The Only Crash Diet to Consider If You Must Lose Weight Fast

You want to lose weight fast—is it possible to crash diet safely? Dietitian Christy Brissette reveals how you can without harming your metabolism.

Load up on non-starchy veggies Marian Weyo/Shutterstock Face it, if you want to lose weight over the long haul, your best bet is to make sustainable, long-term lifestyle changes.But sometimes life comes at you fast and you need a fast solution. One smart lifestyle change is to eat plenty of veggies—especially for someone looking to lose weight. Vegetables are nutrient-packed and provide plenty of filling fiber with hardly any calories. Plus, non-starchy veggies have a high water content, so they hydrate you while filling you up—the perfect combination for weight loss. Shedding those pounds means shedding old habits, check out the nine simple changes this woman made to lose 45 pounds and keep them off. Starchy veggies (like potatoes) and processed whole grains (like whole-wheat bread) are foods I’d normally recommend eating in moderation, since they provide plenty of nutrients, fiber, and healthy carbs. However, high-carb foods aren’t your best friend when you’re looking to drop water weight. Essentially, when your body stores excess carbs, it stores them with water. So replacing carb-heavy foods with non-starchy veggies that still provide filling fiber without as much water retention is the way to go. For a week before your event, you can swap out the starchy carbs for more non-starchy vegetables to lose some water weight. Aim for filling at least half of your plate with non-starchy veggies like asparagus, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, kale, cucumbers, and more. This is a great idea for everyone’s health, not just people wanting to lose weight.

Swap the salt for herbs and spices nadianb/Shutterstock Another healthy change that will help you look better is to cut back on salt. Sodium causes your body to hold onto excess water, so eating a high-salt diet means you’re likely storing more water weight than necessary. If you’re in a rush to lose weight fast, cut out added salt as much as possible. That means keep ditching the salt shaker and avoiding processed and packaged foods, where added salt is pretty much inevitable. Try making food from scratch rather than eating out before your big event to further limit sodium and fight bloat. Even at healthier restaurants, sodium levels tend to be through the roof. Avoiding salt doesn’t mean your food has to be bland. Experiment with using different herbs and spices. Try adding fresh cilantro and cumin to grilled fish, lemon and rosemary to chicken, or ginger and Chinese five spice to tempeh or beef. Pick up some spice blends from your local market to help add more spice to your life… just read the ingredients and make sure there’s no salt added. It’s hard to ditch salt, but these weight-loss motivation mantras will help you through the salt-less desert and into weight loss.