Lose Weight Fast: How to Do It Safely

You've heard it time and again: fad diets don't work for permanent weight loss. But what about those times when you really need to lose some weight fast? It's hard to pass up the promise of crash diets like the Lemonade Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, orLose 21 Pounds in 21 Days when your mission is to squeeze into a new outfit in time for a reunion or wedding, or you finally decide you just want to lose weight.

So what's wrong with dropping 20 pounds fast so you can wow your friends and family with a svelte new shape?

The truth is that nothing is wrong with losing weight rapidly -- as long you do it the right way, says Michael Dansinger, MD. He's the medical doctor for NBC's The Biggest Losershow, which spotlights quick and dramatic weight loss.

"In theory, one could drop as much as 20 pounds in a week following a very ambitious eating and exercise plan, devoting more than seven hours per week to rigorous exercise, and under a physician's care like we do on the television program," he says.

But even if you can't drop everything to go to weight loss "boot camp," you can safely lose 3 or more pounds a week at home with a healthy diet and lots of exercise, says weight loss counselor Katherine Tallmadge, RD.

In fact, having a goal like looking great at a wedding or reunion can be a great motivator, as long as you follow a weight loss plan that you can keep up after the special event.

But you need to plan ahead and allow enough time to make changes to your shape.

"Don't wait until one week before the reunion to try and lose 10 pounds," advises Tara Gidus, MS, RD, team dietitian for the Orlando Magic.

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Choosing a Weight Loss Program

During any one year, more than half of all Americans go on a diet to lose weight. For many people, it is difficult to lose more than a few pounds, and few succeed in remaining at the reduced weight. The difficulty in losing weight and keeping it off leads many people to turn to a professional or commercial weight loss program for help. When considering joining a weight loss program, choose wisely.

Almost any of the commercial weight loss programs can work but only if they motivate you sufficiently to decrease the amount of calories you eat or increase the amount of calories you burn through physical activity each day (or both).

What Should I Look for In a Weight Loss Program?

• Make sure it is safe. Whether you create your own weight loss program or use a commercial one, make sure it is safe. A safe diet should include all of the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, minerals, and protein. The diet should be lower in calories (energy) only, not in essential vitamins or minerals. In general, a diet containing 1,000 to 1,200 calories a day should be selected for most women; a diet between 1,200 calories per day and 1,600 calories per day should be chosen for men, however, speak with your doctor first.
• Slow, steady weight loss. The program should be directed toward slow, steady weight loss unless your doctor feels your health condition would benefit from more rapid weight loss. Expect to lose only about a pound a week after the first week or two. With many calorie-restricted diets, there is an initial rapid weight loss during the first one to two weeks, but this loss is largely fluid. The initial rapid loss of fluid also is regained rapidly when you return to a normal-calorie diet. Thus, a reasonable goal of weight loss should be expected. The rate of weight loss should be 1 pound to 2 pounds each week.

When inquiring about a commercial weight loss program, be sure you are provided with a detailed statement of fees and costs of additional items such as dietary supplements or foods. Other important questions to ask of any potential weight loss program include:

• Does the staff consist of qualified counselors and health professionals such as registered dietitians, doctors, and exercise physiologists?
• Are food choices flexible and suitable?
• Are weight loss goals set by the client and/or the health professional?
• What percentage of people complete the program?
• What is the average weight loss among people who finish the program?
• What percentage of people have problems or side effects? What are they?
• Is there a maintenance program to help keep the weight off once it's lost?

If you plan to lose more than 15 pounds to 20 pounds, have any health problems, or take medication on a regular basis, your doctor should evaluate you before you start a weight loss program. A doctor can assess your general health and medical conditions that might be affected by dieting and weight loss.

Also, a doctor should be able to recommend appropriate programs and help you come up with a sensible weight loss goal. If you plan to use a very-low-calorie diet, you definitely should be examined and monitored by a doctor.

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Want a better beginning to your weight loss plan? Get going with these tips from the experts.

No matter how you slice it, diet is a dirty word. It smacks of deprivation and hunger pangs. To overcome the pain, you need a plan.

So WebMD asked the experts for advice, and put together their quick tips on how to get your weight loss going.

1. Know Your Weight Loss Goals

Consider how much you need to lose before you decide how to do it, recommends Brian C. Jacobson, MD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine and a gastroenterologist at Boston University Medical Center in Massachusetts.

Very overweight or obese. "For someone obese, I refer them to our weight loss center," says Jacobson, who says people with a lot of weight to lose can probably benefit from a structured, supervised program.

