How To Lose 5 Pounds In A Week

Sometimes, you just need to lose weight in a week to hit your goal weight or boost your confidence.

Have you ever...

Had a few extra pounds to lose to fit into an outfit for a special event or get rid of bloating from an over-indulgent weekend?

Ever wondered how many carbs do I need to eat per day to lose belly fat?

What's the best way to go about doing this weight loss thing?

We’ve all been there.

You might want to feel confident in a swimsuit or make room for the calories you’re planning on eating during a special meal.

The best way to lose weight is to make consistent lifestyle changes. If the pounds come off gradually, it’s more likely to stay off. 

However, rapid weight loss can happen. It just might not be practically sustainable.

Sodium is a necessary mineral for survival. It stays in the blood and the fluid surrounding your cells and helps regulate your hydration.

If you have too much sodium, your body will hold onto water to balance it out.

For every gram of salt that your body retains, you hold onto about two pounds of water weight, says SFGate.

Although salt is necessary for your body to work properly, you only need about 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of the mineral per day. The average American takes in about 3,400 milligrams. That’s two grams more per day than your body requires.

One teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Still, about 75 percent of the sodium that we eat is already incorporated into processed foods. We usually don’t add all that much by sprinkling salt on our meals.

Reducing your sodium intake can stop your body from holding onto excess fluid. Depending on how much sodium you normally consume, cutting it out can result in fairly immediate weight loss.

However, there’s a limit to how much water weight you can lose. If you consume less sodium, your body will balance itself out within a few days, and your weight will stabilize.

Remember that you need some sodium for your organs to function.

Pro Tips:

Limit your consumption of processed foods – You can do anything for a week. Focus on eating items that aren’t boxed, bagged, pickled or canned.

• Use salt-free seasonings – You can find a variety of blends in the spice aisle, or you can mix up your own.
• Buy fresh herbs – Cut them and sprinkle them on your food right before you eat it. The strong flavor might make you forget that you’re not eating salt.
• Look at it as a brain adjustment – The National Kidney Foundation says that the preference for salt can be unlearned. In about six to eight weeks, you may prefer salt-free foods. The alternatives may taste too salty for you.
• Add acids – Tart flavors, such as vinegar and lemon juice, satisfy the taste buds like salt does. Sprinkle lemon juice or vinegar on your vegetables right before serving.

Related:  How To Increase Metabolism and Speed Up Weight Loss

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans say that the average person should get 45 to 65 percent of their caloriesfrom carbs. That means if you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, you should consume 225 to 325 grams of carbs per day when you’re not trying to lose weight. 

Someone on a 1,500-calorie diet should typically consume between 168 and 225 grams of carbs per day.

Carbohydrates fuel your body. They give you energy. They help your body have the vitality to do something as simple as breathing. You need carbs to survive.

Carbs are converted to glucose in your body. If you don’t use all of that glucose, it gets stored as glycogen backup. Your body’s storage space is limited, though. You can only keep about 500 grams of glycogen. Excess glucose is converted into fat.

Cutting carbs will help your body pull from existing stores of fuel to get energy. Otherwise, it’s just using glycogen from the foods that you just ate. Reduce the number of carbs that you eat by half to give your body a chance to tap into its energy stores.

Here’s how that breaks down:

• 2,500-calorie diet: 140 to 203 grams of carbs
• 2,000-calorie diet: 112 to 162 grams of carbs
• 1,800-calorie diet: 100 to 146 grams of carbs
• 1,500-calorie diet: 84 to 121 grams of carbs

Pro tips:

• Add protein – If you feel depleted from reducing the number of carbs that you eat, add protein to your plate. Replacing the carb calories with protein calories gives you healthy fuel.
• Eat starches, not sugars – Starches are the kind of carbs found in potatoes, root vegetables and squash. These complex carbs take longer to process. Therefore, they don’t spike your glucose levels the way sugar does, and you’ll stay full for longer.
• Get more veggies – Non-starchy vegetables still have carbs. If you load up your plate with these foods, you won’t feel deprived. You can eat three cups of sautéed kale with a chopped red pepper thrown in, and it’s delicious, colorful, and only contains about 25 grams of carbs.

Most people don’t drink enough water. Although you probably grew up hearing that you need to drink six to eight glasses a day, the modern recommendation is to consume at least half your body weight in ounces.

If you weigh 150 pounds, you would need to drink about 75 ounces per day. (150/2=75)

If you wait to drink water until you’re thirsty, you might already be dehydrated. Women’s Health says that you don’t feel thirsty until you’ve lost two percent of your body weight in water.

I know that you’re trying to lose weight anyway, but that’s not the way to do it.

If you don’t drink enough water, you’ll retain excess sodium and toxins, which can interfere with your metabolism and digestion.

Every time you eat or drink anything, your metabolism revs up. If that water is cold, your body will burn even more calories trying to warm it up. Drinking water throughout the day can boost your calorie burn.

A study that was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that adding about 50 ounces of water to your daily consumption could help you burn 200 extra calories per day.

Pro tips:

• Get prepared – Pour the amount of water that you’ll need for the day in mason jars, and stash them in the fridge. You’ll feel rewarded as you empty the containers, and you’ll know exactly how much to drink.
• Add natural flavor – If you’re not into drinking water, try infusing it with slices of citrus fruit, berries, watermelon or cucumber. It won’t add many calories but can make bland water seem more decadent.
• Chug before you work out – Try to down about 16 ounces of water before you exercise to hydrate properly and get that added hydration.

People used to think that you had to perform long, moderate cardio sessions to lose weight. Unfortunately, most people don’t have time to exercise for hours each day.

Plus, pounding the pavement or the treadmill for 45 minutes can be boring.

Instead of concentrating on cardio or strength training alone, try to combine the two with HIIT training.

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. To do it, you perform short bursts of exercise with maximum effort. You break up these spurts with recovery periods, during which you rest or do less intensive movements.

HIIT training has several benefits. It has been shown to burn more fat and calories even after your workout. That’s because all that activity creates an oxygen shortage while you’re working out. As your body works to replace the oxygen during recovery, your metabolism stays high.

You burn more fat and calories in a shorter period of time with HIIT. Researchers say that 15 minutes of HIIT can burn just as many calories as an hour-long jog.

HIIT is good for heart health, improves your endurance and can be done anywhere. You don’t need special equipment, although this type of exercise is highly adaptable. You could do it at the gym, on the street or in the comfort of your own home.

Pro tips:

• Vary the exercises – Stay interested and engaged by changing up your workout. My HIIT Training at Home videos provide exercises for beginners or advanced.
• Don’t overdo it – You increase your risk of injury with HIIT sessions that are longer than 30 minutes. If you want to get more exercise in, consider doing three 10-minute HIIT workouts at different times of day.
• Give it your all – Don’t slack off during the intense parts of your workout. If you’re having trouble keeping your energy up, try performing shorter periods of work, making them longer as you increase your endurance.

Related:  How Many Calories Should I Eat To Lose Weight