There are many safe and less invasive alternatives to weight loss surgery. One popular method how to lose weight fast is monitoring your calorie intake; with proper dieting this can be very effective.  There are roughly 3,500 calories in one pound of fat stored in the body, when creating a diet plan it is important to tailor it around this number to maximize weight loss.  To lose weight it is recommended that you reduce your calorie intake amount by at least 500 calorie. Reducing intake to less than 1,000 calories is not recommended as it starts to become unsafe to do so. Per recommendation by the American College of Sports Medicine the calorie level per day for women should never drop below 1,200 calories and 1,800 for men. Looking at a person’s body weight is the best way to calculate a safe minimum calorie-intake. Using body weight as a guideline, a 15% to 20% calorie reduction from what your body needs is the best place to start