If you're slightly or moderately overweight."I advise controlling portion size," Jacobson says. "If you control portion size, you cut calories."

To learn correct portion sizes, consult a registered dietitian or take a look at the USDA's new MyPlate guidelines. 

Exercise also has to be part of your plan, Jacobson tells the do-it-yourselfers. But that doesn't necessarily mean joining a gym. "Buy a cheap treadmill," he says, and when you're watching TV, hop on and take a walk.

Before starting a new exercise regime or weight loss plan, however, remember to talk with your doctor.

2. Understand Your Weight Loss Personality

Personality plays a role in our attitude towards food, says Thomas R. Przybeck, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, who has published on the topic of diet and personality. Know your tendencies and tailor your plan to conquer the unproductive inclinations.

Impulsive. "If you have a tendency to be impulsive, you might see a pint of Ben & Jerry's in the freezer and go for it," Przybeck says. Clearly you are a dieter who needs to remove those temptations.

Oblivious. If you tend to not pay attention when you eat -- maybe you're a TV snacker? -- you need to avoid such situations if you want to control portions.

Uptight. "If you are highly anxious, you will probably have more difficulty," Przybeck says. "Those who are anxious, nervous, and depressed might eat to feel better."

Tenacious. Certain personalities don't find it that difficult losing weight. "If you are highly self-directed, cooperative, and have a lot of stick-to-it-ive-ness, you are going to have an easier time," Przybeck says.

Sociable. You tend to monitor your food intake better than others, Przybeck found.

3. Double Up: Diet & Exercise

When her heartburn patients ask which should come first, diet or exercise, Lauren Gerson, MD, MSc, director of the Esophageal and Small Bowel Disorders Center at Stanford University School of Medicine in California, says: jump in and do both.

"It's a combination of diet and exercise [that will lead to weight loss]," she says.

4. Make a Firm Weight Loss Commitment

To be successful, it helps to understand why you want to lose weight. So before you begin a weight loss plan, ask yourself:

• Am I ready to do this?
• Is my motivation coming from within?
• Can I deal with occasional setbacks or lack of progress?
• Can I focus on weight loss fully? (If you're in the midst of a job change or other distractions, for example, it might be better to resolve those issues, and then focus on weight loss efforts.)

Finally, be sure you're committed to losing weight for yourself -- not because someone else is pressuring you to do so.

Then, take things slowly, keep these tips in mind, and you should be on the road to weight loss in no time.

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How much weight do you really need to lose?

Maybe you've been struggling -- without success -- to get down to the size you were in high school or on your wedding day. But do you really need to go that low? The truth, experts say, is that you can weigh more than your ideal weight and still be healthy (not to mention happy).

If you're overweight, losing just 10% of your body weight is associated with a myriad of health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar, and reducing your risk for heart disease. Not only that, experts say, but this kind of weight loss is easier to attain and maintain, setting you up for success in the long run.

Your Weight "Set Point"

Just as your body temperature is programmed to stay around 98.6 degrees, your body weight is naturally regulated to stay within a range of 10%-20%, says Thomas Wadden, PhD, director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at University of Pennsylvania Medical School. This weight range is known as the "set point."

A complex set of hormones, chemicals, and hunger signals help your body naturally maintain your weight within this range, says American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD.

It is not just a matter of genetics, though. Your eating and exercise habits can also help to determine your set point.

"Overeating swamps the internal regulatory system, and, as a result, the set point increases -- which is much easier to do than it is to lower it," says Wadden. The body adjusts to the higher weight and "resets" the set point to defend the new weight. 

It is difficult, but not impossible, to set your range lower. "With changes in healthy eating and exercise behavior, you can lower your set point," says Blatner.

The 10% Solution to Weight Loss

A recent book, Break Through Your Set Point: How to Finally Lose the Weight You Want and Keep It Off, by George Blackburn, MD, suggests that maintaining a 10% loss for six months to a year helps your body adjust to the lower weight and thus reset the set point.

Wadden explains that when you lose large amounts of weight at once, you set up an internal struggle and hormones like ghrelin spike to make you hungrier as your body tries to defend its comfortable range.

Instead, experts recommend that you try losing 10% the old-fashioned way -- by slowly changing eating and exercise behaviors -- then maintain this new weight for a few months before trying to lose more.  Not only will your body get the signal to lower its "set point," but you'll give yourself a chance to get used to new food choices, smaller portions, and regular exercise. 

“When patients lose 10% it may not be the pant size they want, but they start to realize how a little weight loss impacts their health in very positive ways," says Blatner. "They feel better, sleep better, have more energy or less joint pain, and some people are able to reduce medications."

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