It takes time to gain weight and it takes longer to lose it, so why do people ask to lose 10- 20- 40 pounds like they're in a fast food joint. Example: May I take your order? 20 lbs less an larger breast coming right up! Would you like an apple pie with that order? :0 It's recommended not to lose more than 4 pounds per month because it's dangerous to your health. I've only seen obese people (300 lbs) successfully lose large amounts of fat in a month. A person that is only overweight can not expect to lose that fast. Why? You're body is smarter than you may think, it stores fat as a source of energy for times of starvation. That's why people live in extreme environments without food survive for several days. So in a sense I'm saying the body of a 170 lbs will resist to lose weight more than a person with a 300 lbs body. That said it's not impossible. The French eat very high calorie foods yet the stay slim. Why? They eat small portions not the SUPER SIZE ME portions we Americans have been conditioned to. Don't let anybody talk you into diet pills. They are bad for your health and your pocket. It's important to learn to count calories, not every calorie but, at least a rough estimate. Your body doesn't work on zero calories. Like a car doesn't run without gas. Assuming your Recommended Calorie allowance is 1200 cal, it's just for daily energy and maintain your weight and stay alive. Assuming you don't eat more than that. You would have to burn 3500 calories per weak to lose a pound per week. That can be done by jogging 140 laps on a track per week. Why u ask? Because 4 laps = 1 mile and you lose approximately 100 calories per mile. So if you do the math 3500 calories divided by 100 calories per mile = 35 miles x 4 laps per mile = 140 laps to lose a pound. Now if your eating more than your R.C.A then you will lose weight slower and if you eat 1900 calories per day you can run the 35 miles a week and still gain weight. After you get used to the math it's the easiest way to KEEP TRACK of what you eat and what you burn. All this said running 35 mile per week is not for a beginner it can take months for you to be in condition to run that, or you risk getting injured or quit. Go on the net and search for Calorie Calculator which will tell you how many calories you should eat depending on factors like height, weight, age and level of activity. Think of yourself as a car if u eat too much "your tank overflows" and it will show this summer at the beach, yet if u eat too little u run out of energy. So if you burned 4000 calories at the gym this week you can feel guilt-free to eat a 500 calorie treat and still lose that pound. At the end of each day after subtracting the calories u have burned or didn't eat you should be left with at least you minimum calories recommended, for energy purposes. Search for a BMI Calculator which will tell u your ideal weight, search a calorie calculator and last but not least, to keep track of your calories go to a food calorie index or buy the small calorie counting books you see at the supermarkets with this info you will understand the dynamics of losing weight. NO. u can't chose to lose body fat in a certain part of your body, your body loses fat overall. Yes, I said it. U can do 5000 sit-ups a day and if your calorie intake is too high you'll never see a six-pack abs. Why not u ask? It only takes a small amount of fat to hide the six-pack. The fastest way to lose weight is running. Jogging 1 mile (equal to 4 laps in a track) burns approximately 100 Calories. Don’t start running yet. Visit a runner’s website, they have tips for beginners and marathoners, also an eating healthy, running shoes and how to not get injured. People sometimes lose motivation and quit exercising do to boredom. Think what is it that you like, hiking, basketball, tennis, if u like martial arts don’t just watch the movie, become a martial artist. You have to like your workout, to stick with it. What ever it is JUST DO IT. To the woman out there don't be afraid of weight training. It would take 10-15 years of INTENSE training and steroid injections to get like a woman body builder. Why did I go through all this trouble to learn all this. I worked in the medical field in the Navy/Marine Corps and saw some soldiers slim and others overweight. It worked for me. Good luck! :)