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This article was co-authored by Melody Sayers, MS, RD, NASM-CPT. Melody Sayers is a Registered Dietitian and NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer. She is the owner of Elevate Your Plate®, a private nutrition counseling and personal training practice, focused on an evidence-based, individualized, realistic, and results-driven approach to improving one's health. With over 8 years of experience, Melody has worked in both the private and public health sectors, helping both individuals and communities achieve milestones in managing their weight and preventing disease. She currently holds a Certificate in Adult Weight Management and a Master of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science from the California State University - Northridge.
There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 267,291 times.
At some point in our lives, most of us wish we could lose some weight fast. But losing weight quickly is a challenging thing to do for a number of reasons. Most importantly, our bodies are not designed to lose weight quickly. Sudden weight loss can slow your metabolism and undermine your goal of losing weight. In addition, losing weight in a short amount of time can be unhealthy and even dangerous if you have pre-existing metabolic disorders or other health conditions. So if you want to lose weight quickly, you need to be careful and monitor your overall health while you’re doing it. In the end, if you are careful and have a good bit of determination, you can lose the weight that you want to lose.
Steps
Reduce calorie consumption. Most of us can reduce caloric intake very easily by making some small changes to our diet. According to registered dietician Melody Sayers, "Reducing portions, switching to lower fat products, and eliminating sources of extra calories can make a big difference." Here are some ideas:- Eat smaller meals.
- Put low fat or skim milk in your coffee or tea.
- Make a sandwich with mustard instead of mayonnaise.
- Drizzle, rather than pour salad dressing onto your salads.
- Order or serve gravies and sauces on the side and dip your food in them, rather than eating them poured over your food.[1]
- Skip the sauces and go for grilled meats, steamed vegetables, oil and vinegar dressings on salads.
Drink plenty of water. Drinking a lot of water will aid in the overall process of weight loss. Water will help flush your system and keep your digestive system regular - all of which are important if you want to lose weight. It will also keep you hydrated which will be important if you are exercising as part of your weight loss plan. Registered dietician Melody Sayers also suggests "eating foods with high-water content, which help you stay fuller for longer."- Staying hydrated will give you energy and help keep you vibrant.
- Drinking water is important if you will be exercising to lose weight.
- Drinking plenty of water will help you keep regular bowel movements, which in turn will help you lose weight and stay healthy.
- Drinking water also helps you lose water weight, which is water that has been retained in the body unnecessarily.
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Reduce your carbohydrate intake. Limiting your carb consumption will help you lose weight, too.[2] Carbohydrates break down quickly in our bodies, leaving us feeling hungry again after only a short period of time. They also signal our bodies to store fat. Both of these are counterproductive to weight loss. It's hard to completely eliminate carbs, so try reducing them rather than not eating any.- Avoid excessive amounts of bread.
- Consume only one serving a day of cereal.
- Limit potatoes, rice, and corn.
- Be careful. A low-carb diet can be harmful to people with certain health problems. Don’t stay on a low carb diet for a long period of time without consulting your doctor.[3]
Consume lean protein. Protein will be one of your biggest friends when trying to lose weight in two weeks. This is because your body requires more energy to process protein than carbs. So you’ll be working to use calories without even knowing it. It is also because protein helps you feel fuller for longer. Whenever possible, "choose fish, beans, or lentils as your protein source, as beef, pork, fried chicken, ham, and deli meat are much higher in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol." When choosing protein to eat, you can also consider:- Lean red meat with little fat.
- Venison or other game.
- Chicken
- Turkey (white meat)
- Any meat or protein that is low fat.
Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eating more fruits and vegetables can help you lose weight.[4] Both fruits and vegetables keep you feeling full longer, so you won't be hungry as often. They're also packed with micronutrients your body needs to stay healthy, and vegetables have lots of fiber to keep you regular. As a result, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will help you lose weight. Here are some other ideas:- At meal times, fill up at least half of your plate with vegetables.
- Snack on carrots, cherry tomatoes or other veggies.
- Add spinach, sliced cucumber or sliced bell pepper to your turkey sandwich.
- Consider apples, berries, bananas, or other fruits.
Reduce your sugar intake. Sugar is naturally present in many foods that are good for you, like dairy products, vegetables, fruits and grains, so don't cut those out. Instead, eliminate the worst culprits: sweet baked goods, sugary cereals, fruit juices, soda, and candy.[5] Here are some other tips:- Stop adding sugar to your coffee or cereal.
- Read labels carefully; sugar is added to many packaged foods, even ones you might not expect like pasta sauce, energy drinks and barbecue sauce.
- Remember that sugar goes by many names. You might find it listed on packages as high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, maltose, sucrose, dextrose, or corn sweetener.
