All diets that work are crash diets, because slow, steady weight loss doesn’t work. You won’t put up with the all
the deprivation of dieting, to lose just half a pound a week. And worse, if you’re only losing half a pound a week,
you can undo months of weight loss in a single splurge. The worst weight gain I’ve seen was 14 pounds
overnight. Granted, half of this weight gain was water, but so is half the weight loss the first week on any diet.
The natural water loss that happens along with caloric restriction, is another reason it’s important to drink a gallon
(128 ounces) of water or non-caloric fluid every day you are dieting. I actually recommend everyone drink a
gallon of non-caloric fluid every day, whether you are dieting or not. Crash dieting is generally very healthy, as
long as you don’t get dehydrated. Electrolyte depletion and protein deficiency can occur, but very rarely. If you
experience muscle cramps while dieting, you may be electrolyte deficient. If you are losing hair while dieting, you
may be protein deficient. Periodic blood tests while dieting, keep you out of trouble.