Is It Healthy To Lose 10 Pounds In 10 Days?

Losing weight as quickly as possible may seem desirable when you are overweight or obese, but losing weight at a rapid pace of 10 lbs in 10 days isn't without health consequences. To stay healthy while you lose weight, keep your weight-loss rate under control.

Safe Weight-Loss Rate

Losing 10 lbs. in 10 days is an unsafe rate of weight loss unless you are under a doctor's supervision. A safe rate to lose weight is 1 to 2 lbs. per week, not per day, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. If you follow this safe weight-loss rate, it will take you 5 to 10 weeks, not 10 days, to lose 10 lbs.

Daily Calorie Needs

To lose 10 lbs. in 10 days, you would have to burn 3,500 calories more than you eat each day for the 10-day period. If you are a woman and eat the bare minimum of 1,200 calories daily, you would have to burn 4,700 calories each day. For a man who eats the bare minimum of 1,500 calories per day, you would have to burn 5,000 calories each day. If you weigh 200 lbs, you would have to run at a speed of 8 mph for around four hours to burn 4,700 to 5,000 calories.

Consequences of Rapid Weight Loss

When you embark on a weight-loss journey, your goal should be to burn off unhealthy fat and build lean muscle mass. By trying to lose 10 lbs. in 10 days, you will likely lose lean muscle mass and water weight instead of losing the fat in your body. It is also likely that a diet that enables you to lose weight at a rate of 1 lb. per day doesn't include sufficient nutrients to sustain you, which means that you can suffer from malnutrition. Malnutrition can lead to health problems. For example, if your diet doesn't include enough potassium, you can suffer from a heart attack or stroke. Additionally, once you stop following the strict diet that enabled you to lose 10 lbs. in 10 days, you will likely gain the 10 lbs. back.

Alternatives to Rapid Weight Loss

Instead of trying to lose weight rapidly through unhealthy eating habits or outrageous exercise requirements, you should eat a balanced diet and follow a healthy exercise program. A balanced diet includes foods from all of the major food groups -- grains, fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy or suitable vegan alternatives. Women need an average of 1,600 to 2,200 calories daily, and men need 2,200 to 2,600 calories per day, depending on activity level. Moreover, 150 to 300 minutes of exercise weekly is a sufficient amount for adults, notes the U.S. Department of Agriculture in its "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010."