Need to Lose Weight Fast? Try the 4 Fs for Quick Weight Loss

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Yes, you can lose weight fast. But should you? Well, that's a matter for a future blog. But the reality is we all "need" to drop a few pounds fast from time to time -- especially for major events like weddings, vacations or job interviews.

Dr. Paul Rivas, author of the great-named book The Cheater's Diet (HCI), has devised a fast weight loss plan that relies on four key factors: frequent small meals, fluids, fish and fiber.

Dr. Rivas urges you to not attempt a fast weight drop for more than a week or two at a time -- and to always return to a sustainable and slow weight loss plan right after!

Keep in mind that fast weight loss often sets you up for even faster weight regain.

Yet, according to WebMD.com, "The truth is that nothing is wrong with losing weight rapidly -- as long you do it the right way, says Michael Dansinger, MD. He's the medical doctor for NBC's The Biggest Loser show, which spotlights quick and dramatic weight loss."

Over at MayoClinic.com, Donald Hensrud, M.D., notes, "A slow and steady approach is easier to maintain and usually beats out fast weight loss for the long term. In some situations, however, faster weight loss can be safe if it's done the right way."

Dr. Hensrud urges you to not attempt fast weight loss for more than two weeks at a time -- and DO NOT do it with pills or fad diets.

The 4 Fs of Fast Weight Loss

"Extreme outcomes require extreme measures," Dr. Rivas notes. "The routine I'm about to recommend isn't easy. That's why I don't suggest you try it as a long-term diet strategy.

"Although the 4-F eating plan may be great for nudging that scale needle toward the left, it is extremely difficult to stick with for more than a few weeks. It's inconvenient and eventually becomes unbearably boring."

1. Frequent Small Meals

Dr. Rivas suggests you eat small amounts of food 5 or 6 times a day. This has the effect of keeping insulin levels steady. If you are on the Diet-to-Go meal plan, simply reconfigure your day's meals so you spread some of the side dishes into mid-meal meals! Fruit, V-8 drinks nand cheese sticks all work well as mini-meals.

"This sort of schedule will help you maintain a feeling of fullness, keep your calorie intake low and stoke your metabolism," Dr. Rivas says. "You'll run like a high-octane metabolic machine."

2. Fluids

We're not getting enough water and that's screwing up our kidney function. And that slows down weight loss. How? Well check this out:

"When the kidneys, whose job is removing waste from the bloodstream, don't get enough water, they don't function properly and something has to pick up the slack," Dr. Rivas explains.

"So that job goes to the liver. Among the liver's normal functions is turning fat into a form that your body can use as fuel. When the liver is distracted by doing the job of the dehydrated kidneys, however, it can't devote as much effort to its own work, fuel manufacturing, so more fat remains unused."

Drink up early and often. Dr. Rivas says for best results, drink at least two quarts (eight cups) of fluid per day PLUS an extra cup for every 3.5 points your BMI exceeds 25. Don't know your BMI? Use this tool to figure it out.

Recommend fluids: water, flavored waters, tea (green and black work best), coffee, fresh lemonade, and soup.

3. Fish

Dr. Rivas advises that for your three main meals every day, eat your protein first -- and eat as much as you like!

"Eating protein makes you feel sated more quickly, so without even realizing it, you'll find yourself reducing the number of calories you consume at meals," Dr. Rivas says.

"Fish -- especially tuna, salmon, sardines and herring -- is the best source of protein for good health, but chicken and turkey breast are acceptable options, as are pork loin, turkey sausage and turkey bacon."

4. Fiber

Fruit and whole-grain cereal provide the best fiber. Dr. Rivas prefers fruit as the primary source of his fiber.

"I recommend at least one additional fruit serving at every meal, and more, if you prefer," he says.

Fruits highest in fiber: apples, pears, plums, cherries, strawberries and prunes.

"Beans are another good source, and they offer quality protein as well," Dr. Rivas says. "Try a salad of chickpeas, kidney beans and green beans ­sprinkled with some vinegar and olive oil."

Dr. Rivas says you can take a fiber supplement if all else fails.

Author: John McGran

Archived posts 2010

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