Depriving yourself of food may seem like an obvious way to lose weight quickly but it can be the least efficient diet of all. Your metabolism, energy levels and motivation will all suffer and any weight loss you achieve is likely to be temporary. You can make less drastic changes to your lifestyle that will be more effective and easier to live with.
Starvation
An evolutionary defense against starvation sets in when you don't eat enough, according to dietitian Juliette Kellow. Instead of shedding fat, your body will take the calories it needs from muscles and actively add to your fatty tissue. This would be ideal in a famine, but it is working against weight loss. Not only do you want to shed fatty tissue, but muscles are helping boost your metabolism---the speed your body burns calories.
Eating Less
To lose weight, your body needs fewer calories than it burns. Eating less, within reason, is one way to achieve this. Check your portion sizes, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. A meal should contain 1 to 2 oz. of meat, 1 to 2 cups of fruits and vegetables and 2 to 3 oz. of whole grains. Healthy snacks can help by reducing your hunger and keeping meals smaller.
Substitute Foods
Eating differently will help you keep to a weight loss plan. Add more vegetables, substitute whole grains for refined products, such as bread, rice and pasta. These foods contain more dietary fiber, which fills you up and keeps you feeling full for longer. Use lower fat options for milk and cheese, and substitute baked or broiled foods for fried. Not only will you eat fewer calories, your food will be more nutritious and boost your energy levels.
Exercise
Boost your metabolism with exercise to help burn calories and maintain weight loss. Although any exercise will burn calories---jogging, cycling or even just walking---dietitians such as Kellow say that muscle-building exercises such as resistance training are most effective, "for every extra 1 pound of muscle you have, your body uses around an extra 50 calories a day!"
Lifestyle
You are unlikely to lose much, if any, weight by eating very little. Any weight loss you do achieve will be temporary as your body adjusts to deprivation. Healthier lifestyle choices, such as smaller and more frequent meals, good nutrition and exercise, are sustainable long term. Aiming to lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week will keep you healthier and more energetic than a crash diet and can represent a permanent change for your body.
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