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Losing weight in a week may feel impossible, but it is entirely possible with the right plan and mindset. If you want to lose weight in 1 week, don’t waste your time with fad diets and the endless amount of misinformation you’ll find on the internet, there is a better way.
Easy ways to cut calories:
- Stop drinking your calories
- Make half of your plate veggies
- Stop snacking or grazing
- Eat more protein
- Skip the cooking oil and butter
- Try intermittent fasting
- Achieve healthy weight with meal delivery
Learn how to lose weight fast and kickstart your healthy lifestyle with proven nutrition strategies from a dietitian and see just how far one week can really take you in your weight loss journey.
How Many Pounds Can You Lose in a Week
It is possible to lose quite a bit of weight in a single week. However, the majority of the weight you will lose is likely water weight and not body fat. Losing body fat takes a bit more time than a single week.
You cannot hack your metabolism or override basic physics with a quick fix. You need to give your body enough time to sufficiently burn fat and deplete your body’s fat stores.
However, one week can make a big difference in your weight loss goals and really kick start your progress. It can also be incredibly motivating when you try to lose weight and see results quickly - helping you to stick to your plan long term.
How much weight you can lose depends on your starting body weight. The amount of weight most people can expect to lose about 0.5% to 1% of their body weight in a week. This works out to be about 1 pound per week for a 150 pound adult and 2 pounds per week for a 250 pound adult.
The Most Effective Way to Lose Weight in a Week
Hands down the most effective approach to losing weight quickly is decreasing your calorie intake. And this is best achieved by focusing on your nutrition and food choices.
However, you don’t want to decrease your intake too low. Cutting calories to drastically low levels will help you lose weight initially, but it is not sustainable and might end up doing more harm than good in the long run. Additionally, after a certain point, you are losing mostly body water and not fat.
Instead, aim to cut your intake to no more than 25% below your estimated needs. This will ensure you are in the sweet spot of burning fat and optimizing your body’s ability to lose weight without having to starve yourself in the process.
Consider tracking your food and beverage intake in a nutrition tracking app to hold yourself accountable and make sure you are hitting your daily goals.
7 Easy Ways to Cut Calories and Lose Weight Fast
To help you kick start your rapid weight loss, here are 7 easy ways to cut calories quickly:
1. Stop Drinking Your Calories
You would be amazed how quickly calories from beverages can rack up. A sweetened coffee for breakfast (200 kcal), a bottle of soda at lunch (250 kcal), and a glass of wine after work (150 kcal) adds up to 600+ calories a day. In this case, switching to only water can help you lose one pound in a week without even feeling it.
Pay attention to the nutrition facts label for any beverages you choose to consume. You might be surprised how much excess sugar and calories you are drinking. You can also opt for other non-calorie beverages like unsweetened tea, black coffee, sparkling water, etc.
2. Make Half of Your Plate Veggies
Not only are vegetables some of the most nutritious foods you can eat, but they also tend to be incredibly low in calories - especially non-starchy vegetables. One cup of non-starchy veggies has roughly 30 calories, compared to foods high in carbs like pasta or rice that have about 250 calories per cup. Because of this, replacing other food portions, like carbs, with non-starchy vegetables can help you cut massive amounts of calories without having to sacrifice portion size.
In addition, many vegetables also tend to be high in fiber that may help you feel fuller longer and reduce your appetite, helping you eat even fewer calories.
3. Stop Snacking or Grazing
Snacking is not necessary to support your nutrition needs or to manage your appetite. And if you are an avid snacker or grazer, it’s an easy way to go over your daily energy needs.
Small bites of food throughout the day can really add up if you aren’t paying attention. A couple chips here, a nibble of a brownie there, and a few scoops of hummus later you’re racking up hundreds of extra calories throughout the day.
Eliminating snacking altogether and focusing solely on meals is an easy way to counteract this potential issue.
4. Eat More Protein
No other type of food is as effective at keeping your hunger in check than protein. Not to mention protein supports fat loss in a number of different ways including protecting your lean muscle mass and supporting a healthy metabolism.
Consider stacking your meals with quality lean proteins like chicken, fish, egg whites, and low fat dairy.
Find out what meal plan would work best for you!
5. Skip the Cooking Oil and Butter
Added fat from oils and butter can add a lot of extra calories in a very small portion. One tablespoon of cooking oil has 120 kcal, and when you’re pouring it in the pan without measuring how much you’re using, you can end up adding hundreds of calories to your day.
Instead, opt for non-stick cooking pans or fat free cooking styles like baking, roasting, air fryer, or grill. You can also use a little bit of water or stock in your pan to keep things from sticking and help them cook more quickly, without the calories.
6. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is a fast and effective way to restrict your calorie intake simply by restructuring your eating routine. Many people find that limiting their eating window to only 8 hours a day and fasting for the remaining 16 hours is an easy way to lose fat. This can be as simple as skipping breakfast every day.
Just be sure to pay attention to the calories you consume within your eating window or this plan can easily backfire. If you look at your eating window as a free for all, you can end up overeating which will lead to weight gain.
7. Achieve a Healthy Weight With Meal Delivery
Crush your healthy weight loss goals and make good nutrition an easy habit to conquer with ready made healthy meals cooked and delivered right to your door. All you have to do is warm them up and enjoy!
How to Keep Losing Weight After the First Week
Long term success on any healthy diet plan boils down to consistency - if you stay consistent and keep working towards your goals you will be successful. This means finding a plan that you feel like you can stick to for more than a week.
Start by building your meal plan using healthy foods that you enjoy eating, and fine tuning your relationship with your food to reach a positive and healthy mindset. Having the right mental attitude and learning how to enjoy the process can truly make or break your success.
Then focus on small changes that you can stick with. Sooner or later, these changes become healthy habits that you don;t even have to think about. And these healthy habits will dramatically transform your body and your mind.