You see ads like these all the time, and they sure are enticing, aren't they? But is it really possible? Can you really lose weight that quickly?

The answer is YES. It's quite possible to lose 30 pounds in 30 days or 10 pound over the weekend.

But that's the wrong question; the question YOU should ask is how can I lose 30 pounds of FAT and keep it off?

Your body is 70% water, so it's easy to lose weight quickly. Any diet that dehydrates you will create quick, dramatic weight loss. Wanna lose 10 pounds over the weekend? THAT'S EASY! Just stop drinking water! Of course that would be pretty stupid and pretty dangerous too, but that's exactly what you're doing when you lose weight this quickly - you're simply dehydrating yourself. (or even worse - you're losing muscle too!)

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the largest and most respected health, medical and exercise organization in the world, has established guidelines for healthy weight loss. In their position statement on "Proper and improper weight loss programs" they recommend losing weight at a rate of no more than two pounds per week.

This two pounds per week guideline has become recognized as the standard rate for safe weight loss. Time after time I see people get impatient and they attempt to violate this rule, only to gain all the weight back and then some. Weight loss is not something to be rushed - this is not a race.

There are virtually no limits to what you can achieve. You can reach any goal you are truly committed to when it comes to fitness or fat loss. But there are limits to how quickly you can safely achieve them.

Thoreau said, "In the long run, you hit only what you aim at, so aim high." Don't be afraid to set big, audacious goals, but always set realistic time frames for achieving them. If you lose one to two pounds of fat per week consistently, you're doing GREAT!

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