If you're overweight and want to shed pounds permanently, losing an ounce a day is extremely productive. Unlike marketed, brand-name crash diets that force weight off fast, losing an ounce a day does not send your metabolism into survival mode. Most crash diets are unsuccessful long-term solutions because your body believes you are starving -- in reality you are -- and takes measures to protect itself, including fighting weight loss and adding weight quickly once you stop dieting. Losing an ounce a day slowly removes the weight -- 23 pounds a year -- at a rate your body doesn't fight.