I get this question all the time and I’m always very reluctant to answer it because it goes against everything I believe about fitness and weight loss. Unfortunately people continue to look for weight loss tips to help them lose weight fast. This in and of itself isn’t too bad and I can understand why someone who doesn’t know better would want to lose weight fast rather than slow, but once you’ve taken the time to learn my approach to weight loss, you’ll quickly see this isn’t a great idea. Still, I get the questions and so I’m going to give you the answer now to lose weight in a week.
Anybody can take drastic measures and lose weight in a week, but that doesn’t mean they’re any healthier or more likely to keep the weight off. That’s the problem with this approach to weight loss; it typically involves extreme measures that can’t be continued much past the week or two you’re focused on. So, you may want to lose weight in 1 week, but you should focus on getting in shape.
Enough of my lecture, here’s what you need to do for fast weight loss, whether that’s 1 week or you want to lose weight in two weeks. Beyond that, this plan is going to become very unhealthy and shouldn’t be something you do. Of course, check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet and fitness program, even if it’s just for a short time.
First step to lose all your weight is to eliminate almost every simple carbohydrate in your house. By this, I mean all the bread, cereal, cookies, pasta and other carbs made out of processed white flour. This is a good idea for everyone, regardless of how much, if any, weight you’re trying to lose. Doing this can also take you a huge way when it comes to preventing adult onset diabetes. Because you’re trying to lose as much weight as possible in a short one to two week period, I also recommend eliminating all other carbohydrates you may be consuming. This includes high carb fruits (almost all of them) along with vegetables with a high concentration of carbohydrates, such as potatoes, carrots and other “root vegetables.”
What you want to do is put your body into a state of ketosis, which means your metabolism has shifted from burning the carbohydrates you’re consuming to burning the fat your body has stored. The best way to find out if you’re in a state of ketosis is to purchase some ketone strips at the local drug store. You’ll simply swipe this small little strip through your urine stream and check the resulting color to find out how many ketones your body is producing. Ketones are the byproduct of burnt or consumed fat tissues. If you see them spike, you know your body has made the adjustment.
Of course, if you want to maximize your weight loss, you should also watch to make sure you’re not consuming too many calories, even if there are no included carbohydrates. If you’re base metabolic rate is approximately 1800, you’re going to want to keep your intake around 1200-1400 calories per day. On top of this reduction in caloric intake, compound the effort by increasing your daily calorie burn. This is done through some sort of total body cardiovascular exercise. Jumping rope is a good and affordable way to do this at home without having to buy a treadmill or join a gym.
Lastly, watch your fat intake. I mention this as a final thought because I don’t want you to become obsessed with eliminating all fats from your diet. Doing that can be very dangerous as your body has a need for certain essential fats. Remember, you have essential proteins, essential fats, but no essential carbohydrates.
This should get you moving in the right direction. If, at the end of the one or two weeks, you like the results you’ve seen, consider continuing with this program, but slowly add in some healthy carbohydrates from fresh fruits and vegetables. Add in an apple a day for the first week and check your weight gain. If you didn’t have any, go ahead an add in a serving of vegetable for the following week and check for any weight gain. If you’re still doing ok, consider adding in some WHOLE grain bread or pasta and continue to monitor for weight gain. The trick is to find the balance of allowable carbs without inducing any sort of weight gain. Once you’ve found this place, make note of it and you’ll always know whether you’re on track or not.