Cut out sodium (salt). Reducing sodium intake temporary can help us shed weight. Sodium causes our bodies to retain water, and water weight can account for 55-60% of your body weight. During the two weeks you are trying to lose weight, eliminate all the sodium you can from your diet. Here are some ideas:- Don't add salt to your food. Look for salt-free seasonings if you find your food too bland.
- Eat as little processed and packaged food as possible - they're full of sodium.
- If you do eat packaged foods, choose low-sodium versions.
- Salad dressings and other sauces are often high in sodium. Omit these if you can, or use smaller amounts.
- Lowering sodium may help improve your overall health.[6]
Avoid alcohol. Heavy drinking is related to weight gain.[7] Remember that alcoholic drinks contain empty calories and have no nutritional value! Moderate alcohol consumption is defined as one drink per day for women and two per day for men.[8] During the two weeks you're trying to lose weight, try not to consume any alcohol. If you do, choose wisely. Here are some tips:- One serving of spirits (1 ounce or 30 ml) is 100 calories, one glass of wine (4 ounces or 125 ml) is 120 calories, and one beer (8 ounces or 230 ml) is 150 calories.
- Choose simple cocktails - mixed drinks made with juices and liqueurs will have more calories than say, a vodka tonic.
- Make a spritzer with white wine and club soda.
- Try infused spirits - they are flavorful without added calories.
- Have a light beer instead of regular beer.
- Avoid drinks with sugar or other rims.[9]
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Schedule time to exercise. If you want to lose weight, you have to use more energy than you consume through food and drinks. Exercising is the primary way to increase the amount of energy you expend.[10] You'll find greater success if you schedule time to exercise. Block off an hour each day for this purpose. Write it on the calendar or set a reminder on your phone, and treat it like any other appointment.[11]
Pick a fitness activity you enjoy. Even though you’ve scheduled a time to exercise, you won’t exercise as much if you don’t enjoy it. That is why it is important to pick an exercise you like. Most importantly, it should be a cardio activity that pushes your limits and challenges you. A good challenging cardio activity will help you burn calories and get your metabolism humming.- Consider: walking, running, riding a bike, swimming, using an elliptical machine.
- Try to do about an hour of cardio each day for weight loss.
- If you are not accustomed to a lot of exercise, start slow, and work your way up to longer and more intense workouts.
- Perform interval training, alternating short periods of high-intensity exercise with moderate exercise - is a great way to burn more calories.[12]
Make yourself walk more. In addition to your chosen cardio workout, make sure you walk more than you normally do. This doesn’t need to be a scheduled time, but rather squeeze walking in all day long when you can. Ultimately, walking is one of the best forms of exercise and experts suggest taking at least 10,000 steps/day to promote weight loss.- Park at far end of the parking lot at work or the store.
- Get up and take a stroll around the office at least once an hour.
- March in place while you're watching TV.
- Use a cordless phone and walk around while you're talking.
- Take the stairs rather than the elevator whenever you can.
- Try to do some brisk walking, this will get your heart rate up higher than normal walking and burn more calories.[13]
Perform some light weight training. While cardio is the most important for losing weight in a short amount of time, you’ll find that some light weight training will compliment cardio wonderfully and help put you on the right track for short-term weight loss and long-term fitness and health. Consider:- Lateral pulldowns.
- Bicep curls.
- Push-ups
- Lunges
- Crunches.[14]
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Create structure around meals. Registered dietician Melody Sayers suggests "eating once every 2-3 hours to keep your hunger levels in check." Remember: healthy eating habits must be intentional—they don't just happen. People who plan for healthy eating are more successful at staying on track. Here are some ways you can do it:- Make a meal plan each week that includes healthy meals and snacks, and stick to it. At the beginning of the week, shop for the foods you need for those meals, so you have no excuses for not eating according to your plan.
- Sit down and eat properly. Studies show that people who sit down at the table to eat from a plate will consume fewer calories than those who eat standing up or grazing from the package.
- Keep healthy and nutritious snacks with you. Bring them with you in your purse or bag, so you will always be able to make good choices.
Cook from scratch. Eating out frequently is a surefire way to increase your waistline. Instead, by cooking meals at home you'll find yourself consuming far fewer calories. Try to make most of the food you eat at home from scratch; you'll enjoy the benefits of knowing exactly what's in your food, and you can avoid diet killers like added sugar and salt.- Use less oils and butter.
- Use less sugar.
- Bake, broil, and grill food instead of frying.[15]
Watch less TV. Watching TV is a sedentary activity during which you get little-to-no exercise. Research shows that adults who watch three or more hours of TV a day are more likely to be obese than those who watch an hour or less. It makes sense: when you're watching TV, you're not engaged in healthy activities that have you moving around.[16] You're more likely to be snacking, too. If you do watch TV, consider:- Exercise while watching. Position your TV where you can see it from your exercise bike or treadmill, and enjoy your favorite show while burning calories.
