Experts' Crash Diets

Crash Diet Tips

by Karen Asp

How do the experts slim down to look their best in a hurry? We asked leading fitness and nutrition pros what they do when they need to lose a quick pound or two. Steal their tricks, and you, too, could be skinnier in a snap.





Downsize Dinners -- Then Sip Green Tea

Because she's less active at night and therefore burns less calories, Lisa Drayer, R.D., author of
The Beauty Diet (McGraw-Hill, 2008), cuts dinners until the pounds are off. Later, she sips decaf green tea to fend off nighttime sweet cravings.




Burn Your Indulgences

Kathy McManus, R.D., director of nutrition at
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, lives by the calories-in-calories-out mantra, especially after vacation. For instance, if she eats 1,000 extra calories over a weekend, she then expends an extra 1,000 calories the next three to four days by running three extra miles a day or adding several bike rides to her regular running program.



Be a Cereal Swapper

For Gayl Canfield, Ph.D., director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Aventura, Florida, replacing her morning bowl of corn flakes for hot cooked cereal is a dieter's dream strategy. "You'll eat about 250 fewer calories a day, which means you'll drop about five pounds in two months," she says.


Do a Whole Body Cleanse

Although she's no fan of crash diets, Tamilee Webb, M.A., fitness expert and creator of the Buns of Steel DVD series, reaches for a whole body cleanser for quick results. "A cleanse removes toxins from my body, which makes me feel lighter," she says, adding, though, that while on the cleanse, she eats clean, healthy foods like fruits and veggies. Yet she avoids anything white, all sugar and processed foods.


Cut Liquid Calories

This means all carbonated beverages, fancy coffee drinks and alcohol for Jackie Keller, nutrition expert and founder of NutritFit, a California-based meal service company whose clients have included Uma Thurman, Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz. Instead, she switches to unsweetened green tea, which helps eliminate bloating.


Pump Up the Produce

Produce is the magic behind Dawn Jackson Blatner's secret to dropping weight quickly. Blatner fills 50 percent -- or more -- of her plate with colorful fruits and veggies, especially apples, which are particularly filling. Green, leafy veggies also hit high on the list, namely because they make Blatner, R.D., American Dietetic Association spokesperson and author of 'The Flexitarian Diet,' feel healthier.


Keep a Food Diary

Logging everything she eats is one of the best ways for Stephanie Rost, R.D., manager of corporate program development for
Weight Watchers, to slim down fast. "Writing everything down makes me more aware of what I'm eating," she says. "Because of this, I'm more likely to make better choices, which helps me eat less."



Skip the Condiments

You'll find about 100 calories in a tablespoon of mayonnaise, 30 calories in the equal amount of barbecue sauce, and still 20 calories in ketchup. That's why avoiding condiments is a favorite short-term solution of Chris Carmichael, Lance Armstrong's personal coach and founder of Carmichael Training Systems. Along with cutting calories, you're reducing your intake of high-sodium items, which often make you retain water.



Take a "Spa" Day

For Wendy Bazilian, Dr.PH., R.D., author of
'The SuperFoodsRx Diet' and nutrition specialist at Golden Door Resort and Spa in Escondido, California, this get-skinny-quick strategy works like a charm. Although she doesn't actually go to a spa, she gets in the mindset, making four strategies part of her day: Drink only water and green tea; go vegetarian and don't eat out; walk briskly for 10 minutes after every meal; and get to bed early.