Walking for weight loss
Walking is a simple yet effective form of exercise that can be used for weight loss. It is a low-impact activity that is accessible for people of all ages, fitness levels, and abilities. It requires no special equipment or gym membership and can be done anywhere and at any time.
Walking is an efficient way to burn calories, and as you increase your walking distance or intensity, you’ll burn more calories. Also, walking will help increase muscle mass, which in turn helps boost your metabolism, which will burn more calories even at rest.
Numerous studies have shown that regular walking can effectively promote weight loss and prevent weight gain. It can also improve cardiovascular health, boost mental well-being, and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
Walking is a simple yet powerful way to improve your overall health and fitness. It is easy to incorporate into your daily routine, and you can start small and gradually increase your distance and intensity as you become more comfortable.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to weight loss, walking can be an effective way to burn calories and boost your metabolism. For example, a 60kg person who walks briskly for 30 minutes will burn approximately 135 calories. If this person walked for one hour, they would burn approximately 270 calories.
Walking is a great way to create a calorie deficit, as it is a low-impact form of exercise that can be practiced anywhere and easily incorporated in a daily routine.
4. Sleep
If you want to lose weight fast, one of the things you should do is get enough quality sleep. While you may be tempted to skimp on sleep in order to have more time for working out or preparing meals, research has shown that getting enough quality sleep is crucial for weight loss efforts.
Sleep is an essential aspect of our overall health and well-being, and it plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy weight. When we don’t get enough sleep, our body’s hormones can become imbalanced, which can have a direct impact on our appetite and food choices.
Lack of sleep can lead to an increase in appetite and hunger, particularly for high-calorie and high-fat foods. This is because when we don’t get enough sleep, our bodies produce higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, and lower levels of leptin, a hormone that suppresses hunger. This hormonal imbalance can make it harder to resist cravings for unhealthy foods, leading to overeating and weight gain.
Additionally, lack of sleep can also affect our energy levels and motivation, making it harder to find the motivation to exercise or make healthy food choices.
To maintain a healthy weight and overall well-being, it is important to get enough quality sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night. To improve sleep quality, try to establish a regular sleep schedule, avoid screens for at least an hour before bed, and create a comfortable sleep environment.
In summary, when we don’t get enough sleep, it can lead to hormonal imbalances that increase appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods, which can make it harder
Getting enough sleep helps to regulate these hormones, making it easier to stick to your weight loss goals.
So if you’re serious about losing weight fast, make sure you’re getting enough quality sleep.
You’ll be glad you did.
5. Stress Management
If you’re struggling to lose weight, you’re not alone. According to the Singapore Health Hub, more than 30% of Singaporeans are overweight. And while there are many factors that contribute to weight gain, studies have shown that stress can be a major contributor.
When you’re stressed, your body goes into a “fight or flight” mode and releases a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol has been shown to increase appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods. It can also lead to weight gain. So if you’re looking to lose weight, it’s important to find ways to manage your stress.
There are many ways to do this, but some simple methods include exercise, meditation, and deep breathing. These activities can help to reduce cortisol levels and promote weight loss. So if you’re feeling stressed and struggling to lose weight, give these methods a try!
There are many different ways to manage stress, such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises, switching off mobile phone devices whenever possible…
Finding the approach that works best for you can help you to lose weight quickly and effectively.
Unhealthy ways to lose weight that don’t work in the long term
When looking for how to lose fat fast, many miracle solutions are advertised as the fastest and easiest way to lose weight without making any effort:
- Weight management or weight loss medication
- Fat freezing, cold therapy or “CoolSculpting”
- Gastric banding
- Fat burner supplements
- Weight loss surgery such as liposuction, Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL)…
- Ultrasound
- Fad diets
- Slimming treatments, weight loss injections
- Red Light Therapy for Weight Loss (or UV)
- And many more…
While we cannot legally comment on the efficiency or safety of these methods, the issue with all of them is that no matter what actual benefits they do bring in the short term, if the person lives an unhealthy lifestyle with minimal physical activity and a “neglected” diet, the weight will always come back in the long run.
Realistically you need to be patient with your weight loss journey. Reducing body fat doesn’t happen overnight, so don’t expect to see results immediately. Additionally, you need to be patient and consistent. Crash diets and fad workouts may give you quick results, but they’re not sustainable in the long term. So if you’re serious about losing weight, make sure you’re doing it in a way that will lead to sustainable results.
When it comes to losing weight, we strongly believe in implementing healthy lifestyle changes and start exercising at a gym for weight loss.
The best way to lose weight fast
Obviously the fastest way to lose weight is to follow all the recommendations above:
- Establish a healthy weightloss diet
- Start strength training – get a personal trainer if you do not know where to start
- Join fitness group classes such as HIIT classes
- Get enough quality sleep
- Try to remove stress from your life.
While we are aware this is easier said than done, making continuous changes in the right direction will pay off massively in the long run, both for your body, mind and health!
