Few things are as appealing to dieters as the prospect of losing ten pounds in three days. As attractive as this may sound, there may be good reason to forgo this approach. Before you start any diet, determine your specific dieting needs.
Begin with a Doctor Consultation
Consulting with your physician is always a good idea when it comes to making decisions about dieting, especially when it involves rapid weight loss. Your doctor can provide guidance to help you make a sound decision that encourages proper weight maintenance. Once you have communicated your interest with your physician, you may find this drastic weight reduction approach suits your specific needs.
Can You Lose Ten Pounds in Three Days?
Dr. Green Fillip offers a relatively simple menu plan designed to help dieters lose roughly ten pounds in 72 hours. Fillip urges dieters to follow the plan exactly with absolutely no substitutions. General rules for the diet include:
- Use only salt and pepper to add flavor to foods
- Portions must be exact
- No substitutions
- Drink lots of water
- Follow the plan for no more than three days
Dieters follow a strict eating regimen for three consecutive days, followed by their normal eating patterns. They may return to the weight loss menu after four days. The entire cycle lasts one week.
Menu
The weight loss program is simple but very restrictive. Some foods like grapefruit, green beans and tuna are diet staples that come as no surprise, but the plan also includes surprising - if not questionable - food choices like ice cream and hot dogs. Some portions are quite clear, such as a cup of broccoli, while a couple slices of meat is vague.
The Premise
The basic premise of the plan is the seemingly magical combination of foods to kick the body's metabolism into overdrive by "resetting" the digestive system. Dieters follow the specific guidelines without variation and ultra fat burning is supposed to ensue. There is no scientific evidence to back any claims of a metabolic shift, and there is no guarantee dieters actually lose fat on the program.
Dr. Green Fillip
It is unclear what kind of doctorate Dr. Fillip holds, but there is no indication that the doctor is a medical physician. No information about this individual is readily available online aside from the Lose 10 Pounds website.
Exercise Plans
Is it possible to lose ten pounds in three days without going on an unhealthy fad diet? One pound of fat requires 3,500 calories to burn. Exercisers would have to burn an extra 35,000 calories in just three days in order to burn ten pounds. When you break down weight loss into smaller goals, success is much more realistic. Burning an extra 7,000 calories to lose two pounds in a week is much more realistic than burning 11,667 calories a day.
Fad Diet Dangers
Web MD offers insight into how the Three-Day Diet works and cautions dieters about the possible dangers of adopting this type of restrictive eating plan into your weight loss routine, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. There is no guarantee you will lose the ten pounds at the end of three days, and in fact, there is much to suggest that most of the weight lost will be from water, not fat. Keep the following in mind as you begin the diet:
- The rapid weight loss is not likely to be permanent.
- The diet may set a starvation cycle.
- Your metabolism may be lowered after following the plan due to the amount of weight lost and the low amount of caloric intake.
Starvation Cycle
A starvation cycle is dangerous on both a physical and psychological level. Plans like the Three-Day Diet can create a damaging routine of fast weight loss followed by weight gain. Plans like the Three-Day Tuna Diet promise results, but they do nothing to teach dieters how to eat healthy on a long-term basis.
Potential Side Effects
Losing ten pounds in three days by following any kind of drastic program may result in some side effects. Discuss these with your doctor before you begin.
- Gallstones
- Loss of potassium and other electrolytes through fluid loss
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Feeling faint or lightheaded
- Feelings of extreme hunger
- Loss of concentration
- Fatigue
Temporary Fast Weight Loss
Although the allure of ultra-quick weight loss is great, it is important to keep in mind that such drastic results are typically temporary. Stick to a calorie-restricted three-day plan for just the three days rather than adopting such a three-day diet as an extended diet regimen. Once you've completed your three days, use this as a jumping off point for a more sustainable weight loss program, or resume a normal, healthy diet.
