How to Lose Weight Fast and Safely: Strategies From Dietitians

More than 70% of American adults have obesity or are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those wanting to lose weight as fast as possible face an important question: How can you lose that weight quickly and safely?

“The fastest way to lose weight is by creating a consistent calorie deficit with balanced meals and physical activity,” says Gaby Vaca-Flores, a registered dietitian and founder of Glow+Greens, a nutrition and skin care consultancy based in Santa Monica, California.

14 Strategies for Losing Weight Fast, According to Experts

1. Consume protein at each meal.

"Eating enough protein will help you stay satisfied and resist the temptation to snack excessively between meals," says Mitzi Dulan, a registered dietitian and team nutritionist for the Kansas City Royals. She recommends calculating about 0.7 grams of protein for each pound of your current body weight to determine how much protein you should eat each day.

"Protein also helps boost your metabolism, since it takes more calories to metabolize compared to fat and carbohydrates," she adds.

High-quality protein sources include:

"Protein preserves muscle mass and is an important nutrient for weight loss," says Jessica Brown, a New York City-area certified fitness trainer and founder of The Glute Recruit, a personal training service. "Eating enough protein may even help you avoid regaining weight."

2. Eat hot soup before a meal.

Research suggests this tactic helps people eat less. That's probably because you can't eat hot soups fast, which gives your digestive tract time to send signals to your brain" that your getting full before you begin the next course. Choose a soup that is not cream based to save on fat and calories.

3. Don't eat heavily before bed.

It turns out it may also matter when you eat. Eating right before bedtime appears to decrease calorie burning and increase fat storage during sleep.

Dulan recommends avoiding eating any additional food after dinner. This adds calories, and it also keeps your body from burning the stored calories while you sleep.

“Late-night snacking is a problem for many people, especially when it's done mindlessly while watching TV or browsing the internet,” she says. Mindless eating tends to lead people to eat more. But stopping this habit can help you shed more weight more quickly.

If you’re truly hungry versus just craving something out of boredom or to accompany binge-watching your favorite show, then aim for whole foods that aren't processed and that are rich in protein and fiber to fill you up and keep your blood sugar stable throughout the night, recommends Ashley Bannister, a registered dietitian and coach with the nutrition app Noom in New York City.

Some healthy snack choices include:

Listen to your body to know when you’re full.

4. Try a dash of chili pepper.

If you can stomach it, try a chili-laced appetizer right before your meal. It appears to have appetite suppressant activity. One study found that those who ate a chili-pepper-spiced food right before their meal ate less at the meal. Mix a teaspoonful of chopped chili pepper into mashed avocado, or sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of chili powder into chopped tomatoes for a predinner dip.

5. Exercise regularly.

Exercise is your biggest metabolism-boosting ally. Mix up the types of exercises and workouts you do to work all of your muscles and keep on a steady weight-loss trajectory.

But remember, you must stay consistent in getting regular workouts in. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes at moderate intensity per day, five times per week, per the U.S. federal guidelines for physical activity.

Strength training offers a variety of benefits for overall health and weight loss, such as toning and defining muscles and boosting your metabolism long after you leave the gym.

Dulan adds that if you’re short on time, “focus on your upper body. Your arms can show definition faster than larger muscle groups.”

While strength training helps preserve muscle mass and can help your body stay in a higher fat-burning mode long after you leave the gym, cardio should also have a place in your routine. “Cardio burns a high number of calories, helps condition the lungs and heart and supports muscle-building goals,” Brown says.

6. Get enough sleep.

Sleep is a key component of sustainable weight loss. Not sleeping enough can encourage you to make less-healthy food choices and engage in late-night snacking. This can lead to a spike in cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone that can encourage the body to preserve its fat reserves. Because sleep is so critical to health as well as weight loss, aim for seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

7. Skip calorie-bomb drinks.

Drink a couple hundred calories in a sugary smoothie, flavored coffee or any other sweetened beverage before lunch, and you'll still eat the same number of calories at your meal. It's not clear whether our stomachs actually feel fuller from solid food or whether we trick ourselves into thinking that we haven't actually "eaten," but try to eat your calories rather than drink them.

In addition, many drinks pack on calories without any nutritional value. Avoid calorie-packed drinks, such as:

8. Stay hydrated.

Staying hydrated is important to weight loss, as sometimes the body mistakes thirst for hunger, so drinking water can help you feel fuller.

9. Keep track of your eating.

“Writing down your food and beverage intake is critical to weight-loss success because it keeps you accountable,” Dulan says. “My clients often tell me their eating habits get worse when they stop logging their food intake.”

These days, you don’t have to tote around a notebook; there are dozens of apps available for your smartphone that can help you track your diet.

