How to lose weight in 2 weeks

It is possible to lose weight in 2 weeks. Although it is suggested that you should not lose a lot of weight very fast, you can start losing weight in a healthy way if you follow 10 golden rules of how to lose weight in 2 weeks.

Lose weight in 2 weeks

Since we drafted this article in 2009, we have received many comments asking for two specific things: 1^st what is the fastest way to lose weight in 2 weeks and 2^nd what is the best way to lose weight in 2 weeks. Both questions are valid since the fastest is not always the best way when it comes to losing weight.

Fastest way to lose weight in 2 weeks

To understand the fastest way to lose weight in 2 weeks, let us make some calculations and explain some basic weight loss concepts.

Step 1: 1 pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. Therefore, to lose 1 pound you need to consume 3500 calories less than what you need for normal body functioning (breathing, digestion, sleeping etc) + physical activities (walking, doing work, etc.).

Step 2: You need to decide how many pounds you want to lose in a period of 2 weeks. If for example you want to lose 4 pounds then this means that you need to save 14000 calories (4×3500) in 14 days or 1000 calories per day.

Step 3: You need to calculate how many calories to lose weight . This will give you the amount of calories you need per day in order to maintain your weight. You can then subtract the number calculated in step 2 above and find out the net amount (calories consumed – calories burn) of calories you need per day in order to lose weight in 2 weeks.

For example:  A woman aged 36, height 1.60, weight 80 kg wants to lose 4 pounds in 2 weeks. Using our calorie calculator, we can see that her daily calorie requirement is 1800 calories. This is the number of calories needed per day in order to maintain her current weight.

To lose 4 pounds in 2 weeks she has to save 1000 calories per day through a careful diet, exercise and activity (as explained in detail below). Her net calorie intake should go down to 800 calories (1800-1000).

Best way to lose weight in 2 weeks

The above explanation on the fastest way to lose weight in 2 weeks does not take into account one important parameter: the recommended amount of weight to lose in a week is 1-2 pounds. Therefore, in a period of 2 weeks you can lose 2-4 pounds maximum. Anything above that is not healthy and should only be attempt after consulting with your doctor.

How to lose weight in 2 weeks  – 10 golden rules

Rule #1: Stop eating fast food

If you want to lose weight in just 2 weeks then you definitely need to remove (or at least reduce) the consumption of fast food. Fast food, many times referred to as junk food, is full of calories and it is not a healthy choice for your diet. So, stop eating fast food or eating out and replace soft drinks with water or green tea. When eating out you eat more calories than you need because the meal portions are most of the times larger than what you need.

Rule #2: Eat more fiber

Fiber is very important to help you have a feeling of fullness for a long time. This way you will not need to eat un-healthy and full of calories snacks between meals. A very good way to get more fiber is to eat as much fruits and vegetables as you can. If your goal is to lose weight in 2 weeks then you need to make sure that you eat a lot fruits and vegetables. You can take at work a couple of fruits to replace snacks. You can eat the one in the morning to keep you satisfied until lunch and the other one in the afternoon to replace sweets. With your meals you can have vegetables (boiled or fresh) as a side dish.

Rule #3: Burn more calories than you consume

Besides the theories of weight loss, if you actually want to lose weight in 2 weeks then you need to eat less calories than what you burn. Using the simple methods mentioned above you need to reduce calorie intake by 500 calories per day. You can do this by stop drinking soft drinks (this will immediately save you aprx 200 calories), and by removing high in fat foods from your diet and replacing them with low-fat foods. For example you can stop eating fried and processes foods and start eating lean meats, and a lot of fish (especially tuna). This will not only accelerate your weight loss efforts but it is also healthy and beneficial for your health.

Rule #4: Increase your metabolism

If you manage to increase your metabolism then you will be able to lose weight in 2 weeks. You can increase your metabolism by eating small meals more often. You can start by eating 5 or 6 small meals per day instead of having 2 big meals. By eating small meals more often your body has a continuous supply of fuel and you will not feel hunger. On the opposite if you do not eat small meals and eat just 2 big meals then in-between meals you will feel hunger and look for snacks. This will destroy your weight loss efforts. By eating more frequently you will save a lot of calories and by the end of the second week you will start seeing results.

Another factor that contributes to your metabolism is breakfast. If you want to lose weight fast then you should not skip breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it is proven that if you want to lose weight you need to eat breakfast. This is because during the night your body is working to burn the extra calories and needs re-fuelling in the morning. Also eating a good breakfast will keep you until lunch time and thus you won’t have to look for unhealthy snacks.

Rule #5: Water, water and more water

It is not possible to read about how to lose weight and not see a point about water. Our bodies are 75% water and it is needed from our body to carry out the fat burning process. With no water the fat burning process is reduced and you will not lose weight fast. When you try and drink 10 glasses of water per day then you can help the burning process and also you will save yourself from a number of calories because water will give you a feeling of fullness and you will eat less. In addition water will keep you hydrated and assist you in flushing toxins from your system. Drinking a lot of water is a very healthy habit.  Try to carry with you a bottle of water throughout the day and drink as much as you can. Water has no calories and can only do good to your weight loss efforts and health.

Rule #6: Physical activity and exercise

One way to lose weight in 2 weeks is to follow some stick diet rules, such as the ones described above. Another way that can accelerate the process and ensure that you will not get the weight back once you stop the weight loss diet is physical activity and exercise. When we are referring to fast weight loss, exercise plays a very important role in the whole process. Physical activity and exercise rises your internal temperature causing you to sweat and burn calories. At the beginning you should try and exercise 3 days a week for at least 45 minutes per day. You should try and gradually increase that to 1 hour per day, 4 days per week. Examples of exercises you can do include walking, running, biking, swimming, stair stepping, rope jumping and rowing. It is understood that this may not be the easiest thing to do but if you need to lose weight fast you will have to introduce some form of exercise to your schedule.

Rule #7: Weight Training

Weight training can help you build more muscle mass. The more muscles you have the easiest is to increase your metabolism. Weight training can add the extra bit on your weight loss efforts and can help you start losing weight in 2 weeks. The advantages from weight training are twofold. First you accelerate the burning process by building more muscles and second it is very good for your health and bones and can protect your from several diseases as you grow old (for example osteoporosis).

Rule #8: Eat more white meat

Some very nice tricks that can instantly save you calories and help you lose weight in 2 weeks concern dark and white meat. Dark meat has about 15% more calories than white meat. For example a turkey breast with the skin (it is better to remove it) has about 155 calories while the same quantity of dark meat has 185 calories.

Rule #9: Steam cooking is the healthiest way to cook your food

Steam cooking is a very healthy and easy way to cook. Steam foods are prepared quickly and have low calories. This is because you do not need to add anything to your food besides water. There is a large variety of foods that can be steam cooked. These include rice, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry and several other types of foods.

Rule #10: Enjoy your food

You should try and enjoy every bite of your food. Food is an enjoyment and this is how you should look at it. For food to be delicious it doesn’t have to be full fat and full of calories. Low fat foods are nowadays as tasty as the normal foods. Try to eat foods that require crunching and chewing.The more you chew you food, the less are the chances that you will eat more than what you need. Great “crunch” foods include carrots and broccoli. The more chewing the more calories you will burn.

If you follow the above weight loss tips and tricks you will be able to lose weight in 2 weeks. Of course this will not be the end of your weight loss efforts but it will be a good starting point that will give you encouragement for the future.