Holidays, weddings, and class reunions all have one thing in common – the thought of them sends us searching desperately for the fastest way to lose weight. We deprive our bodies of essential nutrients, restrict our calorie intake to the point of starvation, and suffer through "meals" that taste more like the cardboard they’re packaged in than actual food. And why? So we can get fit and trim before the big event.

Ask anyone who’s ever lost weight this way, though, and they’ll very likely tell you the weight came back even faster than it was lost. That’s the trouble with fast weight loss plans – they seem to work in the short term, but the restrictions such programs put on you simply aren’t sustainable. And once you begin eating normally again, the weight quickly returns.

Fast Weight Loss Leads to Even Faster Weight Gain

Of course, if you’re the one with a few pounds to lose before a big life event, you might think the benefits of a fad diet are worth the risk of regaining the weight. You’ll look great for your event, and worry about making sustainable changes later, right?

Here’s the problem – those lasting changes you plan to make later never have a chance. You may have the best of intentions, but it’s far too easy to slip back into old habits, especially if you’ve seen some success. Soon enough you end up eating just like you always did, diet forgotten, and the pounds come right back. By the next big family get together, you’re again searching for the best way to lose weight fast.

Here’s something else you might not know about quick weight-loss plans: they set you up to fail. Eliminating entire nutrient groups (like carbohydrates) severely restricts your body’s ability to perform. Eventually, in an effort to feed itself, your body will begin to crave the nutrients it lacks, and once that starts, no amount of will power will prevent you from falling off the fad-diet wagon.

Not only that, but contrary to what diet-book authors say, it’s physiologically impossible to lose more than two to three pounds of fat in a week. Since many people just starting out on a fad diet report losing 10 or even more pounds in just a few days, it’s pretty clear that most of that weight loss is simply water. Sure, the number on the scale looks better temporarily, but it’s not a long-term solution.

You can see how unhealthy this is – both physically and psychologically.

Fast or Forever – It’s Your Choice

Rather than focusing on how to lose weight quickly, a better option is to concentrate on how to get fit and healthy for life. Instead of dieting, create a lifestyle change that allows you to eat the foods you love and still lose weight. Add some fun exercise, and soon enough your weight will begin to drop. Maybe not at the record pace some fad diet authors claim, but at a rate that’s sustainable and healthy.

That’s not saying that all weight loss has to proceed at a snail’s pace, though. Losing one to two pounds per week is a great goal, and one that allows you to see real results.

What’s better – losing 10 pounds in 10 days only to gain it (and three more) back in a month? Or losing 10 pounds in six weeks and keeping it off forever?

Will you fit into that dress before the wedding? Maybe. But isn’t it better to know you’ll still be wearing it years from now?