10. Fill up on veggies.

It's simple. Eat more vegetables. As long as they are not fried or swimming in oil and fat, vegetables are low in calories, provide great phytonutrients and contain lots of fiber to help you feel full and satisfied longer.

Before putting pasta, meat and more on your plate, fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables (although the bulk should be veggies). Once you do that, overdoing it on portions or calories is pretty difficult.

11. Eat mindfully.

We aren't as good at multitasking as we tend to think – especially when food is in the mix. Distracted eating inhibits the brain's ability to effectively gauge how much you've eaten. Studies have found that simply walking while you eat causes us to eat significantly more later. Eating in front of your computer screen or television has the same effect. The same goes for emotional eating and binge eating.

Try to slow down and eat mindfully. Remember to take in a deep breath and check in with yourself before you start eating. Then, chew your food slowly and mindfully. It'll take you a few minutes longer to eat your meal, sure, but you'll have to take fewer snack breaks throughout the day.

12. Eat more fiber.

Fiber is, technically speaking, indigestible plant-based carbohydrates. Consuming plenty of fiber can help with weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Research has found that among various dietary adjustments people made, increasing dietary fiber intake and decreasing total and saturated fat intake best predicted weight loss among people at high risk for Type 2 diabetes after a year.

Some of the best high-fiber foods include:

13. Manage stress.

Stress can affect weight. Chronic stress can trigger food cravings, increase belly fat, cause insomnia and more – all of which play a role in weight management. Exercise, yoga, mediation and social support can help you manage your stress.

14. Slow and steady wins the race.

Youdim notes that "fast weight loss is often not durable weight loss because the strategies necessary to lose weight quickly are not sustainable. But, here's a plug for slow and steady wins the race: 2 pounds per week equals 8 pounds per month, which equals nearly 25 pounds in three months and 50 pounds in six months. Not too shabby, right?"

Make smart, sustainable changes, and you may be surprised just how quickly the pounds drop off.

What Is the Quickest Way to Lose Weight?

While it’s certainly possible to restrict calories enough to lose lots of weight in a week, Vaca-Flores says it’s not a good idea to choose the most extreme diet.

"Losing 1 to 2 pounds per week is a healthy, steady rate depending on how much weight you're trying to lose. Losing more than this in one week is usually dangerous," adds Brown.

While many people want to lose weight fast without exercise, it’s important to note that exercise can help you jumpstart weight loss and sustain it over the longer term; remember, muscle is more metabolically active than fat and can help you maintain your weight. As a 2021 review study in the journal iScience found, exercise is more important for longevity and health benefits than losing weight.

Bariatric or weight loss surgery and other types of medically supervised weight loss can help those with a lot of weight to safely and permanently shed pounds. These approaches aren’t always super-fast paths to success, though, and may require patience.

Some weight loss medications can help adjust the hormones affecting your rate of weight loss. Wegovy, for example, is an injectable medication that was recently approved by the FDA to support weight loss. Wegovy works on the GLP-1 hormone secreted in the gut, causing the stomach to slow its typical rate of emptying so you feel fuller longer after eating. It also suppresses appetite.

These are options you can discuss with your doctor. It’s important to note, however, that going on a powerful medication isn’t a quick fix to help you lose a lot of weight in two weeks to get ready for that upcoming high school reunion. Instead, it should be one piece of an overall, long-term lifestyle shift that can help you get to a healthy weight at a pace that’s safe for your body. Your doctor can help connect you with the right weight loss program for your needs and goals.

Risks of Fast Weight Loss

Losing weight quickly comes with risks. Losing weight too quickly can cause you to lose muscle and lower your metabolism. It can also set you up for nutrient deficiencies and other health issues, including dehydration and constipation.

“Although you may initially see fast results, a weight loss plateau may be waiting right around the corner due to the slow-down of your metabolism,” Vaca-Flores says.

This slow-down, also known as metabolic adaptation and sometimes called “starvation mode,” happens when rapid weight loss, aka a crash diet, tricks your body into thinking you’re starving. To compensate in a restricted calorie environment, the body adapts to using fewer calories each day to function. This leads to a slowing in metabolism, which makes it even more difficult to lose weight and ultimately leads to rebound weight gain.

Cutting calories too drastically also can lead to muscle loss, which further compounds the problem. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which means it burns more calories at rest than fat does. If your body starts breaking down muscle to fuel its basic functions, that can further slow your metabolism and make losing weight and keeping it off long term difficult.

Because the body wants to preserve weight, a slow approach to losing extra pounds is healthier than drastically slashing calories. “It's better to pace your weight loss by eating just enough calories to keep you at a deficit while still meeting most of your body’s energy needs," Vaca-Flores says. "This will help keep your metabolism working efficiently."

