Twenty #pounds is a lot to lose in two short weeks. While surgery and weight loss pills are among the options many people use to drop such a large amount of weight so quickly, making changes to your diet and lifestyle can help just as much. It is important to note that a diet that drops so much #weight is highly unconventional, though, and you should talk your plans over with a doctor before continuing further.
Steps:
Diet Changes
- 1Eat all your meals. While you may feel tempted to skip breakfast or spend a day fasting, you should resist the urge to do so. Prolonged fasting can cause muscle loss and other health problems, but it can also make it more difficult for your body to lose weight. When the human body does not receive enough nutrition, it automatically starts conserving calories by burning them at a slower rate. You may experience significant weight loss after the first few days, but by the end of the two weeks, you will probably gain a good portion of it back.[1]
- 2Cut junk food from your diet. Cut it out completely. Someone following a standard diet can usually afford to fall off the junk food wagon once or twice without suffering major repercussions. For more extreme, short-term weight loss goals, however, junk food must be completely avoided. Stay away from greasy, fatty foods as well as those with a high sugar content.
- 3Munch on "negative calorie" foods.[2] Whether or not negative calorie foods are truly negative is up for debate. As the theory goes, some foods take so much energy to digest that eating them actually burns more calories than the foods contain. Even if you do not burn calories eating these foods, though, you will not gain many calories from them, either.
- In the way of vegetables, eat more asparagus, beet root, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, hot chili, cucumber, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onion, radish, spinach, turnip, and zucchini.
- As for fruits, gravitate toward apples, blueberries, cantaloupe, cranberries, grapefruit, honeydew, lemons, limes, oranges, mangos, papayas, peaches, pineapples, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, tangerines, and watermelon.
- In the way of vegetables, eat more asparagus, beet root, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, hot chili, cucumber, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onion, radish, spinach, turnip, and zucchini.
- 4Drink more water. Water flushes out your system, removing excess salt and aiding in the weight loss process. Moreover, water is free of calories, making it a much better choice than sugary drinks. In fact, if you can limit yourself to only water, your odds of losing the weight will increase. If you need something flavored from time to time, choose a diet soda or, even better, unsweetened tea.
- 5Stick to the food pyramid.[3] Contrary to popular belief, “fad” diets that require you to only eat a certain type of food will leave your body malnourished. A malnourished body cannot function properly, which makes it difficult to lose calories. To maintain a healthy level of nutrition, you should follow food pyramid proportions. You can still lose weight by following these proportions as long as you use low-calorie foods to meet the requirements.
- 6Choose leaner proteins. Instead of beef and pork, opt for leaner meats like chicken or fish. Consuming fish is especially helpful because the fatty acids in fish give your body the beneficial oils it needs, and may help subdue the urge to consume greasy or fattening foods.
- 7Only eat whole grains. Completely cutting the carbohydrates from your diet will leave you nutritionally imbalanced. Instead, eat fibrous whole grains instead of enriched white bread, pasta, or rice. The fiber contained in whole grains can help you flush out your digestive system, thereby reducing the weight you carry in your gut from undigested or partially digested food.
- 8Count your calories. During these two weeks, it is essential that you monitor you calories closely. Only by noting how many calories you consume will you be able to determine how many calories you need to burn to lose weight.
- Lifestyle Changes
- 1Make a commitment. It sounds obvious, but one of the most important things you can do to guarantee weight loss success is to commit to your goal. This is especially important for a short-term diet like this. You cannot afford to have an “off” day when you slack on your diet or exercise regiment. Once you decide to go this route, you must be committed to seeing it through.
- 2Get several hours of moderate to vigorous exercise each day.[4] The best way to burn calories is through exercise. If your body is already familiar with moderate physical activity, you might be able to take things up a notch by alternating moderate and vigorous activity throughout your day. On the other hand, if you are unaccustomed to much physical activity, you should only stick to moderate exercise. Either way, make sure to take plenty of breaks and to re-hydrate yourself with plenty of water.
- Vigorous #activity burns between 400 and 600 calories per hour, and examples include running, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, basketball, and heavy weight lifting or yard work.
- Moderate activity burns between 200 and 400 calories per hour and includes hiking, light yard work, dancing, golf, slow bicycling, and slow walking. Get at least 30 minutes of exercise 2-3 times a week.
- Vigorous #activity burns between 400 and 600 calories per hour, and examples include running, bicycling, swimming, aerobics, basketball, and heavy weight lifting or yard work.
- 3Balance the calories you burn with the calories you consume. Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. On average, a person needs to burn 3,500 #calories more than he or she consumes to lose 1 lb (450 g).[5] To lose 20 pounds (9 kg) in two weeks, you will need to lose a little under 1.5 lbs (675 g) every day. That means burning a little over 5,000 calories more than you consume each day.
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