Rapid Fat & Weight Loss

When you decide to change your lifestyle to slim down and become healthier, you may want to know the most efficient way to achieve rapid fat and weight loss. Some diets and workout plans produce results faster than others, but even rapid weight loss requires patience and dedication. Losing weight too quickly can cause you to regain the weight soon after because a large portion of the pounds and inches you lose will be water. Many dieters have dropped weight quickly with a low-carbohydrate diet that causes their bodies to use fat for energy rather than carbohydrates. Consult your physician before going on any rapid weight-loss diet.

Starvation Mode

If your body's lean mass --- that is, your muscles, bones and internal organs --- receives too little nutrition, it will make up for the deficit by breaking down your fat and muscle for nutrients. According to the University of Cincinnati Net Wellness site, consuming fewer than half of the calories your body needs will trigger starvation mode in individuals. Obese dieters will lose a higher percentage of body fat than the non-obese, who tend to lose muscle tissue more easily. Starvation mode can be dangerous when it causes your body to break down vital organs such as your heart.

Function

According to the Harvard Medical School, experts aren't sure why low-carbohydrate diets lead to the quickest weight loss. They may work quickly by suppressing your appetite, although the long-term effects are less well documented and may involve higher levels of cholesterol from increased meat consumption. Low-carbohydrate diets restrict the fiber, fruits and vegetables in your diet, which can lead to adverse health effects such as hemorrhoids and diverticulosis. Diverticula cause painful intestinal inflammation.

Time Frame

A long-term weight-loss study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that all reduced-calorie diets led to the same amount of weight loss after two years, regardless of the ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrates. According to Vanderbilt University, however, many people who used the Atkins diet lost five pounds or more per week for the first two weeks. The Atkins diet restricts carbohydrates to as little as 15 grams a day, or 3 percent of a 2,000-calorie diet, whereas the Harvard School of Public Health study reduced carbohydrates to a minimum of 35 percent of total caloric intake.

The Facts

If you want to lose more than 10 to 30 pounds, you'll probably have to spend longer than a month or two on any diet you choose, including the Atkins diet. According to Harvard Health Publications, you can improve the healthfulness of a long-term, low-carb diet by choosing lean meats, replacing saturated fat with unsaturated, plant-based fat and eating your carbohydrates in the form of whole grains. Changing your eating habits to cause rapid fat and weight loss will alter your cholesterol levels, metabolism and caloric needs.

Considerations

If you're losing weight to make yourself healthier and more energetic, consider adopting an exercise routine to accompany your diet plan. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that all adults exercise for 30 minutes at a moderate intensity five days a week. When you exercise, you can eat more food because you'll burn extra calories for energy. Changing your lifestyle to include exercise will ensure that you stay thin, healthy and energetic after achieving your weight-loss goals.