Individuals with slow metabolism have a more difficult time losing weight because more fat is stored. There are other people who suffer from hormonal imbalances. The most common causes of weighing too much are a lack of exercise and eating too many of the wrong foods or simply eating in an unhealthy manner. For some people, a month would be fast while others see it as something more immediately, like a few days or a week. The most realistic goal would be to lose 15 pounds in a month, because that's far more achievable. Still, it can be risky if you don't approach your weight loss correctly. If you want to lose 15 pounds fast, it can't be all water, which is the easiest to shed. It does absolutely nothing for your heart, lungs and muscles. All that food turns to fat if your body isn't given encouragement to burn it off. To ensure you are on the right track, ask a specialist about your weight loss, how to make it work, and what you need to adjust or change to make it as effective as possible. The lack of nutrients and too much of other factors can possibly damage a fetus and create a child with mental disabilities that would not have otherwise occurred. This is often not viewed with enough seriousness and the long-term effects for mother and child can last an entire lifetime. Regardless of whether it is well known or not, the Atkins diet is not for any pregnant mother despite being advocated as such and this evidence is support by every scientific health organization in the United States. To lose weight quickly, and to keep it off both for the short term and the long term, it is important too calorie count, as well as to exercise regularly and to eat a diet that is low in saturated fat. The best part about calorie counting is that it can be done by anyone. It doesn t matter whether you are male or female, where you live, or whether or not you wish to lose weight quickly or have plenty of time to devote to losing it. Eating three large meals actually puts your body into a feast-famine cycle causing your metabolism to increase and slow back down several times a day. These small "meals" do not have to be full meals at all. There are a number of healthy snacks you can keep on hand to give you a boost of a few hundred calories.