Quick fix

[over the hill]

Do you think there is any benefit to losing weight via the quick weightloss route, in the form of shakes?

If you are morbidly obese, isn't it better to lose some weight quickly, than carry the weight and health risks associated with it?

[Megan]

Having gone for the quick fix in the past, I can understand the mentality as to why people choose this as an option. When you have a lot of weight to lose then following a normal diet with weightloss estimated to be around 1-2 lbs a week it can be soul destroying and a seemingly endless quest.

However, what I will say is that it doesn't change the mindset of why you're overweight, which means that the dieter will become a yo yo dieter.

[guv-ner]

If you are morbidly obese then you have problems and you need to learn how to eat properly. Sometimes in life there are no quick fixes.

[Rainbow]

If you are morbidly obese then you have problems and you need to learn how to eat properly. Sometimes in life there are no quick fixes.

This is true, but if you have ten stone to lose and you only chip away at it with 1-2 lb it became so disheartening and so you give up. Isn't it better they lose some weight quickly for motivation and then get the education to lose the rest?

[CharlieH]

I think there is benefit to a morbidly obese person losing weight quickly, purely for motivation reasons and weightloss may promote mobility.

But, I don't think those shakes are the right way to go, a clean, low calorie, high vegetable and fruit diet will offer the same weightloss while offering good nutrition and a positive improvement in changing the diet for the long term.

[Dannij]

This is true, but if you have ten stone to lose and you only chip away at it with 1-2 lb it became so disheartening and so you give up. Isn't it better they lose some weight quickly for motivation and then get the education to lose the rest?

The only problem with that is that generally if the quick fix is working why do they need to to learn anything? There is tons of education out there and yet people don't want to read it, learn it, implement it, follow it through or make the long term changes. That's why they will forever be yo you dieters, becoming sicker and then expecting the system to sort them out.

[Daisy82]

I understand why someone would need a quick solution to weight loss for motivational purposes and to help get the individual to get exercising early than they might otherwise.

But I also think that weight is a side effect of deep rooted problems. When I look at an obese person, I don't look at them and think 'wow! They're fat', I think, 'there is someone carrying a lot of problems'

I think to shift the weight permanently, you have to deal with the reasons why you eat.

[Tom32]

I think the quick fix idea is not the answer, it will only lead to gaining weight again, in the belief you can always turn to the quick fix again.

The harder you work at losing the weight, the more likely you are to keep the weight off.

[over the hill]

I understand your point, that dieting the old fashioned way is best. But if you are morbidly obese and struggle to move, have 10 stone to lose, and you only lose 1lb a week, it is soul destroying. As a result people are less likely to maintain the diet.

[Caree]

I understand your point, that dieting the old fashioned way is best. But if you are morbidly obese and struggle to move, have 10 stone to lose, and you only lose 1lb a week, it is soul destroying. As a result people are less likely to maintain the diet.

I am sure I read something somewhere once about the dangers of yo-yo dieting and that is can be worse for you than just carrying the weight. I think the 'quick fix' solution would possibly lead to this concept of yo-yo dieting as Tom32 referred to in his post.

[John B]

I've tried 'quick fixes' and I'm still overweight, the honest answer is that there isn't such a thing as a quick fix. You have to get your head around the idea that you're fat, it's affecting your life and you need to change....for good. As a result the change won't be quick, but it will be life changing. It make take years, just as it has taken years to pile on the weight.

Losing weight is a process, which is more than just about the food you put in your mouth, it is about was is going on in your heart and in your head.