I was looking at the latest blogs and read one where a girl wanted to crash diet to lose weight fast... I think most of us have been there, done that, and I can definitely say that crash dieting is incredibly, depressingly, counterproductive.

I really believe that if you eat 4-5 small meals a day, lots of fruits and veggies (which have high water content), drink mainly water and work out with 30 min. of cardio almost each day, and you could lose 2-4 pounds a week, safely.
And the weight won't come back like it would with a crash diet.

General comments:
--Read success stories online at Shape magazine (http://www.shape.com [1]).
--Realize that Jessica Alba's body might be right for her frame, but your own body shape/general proportions don't have to be just like hers.
--Check out some of the fitness groups on Sugar to see what other people are up to/working toward. They are everyday people who are all struggling like you and me.
--There are online programs, like Diet Analysis, where you can plug in what you eat, the amount, and for a day - and then over a week/month - it will give you feedback on everything from how many nutrients you have too much or too little of, to what food groups you need more/less of, to what you need to do to help you attain a weight goal. I bought online access a long time ago, and it's pretty cheap considering the helpful feedback you get!

Anyway, crash dieting is so not the way to go... but I seriously understand the appeal, and have been there. But please, please try the healthy way for 6-8 weeks, and if you seriously don't see results I'll be surprised. If anything, you'll at least feel better!

Hope this post is somewhat relevant/helpful.