- Jog in place or do jumping jacks during commercials.
- Hiding the remote. Make yourself get up to change the channel. This can reduce the amount of mindless surfing that we're all susceptible to sometimes.
- Finding something to do with your hands so you don't snack while watching.
Sleep an appropriate amount of time. Sleeping is a very important part of good nutrition and good health. Your body won’t be able to recover from exercise or metabolize foods as efficiently if you haven’t had enough sleep. Fundamentally, not having enough sleep will tax your body and undermine your overall goal of losing weight and being healthy. In general, aim for 6-9 hours of sleep per night.[17]- Too much sleep can make you sluggish.[18]
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Sample Exercise and Meal Plan
Expert Q&A
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- QuestionCan you lose 10 pounds in a week?
Michele DolanMichele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.
Certified Fitness TrainerIt is possible to lose 10 pounds in a week. Aim to lose a maximum of 1% of your body weight per week. If you weigh 200 pounds, then you would aim to lose 2 pounds a week. - QuestionHow much weight can you lose if you fast for 3 days?Michele DolanMichele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.
Certified Fitness TrainerYou can lose anywhere from 5-10 pounds in water weight, which you will gain right back again as soon as you start eating. This type of weight loss may also put strain on your organs or interfere with the regulation of your metabolism. - QuestionHow can I lose weight in 10 days?Michele DolanMichele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.
Certified Fitness TrainerReduce your calorie intake and exercise daily, but make sure to keep the exercise to within your safe boundaries. An injury will only set you back more.
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Tips
- Don't skip meals. You'll be more prone to making poor food choices when you do eat.[19]Thanks
- Don't skip breakfast. People who eat in the morning tend to consumer fewer calories throughout the day.[20]Thanks
- Studies have shown that people who lose weight steadily (at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds a week) tend to keep their weight down in the long run.Thanks
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Warnings
- The Centers for Disease Control defines healthy weight loss as 1 to 2 pounds per week.Thanks
- Avoid diet pills, weight loss supplements, miracle herbs and other "quick" methods of losing weight. Many have serious negative side effects.Thanks
- It is possible to lose 6 to 10 pounds in your first two weeks of weight loss. More weight loss than this is unhealthy.Thanks
- Embrace the idea of healthy weight.Thanks
- It's dangerous to starve yourself or severely limit food intake to lose weight. A safe minimum daily intake is between 1,200-1,500 calories.Thanks
- Enemas and laxatives may help you lose weight in the short term, but in the long run they can be harmful.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/4182-fat-and-calories
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-many-carbs-to-eat-to-lose-weight/
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-carbs.htm
- ↑ https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/add-color/how-to-eat-more-fruits-and-vegetables
- ↑ https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/tips-for-cutting-down-on-sugar
- ↑ https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/how-to-reduce-sodium
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338356/
- ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm
- ↑ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/facts-about-sugar-and-sugar-substitutes
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/how-to-start-exercising-and-stick-to-it.htm
- ↑ https://www.heart.org/en#.V0MkzeSAaio
- ↑ https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/physical-activity-choosing-the-one-for-you
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/exercise-wise.html
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/choosing-healthy-fats.htm
- ↑ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/television-and-sedentary-behavior-and-obesity/
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/sleep-needs-get-the-sleep-you-need.htm
- ↑ https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/oversleeping
- ↑ https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/what-happens-to-the-body-when-you-skip-meals
- ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-you-really-need-to-eat-breakfast/
About This Article
Registered Dietician & Personal Trainer
This article was co-authored by Melody Sayers, MS, RD, NASM-CPT. Melody Sayers is a Registered Dietitian and NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) Certified Personal Trainer. She is the owner of Elevate Your Plate®, a private nutrition counseling and personal training practice, focused on an evidence-based, individualized, realistic, and results-driven approach to improving one's health. With over 8 years of experience, Melody has worked in both the private and public health sectors, helping both individuals and communities achieve milestones in managing their weight and preventing disease. She currently holds a Certificate in Adult Weight Management and a Master of Science in Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science from the California State University - Northridge. This article has been viewed 267,291 times.
Co-authors: 21
Updated: April 18, 2024
Views: 267,291
Categories: Short Term Diets
Article SummaryX
To lose weight in 2 weeks, focus on eating lean protein, like fish and chicken, as well as fruits and vegetables. Try to avoid foods that are high in sugar, salt, and carbohydrates since they'll make it harder to lose weight. In addition to eating healthier, try to exercise for 1 hour every day, even if it's just going for a long walk after riding your bike. You can also do more intensive exercises, like running or lifting weights. For more advice from our Personal Trainer co-author, like how to reduce how many calories you're eating, read on!
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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 267,291 times.
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