Determining the number of calories you need to eat to meet that rate of weight loss will depend on several factors, including your age, starting weight, activity level and sex.

“The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics position statement on adult weight management recommends 1,200 to 1,500 calories per day for women and 1,500 to 1,800 calories per day for men to support weight loss.," says Candace Pumper, a staff dietitian with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. She notes, however, those guidelines are “not meant to substitute for professional nutritional advice or treatment. It’s recommended individuals follow the advice of their dietitian’s guidance regarding appropriate calorie intake, as many factors affect calorie needs.”

In addition, “if you lose weight too quickly, you’ll probably see dips in your energy levels and even headaches, which can make it harder to stay on your weight loss journey,” Vaca-Flores says. “This typically happens when you’re not eating enough or are over-exercising.”

Rapid weight loss may only be appropriate in rare circumstances.

"A very low-calorie diet is sometimes recommended for adults who have obesity and need to lose weight for health reasons or before weight-loss surgery," explains Mia Syn, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, South Carolina, and author of “Mostly Plant-Based.” In these cases, the diet "is only followed for a short period of time and under the guidance of a doctor or dietitian." If you're looking to lose weight quickly, she urges you to "work with and be supervised by a health care provider."

Calories and Portion Control

Portion control is crucial if you're trying to lose weight. This applies even when you’re consuming relatively low-calorie foods. For example, there’s a huge difference between eating half a cup of rice versus two cups of rice – a difference equal to several hundred calories, which can have a big impact on your weight over time.

Over-sized plates, dinner-ware and restaurant servings have given us a skewed idea of what a healthy portion size really is.

Use your palm to determine the portions on your plate. For example, if you eat meat, make sure the portion is no larger than the inside palm of your hand. Vegetables and whole grains should make up another two palms for a well-balanced, plant-forward meal.

FAQs

How Fast Can I Lose Weight Safely?

A pound a week is really good for most people. As a general guideline, most experts say weekly losses of 0.5 to 2 pounds are doable and safe.

How Much Weight Can I Lose in a Month?

Most experts advise not losing more than eight or so pounds a month. It is not uncommon to lose a bit more during the first month or so, although it should slow after a few weeks. The most sustainable weight loss is at this pace. The more weight that you have to lose, the faster it may come off at the beginning. Men also tend to lose weight more quickly than women. Remember that weight loss isn’t the whole story. Pay attention to how your clothes fit, how you feel and your physical fitness to gauge how effective your chosen diet is for you.

What Are the Best Foods for Weight Loss?

The best weight loss meals are always those that you can prepare even when crunched for time and that you won’t get bored with. When we deprive ourselves of diverse flavors and satisfying meals, we begin to crave nutrient-deprived snacks and sweets. No matter what, it’s best to plan your meals ahead of time so that you’re not scrambling to choose something that suits your diet at the last minute, when you’re already starving and tempted by unhealthy food cravings.

Filling half of your plate with vegetables is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to lose weight. Vegetables like leafy greens, cabbage and zucchini are nutrient dense and -- depending how they’re prepared -- low in calories. Generally speaking, there is no such thing as a “bad” vegetable.

If you’re looking for guidance, shop seasonally. For example, during fall, consider vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes and other root vegetables. And if easy meal prep and budget play a role in your meal planning, you don’t have to always buy fresh. Frozen and canned produce can be just as healthful -- just read the food labels to avoid added salt, sugars and other ingredients.

Consider a meal home delivery service for weight loss if you're pressed for time.

How to Lose Belly Fat Fast? 

To some degree, abs are made in the kitchen. Limiting added sugar and focusing on vegetables and fiber-filled foods will go a long way to helping trim your waistline. Paired with healthy eating, core strengthening can improve your abdominal muscle tone, and the combination of core exercises with cardio can help make the difference for belly fat loss.

Bottom Line

Syn says that when looking to lose weight, "it's important to set realistic goals for yourself." Going too fast can set you up for a weight rebound and potential health complications later.

To avoid the all-too-common yo-yo dieting fate, Vaca-Flores recommends aiming for a modest weight loss of about half a pound per week, depending on how much weight you want and need to lose. “Taking a slower route can help prevent burnout or a frustrating weight loss plateau,” she says.

As exciting as shedding weight fast might seem, “it’s usually short-lived” because the extreme measures used to achieve fast results aren’t sustainable, “which can result in burnout and gaining all of the weight back," Vaca-Flores adds. "Taking a slow and steady approach is key for seeing consistent results that last.”

Scaling back portion sizes, swapping in more nutrient-dense food options and getting plenty of sleep and exercise are all good strategies for healthy and long-lasting weight loss.

"Weight loss takes lifestyle change, not just a quick fix diet," Syn says. "In order to stay healthy and look your best long term, you have to make many small changes."