How to Lose Weight in a Week

Do you wonder how to lose weight in a week? Are 7 days enough for someone to lose weight? The answer is YES. It is possible to lose pounds in a period of one week but the difficult question is “How many pounds can you lose in 7 days?” There is no precise answer as you will read below, but for sure the recommended weight (for a healthy weight loss) you can shed in one week is between 1 -2 pounds. Anything above that is unhealthy weight loss and you should only attempt it after consulting with your doctor.

You should also take into consideration that losing weight in a week is not appropriate for long-term weight loss results; it is a quick way when you need to lose weight fast. For long-term results, you need to adopt a healthy lifestyle that will help you lose weight naturally and increase your chances to keep the weight off.

How many pounds can you lose in a week?

By adopting a very simple mathematical equation, you can calculate how much weight you can lose in one week. This is based on the fact that one pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories. Therefore, if you want to lose one pound in a week you need to create a calorie deficit (burning more calories than consumed) of 3500 calories. If you need to lose two pounds in one week, you need to save 7000 calories (2 x 3500) and so on. This can be done by following a low calorie diet bundled with regular exercise and intense physical activity. By eating less and exercising, you will end up creating a daily calorie deficit that eventually leads to weight loss.

You should also take into account that:

The recommended minimum daily calorie intake for women is 1200 calories.

The recommended minimum daily calorie intake for men is 1500 calories.

You should not follow a low calorie diet that goes below the above recommendations without medical consultation.

You can split the amount of calories you need to save evenly throughout the week.

For example: if your goal is to lose 1 pound in one week then you should try and save 500 calories per day (3500/7).

How to lose weight in one week with a healthy diet

A healthy diet is one that will help you save enough calories per day to lose weight in a week (or more) but without going beyond the recommended limits. The actual number of calories you should consume depends on many factors including gender, age, height and level of activity.

For example: If your daily calorie requirements are 1800 calories per day and you need to lose 1 pound in a week then you need to reduce the amount of calories you consume to 1300 calories per day. If this sounds very difficult to do with a diet alone then you can burn more calories through exercise and activity and reach your daily target.

The 7-day diet plan proposed below is suitable for men and women of all ages. Each day provides about 1200 calories. You can use it as a sample and adjust it to meet your individual needs and requirements. The diet is consider a balanced diet since it includes items from all food groups and has a healthy distribution of fats, carbohydrates and protein.

The number of calories you consume per day by following the 7-day diet plan is:

How to lose weight in a week with exercise

Exercise is very important if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Many people try to lose weight with a diet alone and they find it very difficult because in order to get quick results they need to minimize their daily calorie intake at very low levels. This is tiring and many people quit either because they cannot follow such a plan for many days or because they get bored. The best way to lose weight in a week is to combine a healthy diet with regular exercise. Based on our example above, where you need to save 500 calories per day in order to lose one pound in a week, here are a few exercise ideas and the calories you can burn with each workout.

You can choose from an endless combination of exercises, outdoor sports and physical activities, but what is important is to have fun and do it consistently for a long period. If needed split your exercise sessions throughout the day but try to keep your daily schedule. For example, you can walk for 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon and 10 minutes after dinner instead of doing a continuous 30 minutes workout. Consistency is the key here and this means that exercising on a regular basis can produce better results than exercising occasionally. It is more efficient to do a 20-minute workout per day rather than 1-hour workout every 5 days.

10 Tips on how to lose weight in a week without exercise

So far, we have seen how to lose weight in a week with a healthy diet and exercise. This is the recommended approach but some people for one reason or another do not want to exercise but still need to lose weight. The weight loss tips below can help you lose pounds in a period of one week without engaging into any formal diet or exercise schedule. They are tips you can easily apply in your daily life and a major step towards the right direction.

1.       The Secret is to drink a LOT of Water

When you start a weight loss program, you usually experience a reduction in weight and in most cases; this is in the form of water weight. When it comes to losing fat and keeping it off, that is a different story. Nevertheless, if you want the scale to report that you are X pounds less than the previous week, then there is a method for getting rid of the excess weight even if it is only initially in the form of water. Drinking a lot of water will increase your metabolism and this is your goal if you want to get slimmer. If you speed up your metabolism, then you are going to start burning more calories and gradually shed pounds.

2.       Say No to Beverages

As already stated, if you want to lose weight fast, you will have to stick to drinking water only. Green tea is okay too but stay away from any soft drinks or coffee beverages with plenty of empty calories and caffeine. Caffeine can interfere with digestion so keep it as natural as you can to lose weight quickly and effectively.

3.       Avoid those Colorless Carbs and Fried Foods

Avoid eating any “white” carbohydrates. In other words, minimize the consumption of rice, white bread, or potatoes. Stay also away from fried food and prefer barbecued or steam cooked food.

4.       Eat your fruits and vegetables

To lose weight in a week, you will have to focus on eating fruits, vegetables, chicken or fish. For example: choose carrots, cauliflower, green peppers, broccoli, lettuce, cucumbers, radishes, green beans, apples, oranges, kiwi, bananas, grapefruit and asparagus. All these foods are high in fiber and water to speed up a sluggish system. Use olive oil and vinegar for a dressing and you are on your way to shedding the pounds. Just remember – “The more colorful your plate, the lower your weight.”

5.       Protein Foods

Legumes and other protein foods can jump-start your metabolism. Select small servings of lentils, kidney beans, pinto beans and lima beans.

6.       Add Egg Whites once or twice a Week

To avoid the cholesterol in whole eggs, eat a couple egg whites for breakfast adding a whole egg for taste a couple times a week. This will give you the needed protein to help you burn calories and fat.

7.       Eat your Bran

Also, add bran to your diet during breakfast or lunch. Either eat bran flakes or make it a habit to eat a piece of bran toast. Bran will give you the fiber you need and will ‘regulate’ your digestive system.

8.       Lower your Cholesterol too

If you must eat butter, choose a small amount of margarine on your toast; otherwise, forget it if you can.

9.       Limit your Dairy Products

When it comes to dairy, choose low fat milk and stay away from any type of dairy product high in saturated fat.

10.   You Can Do It!

You do not have to deprive yourself. All you need to do is take care of what you eat and in what quantities; that way, you’ll lose the necessary amount of weight in as little as seven days.

To sum up, if you want to lose weight in a week then the best way to do it is by following a healthy balanced diet and doing regular exercise. We have also outlined the other available options and provided you with a diet plan and exercise ideas. All you need know is determination and willingness to enroll in a weight loss process. Depending on your body type, metabolism, gender and age, may take more than a week to reach your target weight but eventually you will get there.