- With Mayo Clinic physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Dr. Edward Laskowski is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. He is co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center and a professor at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
He has been on the staff of Mayo Clinic since 1990 and specializes in sports medicine, fitness, strength training and stability training. He works with a multidisciplinary team of physical medicine, rehabilitation and orthopedic specialists, physical therapists and sports psychologists.
Dr. Laskowski is an elite-level skier and approaches sports medicine from the perspective of a physician and an athlete. In addition to skiing, he is an avid hiker, cyclist and climber.
In 2006, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Laskowski to a two-year term on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Dr. Laskowski was a member of the medical staff of the Olympic Polyclinic at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and was involved in medical coverage for the Chicago Marathon. He serves as a consulting physician to the National Hockey League Players' Association and is a featured lecturer at the American College of Sports Medicine's Team Physician Course.
Dr. Laskowski, a Cary, Ill., native, has contributed to Mayo Clinic's CD-ROM on sports, health and fitness, a Web site guide to self-care, and hundreds of Mayo Clinic articles and booklets in print and online. He is a contributing editor to Mayo Clinic's "Fitness for EveryBody" book.
"There are many myths and misconceptions about exercise and fitness in general, and also many traditions that don't stand up to scientific scrutiny," he says. "My goal is to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information on sports medicine and fitness topics in a way that you can practically incorporate into your life."
More answers
- Weight loss: Better to cut calories or exercise more?
- Weight-loss hypnosis: Does it work?
- Caffeine: Can it help me lose weight?
- Vegetarian diet: Will it help me lose weight?
- Lipovarin: An effective weight-loss supplement?
- Belly-dancing: A good exercise for weight loss?
- Ear stapling for weight loss: Does it work?
- Coffee calories: Sabotaging your weight-loss plans?
- Blood type diet: Does it work?
- Coconut oil and weight loss: Does it work?
- Trying to lose weight? Watch what you drink
- Vitamin B-12 injections for weight loss: Do they work?
- FucoThin: Can it help burn fat?
- HCG injections: Good for weight loss?
- Weight-loss exercise: How do I fit it into my day?
- Body fat: Where does it go when you lose weight?
- Apple cider vinegar for weight loss: Does it work?
- Protein shakes: Do they increase weight loss?
- CortiSlim: Do cortisol blockers increase weight loss?
- Fat but fit: Can I still be healthy?
- Metabolism: What's the best way to boost it?
- Walking: Is it enough for weight loss?
- Bitter orange weight-loss supplements: Do they work?
- Phentermine: Can it help me lose weight?
- Hoodia: An effective appetite suppressant?
- Water retention: Are there any natural diuretics?
- Lipodissolve: Does it get rid of unwanted fat?
- Slow metabolism: Is it to blame for weight gain?
- Breakfast: Why is it so important?
- see all
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Fast weight loss: What's wrong with it?
Why do doctors recommend a slow rate of weight loss? What's wrong with fast weight loss?
Answer
from Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
The problem with fast weight loss is that it takes extraordinary efforts in diet and exercise that are usually not sustainable over the long term — and the weight quickly comes back once you stop trying so hard. That's why when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady usually beats out fast weight loss.
Remember that 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat contains 3,500 calories. So you need to burn 500 more calories than you eat each day to lose just 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days). A weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is the typical recommendation, but some people may initially lose more weight more quickly. Very low calorie diets that result in more rapid weight loss require medical supervision. If you lose a lot of weight quickly, it's probably not fat that you're losing. It's more likely to be water weight or even lean tissue since it's hard to burn that many fat calories in a short period of time.
Weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week may seem slow, but it's a pace that's more likely to help you maintain your weight loss for the long term.
Next questionWeight loss: Better to cut calories or exercise more?
- Hensrud DD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 3, 2009.
- Eckel RH. Nonsurgical management of obesity in adults. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2008;358:1941.
- Aim for a healthy weight: Information for patients and the public. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/recommen.htm. Accessed April 8, 2009.
- Still CD, et al. Obesity. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/134663651-2/0/1621/1.html. Accessed April 10, 2009.
