How Fast Can You Lose 30 Pounds?

You only have to drive around town, flip open a magazine or your computer, and you will see an ad promising weight loss of "30 Pounds in 30 Days". And of course, all you have to do is buy this brand new miracle pill. You don't have to exercise or eat healthy foods. Ready to sign up? I hope not!

Our parents taught us that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Yet, as Americans, we have become so used to instant gratification, we are convinced that somewhere out there exists a pill we can pop for easy, quick weight loss. Let me ask you this- do you think there would be any fat doctors (especially women, forgive my bias!) if such a prescription existed?

So, what is realistic? Well, obviously, it depends on your starting weight. If you are only 20 or 30 pounds overweight, though, a good rule of thumb is a half to one pound per week. It takes a 3600 calorie deficit to lose a pound. Period. If you can burn an extra 250 calories a day (walk 2 -3 miles, for example) AND delete another 250 calories from your usual diet (give up two sodas or one loaded latte per day), then you can expect to lose a pound per week.

Try to look at the big picture. There are 52 weeks in a year. If you make healthy changes such as eating MORE fruits and vegetable servings and moving MORE, you can easily take off those extra 20 to 50 pounds in a year...and KEEP THEM OFF because you did it through small, permanent changes!

BOTTOM LINE: Fast does NOT equal good, nor permanent, weight loss. Realistic, EXCELLENT weight loss is ONE POUND per week, so it will take 6 months to lose 30 pounds.

I'd Like a Pill to Fix This...

Fast food medicine from a "doc in a box" seems to be the order of the day. We demand instant gratification. We text people because we don't want to wait for them to get out of a meeting. Worse, people answer these texts- while they are driving, and SHOULD be focused on the road.

Not surprisingly, people are demanding this same instant fix in medicine, and doctors are providing it. Got heartburn? Grab the purple pill. Can't sleep? Here's a sleeping pill. Too tired in the morning? Slam back a Starbucks. Caffeine and alcohol causing heartburn? Back to the purple pill! And...repeat.

Let me give a ridiculous example to illustrate my point. Say you decided it was fun to pick up a rock and hit your knee with it ten times per day (work with me, here.) Not surprisingly, your knee begins to hurt. You go to the doctor, and he or she prescribes a pain pill. Is this going to solve your problem? No, of course not! The problem is NOT the pain, the problem is you hitting your knee with a rock.

So, why is it any different when you go to your doctor with heartburn, and you get a prescription for an acid blocking pill instead of education to at least temporarily wean off caffeine, eliminate alcohol and nicotine, and avoid ibuprofen? (Hopefully, you'll get both, but I think we all know most people will pop the pills, get relief, and continue the habits that caused the problem.)

We've got to tackle this problem from both sides, and look for true solutions- not Band-Aids! Patients- ask your doctor if there are exercises or other behavior modifications that would help fix your problem before you try a prescription medicine. Please try NOT to ask for the pill that you saw on a commercial last week. Doctors- we need to spend the extra few minutes to offer these solutions, rather than grabbing our prescription pads immediately.

BOTTOM LINE: Many medical problems can be solved (and most improved) without taking a prescription, so make sure you understand the CAUSE of your medical issue so you can actively be part of the solution!