The motivation to lose weight often strikes when there is little time to devote to the project, such as three weeks before swimsuit season or five days before your wedding. The truth is, rapid weight loss is unhealthy, and the lost pounds almost always come right back. However, if there is an imminent health crisis, your doctor can supervise a weight-loss program more dramatic than anything you could or should do on your own.
Reality
Losing weight is about as gradual as gaining weight is. You put on those extra pounds over time, and you'll need to take them off over time. However, sustained effort delivers results that add up faster than you would think. According to MedlinePlus, a division of the National Institutes of Health, the maximum safe rate of unsupervised weight loss is 1.5 to 2 lbs. per week, but that yields roughly 12 to 18 lbs. in just two months.
Math
One pound equals 3,500 calories, which means you need to either reduce your calorie intake or increase your calories expended by an average of 500 per day to lose 1 lb. in a week or 1,000 per day to lose 2 lbs. per week. Achieving those numbers through diet alone could lower your calorie intake below the safe minimum level of 1,200 per day for women and 1,500 per day for men, so a combination of diet and exercise is the recommended course of action.
VLCD
Under a doctor's supervision, you can lose weight faster by dramatically reducing your calorie intake to as low as 800 calories per day on a very-low-calorie-diet, or VLCD. This approach is generally reserved for patients with a body mass index over 30, which is described as "morbidly obese." Weight loss on such a program can go as high as 5 lbs. per week, but without concurrent behavior therapy and diet education, many VLCD patients regain the weight at the end of the program, according to the Weight Control Information Network.
Exceptions and Restrictions
Patients with a body mass index of 27 to 30 may be admitted to VLCD program if there are mitigating factors such as high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Adults over 50, regardless of BMI, are rarely prescribed a VLCD because older adults are already undergoing a reduction of lean body mass due to age. They are also more likely to be taking medicines that conflict with such a diet.
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