Lose Weight Fast: How to Do It Safely

Working on weight loss? Then you probably want results -- fast.

Let me save you some time: skip the fad diets. Their results don't last. And you have healthier options you can start on -- today!

How to Lose Weight Fast

If you burn 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week, you should lose about 1-2 pounds.


If you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to eat less and exercise more.

For instance, if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in the first week, or more if you weigh more than 250 pounds. It's very important not to cut calories any further -- that's dangerous.

Limiting salt and starches may also mean losing more weight at first -- but that's mostly fluids, not fat.

"When you reduce sodium and cut starches, you reduce fluids and fluid retention, which can result in up to 5 pounds of fluid loss when you get started," says Michael Dansinger, MD, of NBC's The Biggest Loser show.



Diets for Fast Weight Loss

Dansinger recommends eating a diet that minimizes starches, added sugars, and animal fat from meat and dairy foods. For rapid weight loss, he recommends focusing  on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat.

Here are more tips from Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet:

Eat vegetables to help you feel full.
Drink plenty of water.
Get tempting foods out of your home.
Stay busy -- you don't want to eat just because you're bored.
Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table. No grazing in front of the 'fridge.
Don't skip meals.
Keeping a food journal -- writing down everything you eat -- can also help you stay on track.

"Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss," says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It.

Besides jotting down what you ate, and when, you might also want to note how you were feeling right before you ate it. Were you angry, sad, or bored? We often focus so much on foods and calories, but our emotions are a huge part of our eating habits.

If you see a persistent pattern in your emotional eating, please consider talking to a counselor about it. They can be a big help in finding other ways to handle your feelings.

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Mother asks hospital repay £650,000 she donated after death of her son

A mother who was awarded an MBE for fundraising has demanded the hospital who cared for her dying son repay the £650,000 she donated because it has failed to invest the money.

Chris Evans-Thomas lost her 35-year-old son Adam to leukaemia in 2004.

His last wish was to improve cancer services at Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest but, 10 years later, his legacy has still not been invested.

As his illness progressed, Mr Evans-Thomas wanted to give something back to the hospitals that had helped him and he began raising money through the Adam's Bucketful of Hope appeal to refurbish the cancer ward at Withybush and build a new cancer day unit.

When he died, his mother took on the legacy and through the high-profile nature of her son's campaign, she helped to raise £649,776 for cancer services in Pembrokeshire.

She told the BBC she had repeatedly been given dates for when his wish would be fulfilled but it never has, and now she wants the money back to reinvest into the Pembrokeshire community.

She added her son would be "very, very saddened" that the money had yet to be invested.

Ms Evans-Thomas, who has received an MBE for her fundraising, said she would not give up until she had "got something to show, to have some meaning why Adam had to go".

Hywel Dda health board said £550,000 had been set aside for the refurbishment of the main cancer ward at Withybush and to build a cancer day unit.

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BELIEVE IT OR NOT, CARDIO BUILDS MUSCLE

If you avoid cardio because you think it may negate or slow your muscle gains, think again: According to a new review of 14 studies, aerobic training like running, walking, and cycling not only doesn’t diminish leg muscle mass—it actually increases it. 

In several of the studies reviewed, both younger and older men who did about 45 minutes of cardio four days a week at 80% max heart rate increased leg muscle size by 5% and 6%, respectively. “Aerobic exercise, if done properly, can lead to as much muscle growth as you’d expect with resistance exercise,” says study author Matthew Harber, Ph.D. “Intensity is more important than duration, so if the goal’s growth, work up to 80% of your max heart rate.”

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(News) Explosion Rocks Nigerian Shopping Mall

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — An explosion blamed on Islamic extremists rocked a shopping mall in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, and police said 21 people were killed.

The blast came as Nigerians were preparing to watch their country's Super Eagles play Argentina at the World Cup in Brazil. Many shops at the mall have TV screens but it was unclear if the explosion was timed to coincide with the match, which started an hour later.

Witnesses said body parts were scattered around the exit to Emab Plaza, in Abuja's upscale Wuse 2 suburb. One witness said he thought the bomb was dropped at the entrance to the mall by a motorcyclist. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

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