The 5 Most Popular Weight Loss Questions (With Tips)

Losing weight is one of the most talked-about topics in health and fitness, as well as weight loss tips. It’s idolised as one of the best ways to be a healthier person (often thought of with a better physique too). How to get to and maintain a healthy weight, however, is where things can get unhealthy.

There are so many different rumours and false promises online about different hacks to lose a ton of weight in no time, or fake stories and new fads that promote unhealthy eating habits for what is told to be a better body. That sadly does not make it the truth.

To help dispel some of these negative ideas, we’re here to answer some of the most commonly asked questions in weight loss and help you to get to the bottom of these weight loss tips and tricks so that you can actually make good and healthy progress towards a healthier lifestyle.

Let’s get into it.

Want to move fast? Jump to the right section below.

• How Fast Can I Lose Weight?
• How Can I Lose Fat from a Certain Area?
• Is Diet or Exercise More Important?
• Do Pills or Supplements Work?
• Which Exercises Burn the Most Calories?

How Fast Can I Lose Weight?

First up is how fast can I lose weight? That is probably the single most asked weight-loss question out there, and it just shouldn’t be. Being healthier should not be a short-term goal, nor should wanting to look better. Being healthier is so much more important, and crash diets for rapid weight loss are definitely not healthy.

Realistically speaking, with the right diet, exercise and overall calorie deficit, you can probably say around 1lb per week for the first few months at least, depending on your starting weight. If you can lose more, you’re probably not doing it too safely. Here’s a look at some more info.

How Can I Lose Fat from a Certain Area?

This one is more of a generalisation, but we’ll explain. We get asked so often about the best ways to help burn fat from a particular area — questions like how to get a smaller stomach, thinner thighs or arms, anything.

The problem with questions? You can’t. The underlying factor is that targeted fat loss is a myth. We’re sorry to break the news, but you lose fat from everywhere. It might happen to be that you lose fat from somewhere quicker first of all because there is more stored there, but everyone is different. There’s no way to target fat loss from one area.

Is Diet or Exercise More Important?

Exercise and diet are both vital to your health. They go hand in hand to meet any health goal, and they are both pivotal to living a healthy lifestyle. For weight loss, in particular, the same can be said. Realistically, weight loss is going to come from making yourself a calorie deficit from your daily needs. That way, you burn fat for energy to keep you going. That’s the very barebones of how to lose weight.

The best weight loss tip we could give you here is to use both. Reach your maintenance calories through your diet, and a healthy diet at that. From there, make your calorie deficit by doing exercise. This is likely the best way to do it overall. You’ll be building muscle, burning fat, and generally improving your health from an overall perspective. The hormonal and metabolic response from exercising will help you in the long term, too and helps you to keep off the weight in the long term, so it’s a win-win. They’re both important.

Do Pills or Supplements Work?

Bluntly put, not really. There’s little evidence to suggest that weight loss pills make more of a difference than the calorie deficit does. Even if somehow it did manage to have an impact, it would not be a healthy one.

Some pills and studies claim that it works, but they are only prescribed to extremely severe cases and not typically something you’ll be likely to need or want if you do your homework. Talk to a health professional if you want to pursue this one further.

There are no shortcuts to being a healthier person. That’s the best weight loss tip.

Which Exercises Burn the Most Calories?

This one is debatable, but we’ll still give you a few tips to help your weight loss in the long term. After you’ve found how you want to work out, it’s important to do the right exercises. We’ll say now; the best way to exercise is in a way you enjoy and is sustainable. That’s how you’ll keep it up long-term and get the best results physically and mentally. Don’t forget it. Anyway…

The best exercises for an overall calorie burn would be things like burpees, boxing, running, rowing, cycling, or anything that really gets you going. The more muscles you’re moving and the higher the heart rate, the more calories you’re going to burn. That being said, if you hate things like that, there are still other options. Compound exercises like big lifts are still good for calorie burning, and so are more intensive lower impact workouts like incline walking—each to their own.

So, there you have it. These are the most popular questions about how to lose weight that we get regularly, and hopefully, we’ve answered them for you. Fitness tips are easy to find, but they’re more often misleading than helpful. If you have any other questions, get in touch with us on social media, and we’ll answer them as soon as we can!

For more information, check out our guide on the fundamentals of weight loss here.

Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.