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In general, fast weight loss is not healthy. The faster you lose weight, the faster you'll gain it back. Here are the top 5 reasons fast weight loss plans are not healthy...

1. Diet fast and lose muscle not fat.
2. Diet fast and lose water not fat.
3. Diet fast and cause diet shock. What is diet shock?
4. Diet fast and make no lifestyle changes.
5. Diet fast and fail at long term weight loss.

Fast weight loss impacts your dieting efforts in so many negative ways, it's hard to imagine how any fast dieting attempts could produce healthy results.

The only thing I can think of is to use a lower goal for your weight loss. At a 5% weight reduction, your health improves, diet shock is minimized, and it's fast.

So, if planned properly, you can lose weight fast, in shorter time periods focusing on 5% reductions in total body weight.

At first, you will lose mostly muscle and water. But as you progress through each period, more and more fat will burn and less muscle. The way I see it, no matter how many fast weight loss warnings we write about, many of you will try the next one that hits the market. Instead of fighting, I want to work with you and provide you the healthiest yet fastest way to lose weight.

The Healthiest Fast Weight Loss Plan

Slow and consistent, a healthy weight loss plan delivers small successes everyday, building momentum along the way, peaking at the point in time when you reach you're goal. This is key to dieting success.

Most dieters do the opposite...they experience fast weight loss early, their momentum peaks mid-way, and by the end of the diet, they are completely deflated. With no energy left to carry them into the next stage of weight loss -- weight gain prevention -- most dieters give up at this point.

My fast weight loss plan avoids the deflation and lack of motivation at the end of the diet because it evenly spreads the weight loss over 6 weeks. When do most dieters lose the most weight? Weeks 1-3. On my plan? Weeks 2-5.

No, these results are not from a good rigorous clinical study. Instead, they are my own observation of several patients I follow in Dallas.

Healthy Fast Weight Loss Steps

1. Week One, Part One -- drink a protein shake supplement everyday. Do not change anything else. Drink a protein shake that's a 50:50 mix of whey to casein proteins. The best time to drink the shake depends on your physical activities. Since most bodybuilders know what to do, I suggest for the rest of us, a protein shake between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner. The time you choose depends on when you have the longest period of fasting. For me, it's between lunch and dinner, so my shake comes around 3pm. Week One, Part Two -- Start an exercise program, with the first week involving nothing but stretching major muscle groups. Stretching increases the tonal stimulation to muscles (tone) causing them to burn more calories at rest. Plus it protects against injuries. The second week start some form of low impact aerobics...walking! Walk for 40 minutes everyday.
2. Week Two -- Start dieting by replacing 1/2 of a meal with the same protein shake from last week. Do this for 1 week.
3. Week Three -- Replace one whole meal with a protein shake. Change the mixture of the shake to 60% whey and 40% casein proteins. For most people, this comes out to about a 500 calorie reduction.
4. Week Four -- Reduce caloric intake by another 250 calories. I suggest adding a second protein shake, made up of the same 60:40 mix and use it to replace 1/2 of a another meal. Record the amount of weight you're losing. Never let it reach a rate of more than 4 pounds per week (that's double what I normally recommend).
5. Week Five -- Repeat week four.
6. Week Six -- Add back the last 250 calories you dropped and stop drinking the second shake.

End Result -- 12 to 18 pounds of average weight loss. The exact amount depends on many factors including exercise.

Fast Weight Loss Summary

Don't do it. Fast weight loss inevitably will lead to future weight gain. Just don't do it. But, if you do, at least follow my steps, the healthiest steps to fast weight loss.

To Healthy Living!

Michael A. Smith, MD

Chief Medical Consultant

Diet Basics