The Better Way to Try Quick Weight-Loss Strategies

If you want to lose weight, there’s nothing more motivating than seeing fast results. With warmer weather on the horizon, trying a quick-fix diet certainly is tempting, and many speedy weight-loss solutions are popular for a reason; you get the immediate satisfaction of a seeing a lighter load on the scale (and of course a looser waistband). But strategies like juice fasts, skipping meals, and cutting way back on calories aren’t sustainable in the long term, so any weight loss is likely to come back once you return to your normal eating patterns.

We talked to Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D. and author of The Doctor's Detox Diet: The Ultimate Weight Loss Prescription and Melissa Joy Dobbins M.S., R.D., for their ideas on how to follow six common diets safely—and still lose the weight you want. 

1. Juice Fasts

Christine says: “Swap one meal for juice or smoothie instead: Use a blender that retains the entire fruit and/or vegetable in the liquid (like a Vitamix that retains the pulp). That way, you get the full benefit of dietary fiber—both the soluble and insoluble portions”

Melissa says: “Skip the juice and instead try a 'fruit and veg binge.' Make most of your meals and snacks whole fruit and veggies with small amounts of protein and whole grains on the side.”

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