Straight talk on rapid weight loss and body wraps

Cutting weight in short order (1-2 weeks through to a month) can be a nasty proposition. Athletes do it, the military does it (and making tighter specs). You can do it, but it won't be pretty.

The biggest competing factor: gain sneaks up on you - the so-called 'freshman 15', life changes, etc. Body types vary, and if you are on the heavy side, you may look just fine, but that doesn't matter to the scale fascist. Out comes the measuring tape, and that's a situation you don't want to be in: The "rope-and-choke," measuring your neck vs. your waist (right around your navel).

Obviously this topic is discussed in many nooks and crannies on the web, so there is much to filter out, ads and gimmicks, and people saying "long term is the only way." One important asset I have found is that for a ~200 lb. male, a body wrap can reduce ~two inches in one 60-90 min. session. That edge might be enough to get you make tape if you end up going the measurement route. At the end, the spa may give you a cumulative reduction figure overall, e.g. 10 inches, which will seem big, but what you care about is the part around the navel. The result is supposed to last "a month," I think that's more accurately stated as "a week or two."

The Atkins diet: They say one inch of 'fat' = about five lbs. On Atkins, you can lose up to 5 lbs. on the fifth day, and 1.5 lbs. every other day thereafter. The diet is discontinued for two days after the twelfth day. This works. As article 2 below states and I've read elsewhere, thinking can be muddled and it is important to work to quash and mental barriers, fears to achieving these feats. The worst part is muddled thinking, which I felt on days 3-5. Supposedly, this diet also boasts a great big "glycemic reset," hearkening back to our caveman roots.

Metabolism must be kept normal, that means starvation mode does not do so well for weight loss, and you should p.t. at least twice daily. I've cut up to 11 lbs. in one weekend by eating only salad, no dressing, and hitting the sauna in addition to some horrible Rite-Aid lemony drink (magnesium citrate) that did unspeakable things to my digestive system.

Additional reading:
1. "To crush your p.t. test, train like a powerlifter." http://www.navytimes.com/offduty/health/military_muscle_070723w/
2. "How to cut and make weight." http://www.grapplearts.com/How-to-Cut-Weight.html
3. "Losing inches fast (discussion thread)." http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php/135486-losing-inches-fast