A HEALTHY AND NORMAL WEIGHTLOSS.

What constitutes "healthy" and "normal" weight loss can be confusing. If you want to lose 5, 10 or 20 lbs., your best chance of reaching your goal and staying healthy is to lose weight gradually, dietitians say. If you reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories a day, you will lose a pound a week, according to the accepted standard that 3,500 calories equals a pound of fat. An average woman needs about 2,000 calories a day to maintain her current weight and would need to reduce her daily intake to 1,500 calories a day to lose a pound a week. Your particular caloric needs depend on your height, weight, age, gender and level of activity. You can consult a dietitian or use an online calculator to estimate your needs.

Diets that promise fast results may not be healthy. The Master Cleanse, for instance, is an extremely low-calorie diet that suggests you can lose up to 20 lbs. in 2 weeks. Some celebrities have gone on record to say it worked, although one has also publicly said she regained the weight. The Master Cleanse involves drinking a beverage containing water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. It provides about 800 calories a day, most of them from the maple syrup. Tania Ferraretto, an accredited dietitian, says the Master Cleanse and other extreme diets can cause mild side effects, such as fatigue and constipation, as well as more serious problems, such as hair loss, osteoporosis and heart disease.

If you're losing weight unintentionally, it may be a sign of a health problem. Over-exertion, dehydration and acute stress may cause involuntary weight loss. These can be remedied with rest, water and relaxation. Sudden weight loss can also be associated with more serious health problems such as hyperthyroidism, cardiopulmonary disease and cancer. If you are suddenly losing weight, and simple measures such as drinking more water and cutting back on an exercise regimen don't help you recover the weight, you should consult a doctor, says Lt. Arthur Pemberton, who has researched the causes of weight loss and muscle weakness for the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia

Studies also have shown that the prescription for obese people to lose weight to improve their health may actually be harmful, say M.K. Simonsen and colleagues at the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark. Simonsen said he examined nine studies that evaluated the link between intentional weight loss and mortality in obese people. He said he was surprised by his findings. Two studies showed obese people were less likely to die after losing weight, three studies showed they were more likely to die and four found no connection. The men and women in all of the studies were healthy before losing weight, Simonsen said in the 2008 study published in the journal "Nutrition Reviews" and reported in "Drug Week" magazine.