With the right marketing and convincing spokesman, the diet industry can make even the most ridiculous diet seem not only effective but scientifically valid. The truth is, no diet can promise significant weight loss in a short three days. Any diet that makes this claim is either lying to you or using potentially dangerous methods to give you temporary results.
Safe Rate of Weight Loss
It's only safe to lose about 2 lbs. per week, according to the Weight-control Information Network. When you lose weight too quickly, you overtax your kidneys, increase your risk of gallstones, and lose more water and lean tissue than fat. While it's occasionally fine to lose more than 2 lbs. per week, to do so on a consistent basis, or in a period of time as short as three days, can have serious health consequences.
Safety of Fad Diets
Fad diets, diet pills and weight-loss gadgets don't have to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines. That means no matter how convincing the "experts" seem or how solid the "science" looks, there's no reliable way to know if diets or products that promise fast weight loss are safe or effective. Fad diets increase your risk of nutritional deficiencies, especially when they limit calories or severely restrict your food choices.
Popular Diets
The most popular of these types of diets is the 3-Day Diet. The 3-Day Diet has been passed around for decades and has been misleadingly called "The Cleveland Clinic Diet." The plan claims you can lose as much as 10 lbs. in 72 hours. This diet doesn't have any special food combinations or tricks that speed up fat loss. It's simply a very low-calorie diet that results in fast fluid loss. Once you begin eating normally again, it's very likely that you'll gain back any weight you lost.
A Safer Approach
A safer approach to losing weight involves eating fewer calories and burning additional calories through moderately intense physical activity. This approach takes longer than three days, but when done right, it actually decreases your risk of health complications rather than increasing it. Lowering your salt intake, increasing your water intake and getting enough exercise can help you lose excess weight associated with swelling or bloating. If you have a big event to attend, like a class reunion or wedding, you'll be better served finding an outfit that flatters the figure you already have than spending three days punishing your body with fad diets.
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