Losing weight can be a slow, arduous process. Losing weight quickly can help to motivate you to stay on a diet and exercise plan. If you are obese and suffering from weight-related health problems, you may want to lose weight fast so that weight-related health problems will be alleviated. Use caution, however, as weight loss that takes place too rapidly can consist of muscle and will thwart your weight-control efforts in the future.
Eat a Diet High in Protein
High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets can be a good way to jump start your weight loss. Protein provides satiety, which may help to keep you from eating too many calories during the day. Some dieters who follow a low-carbohydrate diet lose up to twice as much weight as those who follow a typical low-calorie diet, according to the Washington University in Illinois. Initial weight loss can be quite dramatic, as a low intake of carbohydrates will cause your body to rid itself of excess water weight. Just don't stick to it for very long, as diets that are high in protein can increase your risk of health problems.
Lots of Exercise
Exercise every day to lose weight. Choose activities that you enjoy, and do one of them every single day. Your body is made to move, and without burning extra calories from exercises it will be very difficult to lose weight at all, let alone quickly. To lose weight at a faster rate do exercises that burn lots of calories. A 180-lb. person can burn almost 1,000 calories running at a seven mile per hour pace.
Very Low Calorie Diet
Very low calorie diets, or VLCDs, are designed for people who are very obese who must lose a large amount of weight in a relatively short period of time, usually due to health problems. Such diets typically offer less than 800 calories per day and should be medically supervised as health issues can arise from severe calorie restriction. People who are on VLCDs can expect to lose 3 to 5 lbs. per week, according to the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition RFO Weight Loss Program.
Surgery
Weight loss surgery is a last resort for individuals who have tried to lose weight on repeated occasions but who have not been successful. Surgery may be recommended to help obese patients lose weight and gain relief from weight-related health problems. Unless you have a medical need to lose weight very quickly, you should avoid weight-loss surgery, as it has medical risks that you may find unacceptable. For example, gastric bypass surgery has a mortality rate as high as 2 percent, according to the University of California at San Diego Health System. Gastric banding is a safer procedure, although it can have complications as well.
References
- Washington University in St. Louis: Atkins' Diet Shows Greater Initial Weight Loss
- American Heart Association: High-Protein Diets
- Harvard School of Public Health: Healthy Weight
- ProHealth: Exercise and Activity Calculator
- UCLA Health System: Dietary Programs--Very Low Calorie Diet
- University of California at San Diego Health System: About Gastric Bypass Surgery
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