Many people become frustrated with weight loss and search desperately for a quick solution. Healthy, permanent weight loss is a slow, gradual process, however, that can seem daunting if you have a lot of weight to lose. The quicker alternatives are either unsafe, or only suitable for a small segment of the population. Your goal should be to improve your health, not endanger it. Weigh the pros and cons of quick weight loss methods with your physician.
Fasting Cleanses
You've seen the advertisements for the "miracle juices" that promise to melt away your fat in two weeks. You may shed some weight, but it won't be fat and it won't be permanent. These diets require you to consume only the juice in question for a period of time -- this is the same as severe calorie restriction, which will make you lose weight no matter what you eat as long as the calorie count is the same. On top of that, the juice is generally full of diuretics and laxatives that flush out your system, which may leave you a little less puffy as you become dehydrated, thinking you're slimming down. It is entirely possible to lose a couple of pounds this way, but it will hurt you in the long run. The lost weight will be from water, which will come right back, and from muscle mass due to calorie restriction. The more muscle mass you lose, the more likely you are to regain the weight with reinforcements, and the harder it will be for you to lose it again.
Bariatric Surgery
Bariatric surgery, in which the stomach is made smaller or bypassed altogether, generally results in a weight loss of 10 to 20 lbs. per month. The problem is that this major surgery carries risks, and is only suitable for people who have a body mass index of 40 or more, or a BMI of 35 plus weight-related medical conditions like heart disease or diabetes. While surgery has helped many morbidly obese people turn their lives around, it should only be seen as a last-ditch effort when nothing else has helped.
Diet Pills
Diet pills are not the magic solution many people think they are. Prescription pills are only safe for short-term use, and generally help you lose only 10 pounds more than you would on your own. Even so, maximum weight loss doesn't occur until you've been on the medication for six months. Over-the-counter diet pills are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so they have not been proven to be safe or effective. Most are just formulations of stimulants, diuretics and laxatives that flush out your system so it feels like you're losing weight, but you'll only lose water, not fat. The weight will come back as soon as you stop taking the pills.
Diet and Exercise
The only safe, healthy way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. You can create the calorie deficit by eating less or exercising more, but the quickest way to do it is to do both. The National Weight Control Registry is a list of people who have lost weight and kept it off for at least a year -- 89 percent of them did it with a combination of diet and exercise. The guideline for healthy weight loss is to set a goal of no more than 2 lbs. per week -- it doesn't sound like much, but weight loss often happens quickly in the beginning and you could potentially be down 10 lbs. within a single month. If you have 100 lbs. to lose, you could do it in less than a year without endangering your health.
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