Fitness trainer with 18 years of experience explains why slow weight loss is more sustainable for long term results

While people often chase quick fixes that deliver rapid results, long term weight management needs sustainable methods. Raj shares why the slow approach works.

When it comes to weight loss, quick results are often the goal – which is why many people turn to crash diets, restrictive meal plans, or extreme routines promising rapid transformation. While these approaches may show results in the short term, they are often difficult to maintain and can leave people stuck in a cycle of losing and regaining weight. For long-term results that actually last, the approach needs to be different: slower, steadier, and sustainable. Rather than chasing quick fixes, lasting weight loss is usually built through small, consistent habits that take time – but are far more likely to stay with you.

Raj Ganpath, a Chennai-based fitness coach with 18 years of experience, founder of the Slow Burn Method, co-founder and head coach at Quad Fitness, and author of Simple, Not Easy, is breaking down the core philosophy behind taking a slower approach to weight loss. In an Instagram video shared on May 26, the fitness coach explains why slow, steady progress often leads to more sustainable results – highlighting that lasting weight loss is less about quick fixes and more about building habits you can maintain over time.

The sprinting-walking analogy

Raj explains that weight loss should be approached much like covering a distance within a set amount of time. If you need to cover 100 metres, you would likely sprint to reach the finish as quickly as possible. You might take a similar approach for one kilometre too. But if the distance stretches to 10 or even 100 kilometres, you would naturally slow your pace to make it sustainable.

The fitness coach notes, “Would you sprint, run, jog, or walk? If you had to cover 100 m, you'd probably sprint. Get there as quickly as you can. But let's say you had to cover one kilometre. You'll still run fast, but slower than a sprint. But let's say you had to cover 10 km, you would slow down a lot. Now, let's suppose you had to cover 100 km. What would you do? You would really slow down. You would do some combination of jogging and walking.”

However, if you had to cover 100 kilometres with no urgency to reach quickly, you would probably choose to walk rather than sprint – because it is a pace you can sustain for much longer. Raj uses this to illustrate that the safest and most effective way to reach a long-term goal is often the one you can maintain consistently, which is why a slower, steadier approach tends to work better over time.

He explains, “Now, what if I said you have to cover 100 kilometers, but there is absolutely no rush. You can take all the time you want. Then what would you do? Which one of these four activities will get you to your destination safely and surely? You would say walking. Why? Because it's a long journey. You have to make it sustainable. You can't push too hard. You don't want to burn out.”

A sustainable approach to weight loss

Raj uses this analogy to explain why weight loss works best when approached slowly and sustainably. He says that if you only have a small amount of weight to lose, faster or even more extreme methods may deliver quick results. But when the goal is to lose five to 10 kilos – or even 20 to 30 kilos – the mindset has to shift towards the long term. While smaller goals may take a few months, larger and lasting weight loss usually takes much longer. That’s why, he says, the focus should be on building an approach you can stick with consistently – one that feels sustainable enough to become part of your everyday habits and lifestyle.

The fitness coach highlights, “If you have just a couple of kilos to lose, do whatever you want. Rapid weight loss, dump sugar, do something extreme, doesn't matter. But let's say you have about five to 10 kilos to lose, you're going to have to slow down. It's going to take a few months. You have to be patient. You have to make it sustainable. But let's say you have more than 20 or 30 kilos to lose, you're going to have to really slow down. You have to make small, simple changes, and try and be consistent with it. Because in the long term, only what is sustainable will take you to your destination. It's going to be slow. It's going to be boring, but it's going to be sustainable and it will surely take you to your destination.”

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