Weight loss is really about starving, because slow gradual weight loss doesn’t work, because you won’t stay motivated enough to put up with the deprivation if you’re only losing a pound a week. Losing 3-5 pounds every week is very motivating, because you see the scale plummeting and your clothes fitting more loosely. 5 pounds of fat is about the size of a gallon jug of milk, so it really is a lot of weight to lose in a week. Always remember that you lose weight about twice as fast on 1500 calories of protein and fat a day, compared to eating 1500 calories of carbohydrate.