I’ve been approached a number of times, as a personal trainer, by people who wanted to talk about how to lose weight. I love talking about exercise and nutrition, so of course whenever the opportunity comes up I immediately launch into the benefits of increased physical activity, and the importance of a balanced, nutrient rich diet. Sometimes people are both interested and impressed with my spiel, but every now and then I get someone who interrupts: “No, I mean, I want to lose weight really fast. Which diet would you recommend for that?”

Ooh. Um, none? The thing is, I don’t really like or approve of any of the diets on the market today that promise rapid weight loss; especially if that promise is coupled with claims that it’s easy, or that you “won’t even have to” exercise. Losing weight is not only about fitting into a smaller size or looking better at the beach: at least, it shouldn’t be.

For people who are overweight, a good weight loss program should focus on much more than seeing a smaller number on the scale. The goal of a good weight loss diet is to decrease the body’s fat content: not to cut pounds through dehydration or to decrease muscle mass through starvation.

Diets that promise rapid weight loss, such as low-carbohydrate, liquid, or detoxification diets are generally not healthy, and can actually lead to serious problems. The most common ailments affecting dieters on these types of programs are dehydration, malnutrition, headaches and dizziness. To lose weight really fast usually involves of depriving your body of nutrients it needs—especially if you’re coupling a change in diet with an exercise program—and the results of such deprivation are rarely positive.

To help you lose weight really fast (well, as fast as possible) while staying healthy, a diet should be reduced in daily calories from what you’re eating now, but should still contain the recommended amounts of major food groups, such as lean meats, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. It should be coupled with calorie-burning cardiovascular exercise and metabolism-raising resistance training. Extending your cardio workout by a few minutes each day or lowering your calorie intake a little (check with a health professional for numbers specific to your personal needs, and remember that eating too few calories will actually slow your metabolism) can help you lose weight at a healthy pace. You’ll look and feel better in no time.

Health and fitness consciousness is perhaps higher today than it ever has been. In spite of ever-increasing awareness about the importance of physical activity, people are still looking for a way to lose weight quick. Unfortunately, fast weight loss products and programs often leave consumers disappointed and without lasting results. To maximize fat loss, the best method is to combine a healthy, reduced-calorie diet with daily exercise. Developing healthy lifestyle habits will help you look and feel better; and will almost always prove a better investment than any product or system on the market.

If you’re at a loss for how to begin a successful weight loss program, it never hurts to consult a health care professional. Also beneficial can be a book or a bit of online research to get a basic understanding of nutrition. Understanding what types of fuel your body needs, and in what proportions, is the first step in changing your personal diet for the better.

If your goal is to lose weight quick, a reduced calorie diet combined with increases in cardiovascular and strength training exercise is your best bet. Don’t expect to lose a dress size in a week: weight loss at a rate of 1-3 pounds per week is healthy and can be kept up for an indefinite amount of time. Any faster weight loss is more likely to lead to complications and illness related to dehydration and malnutrition.

If I knew of a secret to lose weight quick, I would gladly share it here. The bad news is that I don’t have any tips or tricks beyond what you already know. The good news is that what you know about developing a healthy lifestyle will work to achieve weight loss and increased overall fitness. Now it’s just a matter of putting this knowledge to work to change your life for the better.

If I told you that eating nothing but mandarin oranges while staying in bed for a week would help you drop 10 pounds and fit into a smaller dress or pants size, would you try it? I bet someone would. Now let’s be clear from the get-go: I am not advocating this as a valid or healthy weight loss diet. But what if I gave it a fancy name—The Mandarin Rest Diet, perhaps— found some people to try it out, and wrote a book about it? Then would you give it a shot? I would hope that your answer is no. I would hope that somewhere in your mind there’s a voice that would say, “That can’t be healthy,” or, “I don’t really see how that would work,” or, “What kind of weight loss program doesn’t let you exercise?” That voice would be the voice of reason.

But in the United States alone, selling the promise of weight loss is a $40 billion a year industry. It would be great if those numbers could be attributed primarily to healthy recipe cookbooks and athletic club or fitness organization memberships, but the facts show otherwise. Everyone wants to lose fat quick, or get fit in only minutes a day. People want easy, cookie-cutter programs, like mandarins and bed rest. And for everyone hoping to find a miracle weight loss solution, there is someone trying to sell one.

How to Lose Fat Quick: The research

Research has shown time and time again that the best method to lose weight is to take steps toward living a healthier overall lifestyle. It is a combination of cardiovascular exercise, resistance training, and eating the right amounts of the right things to fuel your body efficiently. We as consumers need to get smart and start making changes for the better today; rather than continue to be duped by an industry that is primarily selling false hope. There is no recipe to lose fat quick that will prove as beneficial as developing healthy habits. It might not be easy, but it’ll work for the rest of your life. And I can’t promise that of any other diet out there.