Question:

Dear Cindy,

I want to begin a sustained weight loss program. But I find it more motivating if I could see results quickly. Hence I’m wondering how to jump start diet to get rapid weight loss. I am targeting 5-10 pounds per week for the first few weeks. Then I will follow a sensible plan.

Answer:

Dear Alice,

Your wish to jump start a diet is pretty common. It is very true that seeing a quick result will motivate us to get through the diet battle ahead. I will tell you how to jump start a diet - but in the right ways.

First, a rapid weight loss during the first few weeks doesn’t mean much, since it is illusory, NOT a real result. Here’s the scientific explanation: when we cut food intake, our body gets needed energy by releasing its stores of glycogen. Glycogen holds onto water, so when glycogen is burned for energy, it also releases the water - about 4g of water for every 1g of glycogen - resulting in large weight loss that’s mostly water.

Second, during dieting our energy and motivation always go up and down. This is one of the top reasons why many people failed at losing weight. They started very enthusiastically, lost some weight, but later not able to sustain it, felt less motivated, and gained back the lost weight and maybe some more. If we want to lose weight and keep it off, we need to know how to use this energy and motivation fluctuation for our advantage. When we start dieting, naturally we are excited and full of energy. Use this to jump start diet by doing “breakthrough” actions, such as collecting diet recipes, learning about diet strategies, signing up for gym membership, etc. This will give you a head start - a real one. Then, when our enthusiasm drops later - trust me, it will - we just need to “maintain” these. To understand it better, read this article: 5 Smart Strategies to Start Winning Diet Battles.

Wish you a great jump start success!