How to Lose Weight Faster: What to Know

Written on July 2, 2023 by Sendra Yang, PharmD, MBA. To give you technically accurate, evidence-based information, content published on the Everlywell blog is reviewed by credentialed professionals with expertise in medical and bioscience fields.

Table of contents

• Side Effects of Losing Weight Faster
• Lose Weight via the Everlywell Telehealth Option
• Related Content

Summer is here, and you’re probably among the many Americans planning a beach trip each year. While we believe that every body is beautiful, you’re also not alone in wanting to lose weight fast to fit into that swimsuit you saw or just be able to walk confidently on the beach. You may be asking yourself how you can lose weight faster. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes a gradual and steady, healthy weight loss is around one to two pounds per week. [1]

Any weight loss greater than two pounds per week over several weeks is considered rapid weight loss. [2] Here are some tips on how to lose weight faster and, more importantly, safely.

1. Speak with a healthcare provider. Before starting any weight loss program, the first and foremost tip is to talk with your clinician about the best options to lose weight based on your medical history and circumstances. Rapid weight loss is not safe for everyone to do alone. [2] Your healthcare provider can advise you on various things you can do to help you lose weight, including using prescription medication if it is appropriate for you.
2. Reduce your calorie intake. There are low-calorie diets available that your healthcare provider can recommend for a specified amount of time to help you lose weight if you are morbidly obese. [2] These diets may involve meal replacements and are usually used before weight-loss surgery. Your healthcare provider can help determine if these caloric reduction diet strategies are an option for you.
3. Limit the time during which you eat or incorporate intermittent fasting. Time-restricted eating or intermittent fasting can help you lose weight fast. [2] Similarly to low-calorie diets, these strategies are best used with the consultation of your healthcare provider. In a time-restricted diet, you would eat all your meals within an eight-hour time frame and avoid eating outside that specific window. An intermittent fasting diet may involve eating normally on certain days of the week and fasting on others.
4. Eat a nutritious and well-balanced diet. A great way to lose weight and stay healthy is to eat a nutritious and well-balanced meal every day. [3] Foods such as dark, leafy green vegetables or fruits like oranges and apples are filled with rich vitamins, fiber, and minerals that promote health. A healthy diet also includes fat-free or low-fat milk products, a diverse option of proteins like eggs and soy products, and low added sugars and sodium in foods. Switching to a healthy diet is something you can start today to help contribute to losing weight faster.
5. Get enough quality sleep each night. You need sleep for your body to function. [4] Without sleep, various biological pathways in the body will not operate appropriately. Insufficient sleep could compromise the efficiency of dietary interventions for weight loss and other metabolic functions. [5]
6. Drink water to stay well hydrated. Not only will choosing to drink water to remain hydrated help keep you healthy, but it can also contribute to helping you lose weight. [6] A study found that drinking water may help to promote weight loss in overweight women who are dieting.[6]
7. Consider exercise with guidance from your healthcare provider. Increasing your physical activity is critical to a gradual and healthy weight loss. [3] If you intend to lose weight faster, you should consult with your healthcare provider on how to integrate an exercise routine into your weight loss plan. [2]

Side Effects of Losing Weight Faster

Losing weight has many health benefits, especially if you are obese. [2] However, if you lose weight too quickly, there are also some side effects. Rapid weight loss can cause muscle and bone loss, gallstones, gout, fatigue, constipation, diarrhea, and nausea. [2] Additionally, losing a lot of weight too quickly will make you more likely to gain the weight back. For these reasons, we always recommend staying in contact with your healthcare provider any time you undertake a diet or other weight loss strategy.

Lose Weight via the Everlywell Telehealth Option

If you are thinking about losing weight and wondering how you can lose weight faster, be sure to speak with a healthcare provider for guidance. Everlywell's Weight Care+ program provides access to virtual care visits with certified clinicians. You can discuss your weight loss goals and plans from the privacy of your own home. The healthcare provider can also give one-on-one lifestyle recommendations and support and prescribe a GLP-1 prescription, if appropriate for you. The clinician can meet regularly with you, and they may also recommend quarterly at-home lab testing for related conditions such as high cholesterol and prediabetes.

Related Content

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Weight Loss: Keto vs. Intermittent Fasting

References

1. Losing weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/index.html. Last reviewed September 19, 2022. Accessed June 6, 2023.
2. Diet for Rapid Weight Loss: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000885.htm. Accessed June 6, 2023.
3. Healthy eating for a healthy weight. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/index.html. Last reviewed March 8, 2023. Accessed June 6, 2023.
4. Killick R, Banks S, Liu PY. Implications of sleep restriction and recovery on metabolic outcomes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012;97(11):3876-90. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-1845. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22996147/.
5. Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, Imperial J, Schoeller DA, Penev PD. Insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts to reduce adiposity. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(7):435-41. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-153-7-201010050-00006. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20921542/.
6. Stookey JD, Constant F, Popkin BM, Gardner CD. Drinking water is associated with weight loss in overweight dieting women independent of diet and activity. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008;16(11):2481-8. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.409. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18787524/.