When you think about it, weight loss can be boiled down to a math equation in which you subtract the number of calories burned from the number of calories that you ingest. If you burn more than you take in, you'll lose weight. To lose a pound, you need to cut 3,500 calories. You can do this by eating fewer calories, burning more calories in a workout, or a combination of both. If you cut 500 calories per day, and burn an additional 500 calories in a workout, you'll end up with a 7,000-calorie deficit -- or a 2 pound weight loss -- each week. Losing weight more rapidly than that isn't a good idea, reports preventative medicine physician Donald Hensrud at MayoClinic.com, but sometimes the occasional few days spent on a low-calorie diet with extra weight loss can give you motivation to continue to your weight loss goals.
Types
There are many different meal plans to aid in rapid weight loss. These plans have very few calories or require specific food groups be eaten or avoided. The Atkins Diet Revolution would include a lunch of browned hamburger meat, served on lettuce with sour cream, salsa and cheddar cheese, according to a meal plan by About Atkins. The cabbage soup diet allows different foods for different days -- all fruit on day one, for example -- supplemented by as much vegetable/cabbage soup as needed.
Features
Meal plans for rapid weight loss often include specific features including very few calories and nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables. It's possible to design your own meal plans by deciding how many calories per meal you want to spend and creating a plan to fit those criteria. For instance, a 250-calorie breakfast could include 1 cup of Cheerios cereal with 1 cup of 1 percent milk and half a banana with black coffee or tea. A 250-calorie lunch could be a large salad with lettuce, cucumbers and tomato tossed with one or two tablespoons low-fat dressing and served with a 4-oz chicken breast with two gingersnap cookies. For a 250-calorie dinner consider a 3-oz chicken breast with a half cup of pasta, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a half-cup of blueberries. Use the additional 250 calories for a snack of a piece of string cheese in the afternoon and a cup of low-fat milk and a sandwich cookie after dinner. Tools at a website such as fitday.com can help you figure out the number of calories in each meal.
Considerations
Consider upping your exercise instead of lowering your caloric intake. Aerobic exercise will not only help you lose weight, you'll feel less inclined to eat after a hard workout. You should also take a multivitamin as part of your meal plan to replace nutrients that you won't get from food.
Effects
Weight loss on very low calorie and fad diets can be significant, but physicians at MayoClinic.com suggest that much of that weight is water and then lean tissue or muscle weight. It is difficult to lose more than 2 pounds of fat per week. However, even the Mayo Clinic diet offers a two-week introduction period during which obese people can lose up to 10 pounds.
Warnings
Discuss your rapid weight loss plan with your health care provider, as he may want to suggest vitamin supplements to keep your body nutritionally sound while you are dieting. If you become light-headed or dizzy during your diet, seek medical attention.
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