Quick weight loss seems to be all the rage for TV shows and weight loss programs. You can, indeed, lose a pound a day or more by dieting. However, the results will certainly not be what you are looking for..
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In these days of instant results, or at least a desire for them, unrealistic expectations for weight loss seem to be the rule. You can lose quite a bit of weight by not eating at all. And you can sustain this weight loss by continuing to not eat. This is the extreme version of weight loss programs that advocate calorie reduction and calorie counting. This doesn’t sound too appealing, does it?

A calorie reduction approach with quick weight loss diets means that you must cut way back on calorie intake until you lose weight. The two main problems with this strategy are that: 1) eating less for weight loss is indiscriminate – meaning that muscle loss is part of the drop in weight; and, 2) it is not sustainable unless you maintain your caloric intake at the same low rate forever.

The bottom line is that if you don’t mind losing lean body mass, and if you don’t mind being hungry for the rest of your life, then quick weight loss is what you are looking for. However, if you want to lose fat instead of muscle, which is better for your health anyway, then calorie reduction is not the way to go. And if you want to have at least a satisfying amount of food, when starving yourself is not the way to go.

It makes me wonder what the long-term results are for all those ‘success’ stories on The Biggest Loser. I’d bet that they are no better than those of the public in general, which are nothing to brag about.

Note About Quick Weight Loss vs. Abnormal Fat

One of the core issues, among many, for weight loss is that overweight and obesity are driven by the accumulation of abnormal fat. This is the fat that appears around the belly and on the thighs, arms, and butt. Abnormal fat also builds up around internal organs, which is especially dangerous for health, although you don’t see it.

Almost all quick weight loss protocols fail to select the loss of abnormal fat over the kinds that you should keep. This is a fundamental problem, since any loss of normal fat comes back quickly. It appears as unwanted weight gain, although you have to have it. The regain of abnormal fat, however, is what you don’t want.

The bottom line is that quick weight loss is not beneficial for long-term weight management or health.

Perspectives on quick weight loss,

Dr. D