How to Lose 30 Pounds FAST: 5 Simple Scientific Steps

At this point, Alex and I have helped thousands of people lose their weight with our blog, videos, and popular fast weight loss program.

One of the main things we have noticed from talking with people and helping them out is that losing weight when you are 30+ pounds overweight is different than when you only have 10 pounds to lose.  

• There is a bigger likelihood that your hormones are out of whack, making weight loss harder.
• Exercise is more difficult and often a bad idea when starting a new routine (more on that below).
• Counting calories becomes infuriating as you can be under them and still not lose a pound.
• And most importantly: The emotional baggage is much heavier.

The pain associated with weight loss is as much mental as it is physical.  This is probably a journey you have tried many times with no success and try to avoid thinking about too much.

There is a reason the word “joy” is associated with weight loss success. There is a reason our clients and family are bursting with excitement on news feeds and via text messages when the weight is gone.

There is a strangely serendipitous feeling that happens when you receive an unsolicited compliment from a friend or family member on how great you look.  “Have you lost weight?”

It’s mental – not just physical.

That’s why these steps pay close attention to the mind game that is played with weight loss as much as the physical aspects.

We all know that just shouting at people to “Eat Less and Move More” does not work.

There is obviously more to it than that.

Our experience with helping so many lose weight has taught us a few very important factors in losing 30+ pounds quickly and effectively! Here are our best tips for success.

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1. Stop Making Small Changes

The largest meta-analysis on weight loss success performed by the University of Alabama showed us that people who lose the most weight in the first 2-4 weeks end up with the best results in the long term.

Therefore, losing weight fast will better impact you in both the short term and the long term.  The most effective thing you can do is actually a fast weight loss approach.

This study and our experience show us that if you are going to lose weight, GO ALL IN.

If you half-ass it and just promise to add in the occasional salad to your diet, you’re pretty much doomed to fail.  Your results will come in too slowly and not give you enough momentum you from moving forward.

There’s an incredible motivation that comes from quick physical changes!  Both science and common sense tells us this.

This is why our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge helps you lose 10-21 pounds in just the first 21 days of the diet.

2. Eat More of the Right Foods

One of the biggest lessons I learned is that eating more of the right things is the true path to weight loss. Let’s look at why.

Here’s what people experience when they eat the right things:

• You naturally feel full after meals.
• Your body gets more energy from the food you eat, leading to less crashing and cravings.
• You get more sleep with better hormone regulation.
• This sleep leads to better craving control, better-looking skin, and other health benefits.
• The metabolism moves faster from eating the right foods.
• You build more lean muscle tissue, which improves resting calorie burn.
• You start to get compliments from friends and family, leading to more motivation to eat the right things.
• This momentum keeps you moving forward.

Here’s what people experience when they eat the wrong things…

• Your body feels empty and hungry.
• The body gets less energy from the food you eat, leading to crashing and trying to fix the crash with more food or high-calorie drinks.
• You get less sleep and even worse hormone regulation.
• This lack of sleep or bad sleep leads to sugar cravings, poor skin health, and disease.
• The metabolism moves slower from eating the wrong foods.
• You lose lean muscle tissue, which decreases resting calorie burn.
• Your friends and family stay silent about your weight, leading to more motivation to eat the wrong things and continuing along the same path.
• This lack of momentum keeps you moving backward.

Time and time again, I have seen that eating the right foods is EVERYTHING when it comes to weight loss.  Lots of protein, water, and low carb veggies at every meal.

3. Move Less

Wait… What? Is that a typo?

People are usually pretty jarred when I suggest something like that.  The reason comes from both science and personal experience.

In fact, a recent study done by Current Biology took 322 adults from 5 different countries through a calorie reduction weight loss program.  They split the groups between those that did exercise and those that did not.

Shockingly enough, adding in exercise did not play ANY major role over calories burned or weight lost.  And for those that saw changes, they were minor at best.

The problem is that the “move more” mentality puts people in the wrong mindset for weight loss success.

You can NEVER outwork or outrun a bad diet.

A great workout burns about 300 calories. A regular Starbucks muffin contains 300 calories.

By focusing a little less on the working out and focusing MAXIMUM effort on your diet, you are putting your mind in the right place.

Alex and I are still HUGE fans of exercise and all of the health benefits that come with it, so make no mistake there.  We just believe that there is a time and a place for it.  Introduce exercise AFTER you get your diet on track!

4. Throw Out the Calorie Counting

You know what kind of people are really good at calorie counting?

Personal trainers.

You want to know why they are??

Because they are obsessed with their physical fitness.

We know this because the co-founder of this website was a personal trainer who worked in a gym for 5+ years training hundreds of clients.

You know who sucks at calorie counting??

Everyone with a normal life who doesn’t spend 10+ hours in the gym every week and obsess day and night about their health and fitness.

So like 95% of the world…

Besides, there is tons of scientific evidence behind why calorie counting doesn’t work for people:

• People are so bad at calorie counting that a recent study showed that people underestimate their daily food intake by an average of 47% and overestimate their calories burned from workouts by 30%.
• The USDA has shown that labels can be off by over 20% on the average package.
• Even dieticians are bad at calorie counting, underestimating their intake by 20% on average per day.
• And let’s not forget to mention overeating.  Most people rarely eating exact serving sizes.

Don’t get us wrong, calorie counting does work, but NOT IF YOU CAN’T STICK WITH IT!  If nobody can stick with it but personal trainers and fitness celebs, then why use it?

This is just another example of how weight loss is a mental game, not just a physical one.

Focus on the quality of your foods and NOT JUST calories.

5. Do a Carbohydrate Detox

This goes hand-in-hand with the hormonal problems the body experiences at this weight, especially with INSULIN.

The chances that the body is insulin resistant when you have 30+ pounds to lose is high (probably greater than 80%).

This means that when you do eat carbohydrates, your body processes them VERY poorly, and you need more and more to feel any real, natural energy from them.

An apple should feel like an energy boost, but it’s likely that eating one does almost nothing for you.  Your body needs to be desensitized to carbohydrates for this to happen.

You should feel good eating good things.

You should also feel bad eating bad things.

If you don’t, there’s something off with your body.  Minimizing carbohydrates for the first couple weeks of dieting will help this process.

Eat (0-50g) a day, and you will notice a big difference when reintroducing.

6. Get a Plan in Place

Just having a plan and keeping a journal more than doubles your chances of dieting success.

It’s a daunting process for anyone, and that is why most dieters try 4-5 diets a year.  Despite this, less than 1% of diets are ever successful.

Alex and I had ALL of this in mind when we designed our fast weight loss program, the 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge.

People lose an average of 10-21 pounds in 21 days and absolutely love it!  But even better than the weight loss is the feedback we get from people about how the program has taught them how to change their eating habits and find a diet that truly works for them in the long-term.

We have over 1,000 people in our private support group going through the Challenge together, and every day they are sharing experiences, results, motivation, and lots of recipes!

If you have 30+ pounds to lose and ready to make a big and PERMANENT change in your life, this is the ONLY place you should start.  The program was designed in a way that it can be completed in multiple rounds if you have more weight to lose (at no additional cost).

The concepts that we teach will help you make the necessary changes in your diet and your lifestyle and how to keep them “beyond the diet.”

Click here to get started with YOUR 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge today!

If you enjoyed this article on how to lose 30 lbs fast or have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below!