After a certain point, it’s either “Put up or shut up,” so to speak. There are lots of us who continue our quest for the holy grail of weight loss: fast, effortless, and cheap. The bad news is that it’s really not that easy. However, based on your perception and how you frame it in your head, it’s quite possible to have all three. Here’s the good news.

Fast: this depends on your definition of fast. I lost over 100 lbs in a year. Is that fast? I think it was. A year later, I still can’t believe that I am as small as I am now. It feels like just yesterday I was 312 lbs and unable to tie my own shoes. Now, I run every other day.

Effortless: again, this depends on your definition. My weight loss was without exercise. Some would define that as effortless. All I had to do was eat the right foods. The best news about this is that I ate good foods that kept me satisfied and full so I never felt like I was starving. Since the food is delicious, I never feel like I’m missing out on flavor. I would characterize my weight loss as relatively effortless.

Cheap: it can be. I posted here about going Paleo on the cheap. While Sherry and I have invested in the more esoteric ingredients to make as many analogues as we like, it’s very easy to go Paleo without spending a lot of money. The best part: there are no supplements, vitamins, powders, shakes, patches, pills, or surgeries to undergo. That all equates into not spending a lot of money.

The only thing you have to spend is the time to plan meals, the time to make the meals, and the willpower to stick to eating right. As far as I’m concerned, that’s pretty darned easy when considering the alternatives (most of which cost a LOT of money and don’t work as well).

It’s all up to you to do the work.