If you need to lose a few pounds to fit into a special dress before the weekend, you may be tempted to try a crash diet. Read on to learn more about how to go on a crash diet.

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the information presented here.

• Crash diets restrict calories drastically, with the goal of losing large amounts of weight in short amounts of time. They are not nutritionally balanced, and should not be continued for more than a few days. In order to benefit from a crash diet, you need to understand what they can and cannot do, select the diet that best suits you, and follow up with healthy eating patterns to maintain the weight loss.

• Most people need to eat around 2000 calories a day. You need to reduce intake by 3500 calories for each pound lost. So, mathematically, you can't lose several pounds of actual fat in a few days. In the initial phase of weight loss, however, the body releases fluids, resulting in a loss of "water weight" which accounts for the initial results shown in most crash diets.

(Creative Commons photo by Pirate Alice)

• There are many crash diets to choose from. Some are focused on specific foods; others require you to fast, or rely on drinking special beverages. All drastically reduce calories, and none provide adequate nutrition for the long term. Some examples of popular crash diets are:

1. Master Cleanse
2. Cabbage Soup Diet
3. Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox
4. Grapefruit Diet

• If you resume your usual eating habits after ending the crash diet, you will regain any weight you lost immediately. If you'd like to continue losing weight, you should shift to a nutritionally balanced weight loss plan that can be followed for the long term, eating 1200-1500 calories a day.

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• Introduction
• What You'll Need
• Step 1: set Your Expectations
• Step 2: Select Your Diet
• Step 3: Follow Up