In order to lose weight in a week, it’s essential to incorporate several healthy habits into your routine. Although it’s important to lose weight slowly and steadily, you can help yourself along by taking the following seven steps, which will not only help you lose weight within a week but also help you establish healthier eating habits that will last you the rest of your life.
1) Keep it simple
Losing weight is easier when you’re only trying to change one thing at a time. Focus on your diet and exercise habits, then once you’ve nailed down those, start thinking about ways to further improve your health—such as taking vitamins or drinking less soda. And if you slip up on your eating habits? Pick yourself back up and get back into good routines that support your goals. Losing weight takes time, so stay dedicated for now!
2) Avoid processed foods
Eating processed foods can sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Processed food is highly caloric and loaded with preservatives, fats, salt, and sugar. It’s also convenient; it makes our lives easier. However, if you eat out at restaurants all week long or buy fast food on impulse more than you should, you might be sabotaging your health and weight-loss goals without even realizing it. If you want to lose weight within a week don’t fall into these traps—avoid processed foods! They’re everywhere! If you find yourself eating out too often or impulsively shopping for fast food, reevaluate your life and make changes where necessary so that you don’t jeopardize your health or how quickly—or slowly—you lose weight.
3) Eat every two hours
Skipping meals may seem like a good way to lose weight, but if you skip breakfast (most important meal of your day), you’ll actually be slowing down your metabolism and increasing cravings. The best way to lose weight is through intermittent fasting, eating only two meals per day—but you can tweak it by eating every two hours instead of every three.
4) Add resistance training
We’ve covered how regular exercise is critical for weight loss, but you can amplify those results with resistance training. Muscle burns more calories than fat does, even when at rest, so by building muscle—and getting stronger—you will burn more calories even while sitting or sleeping. That doesn’t mean you have to become a bodybuilder or powerlifter; simple moves like squats and push-ups are great ways to start adding resistance training into your routine.
5) Drink at least 64 ounces of water per day
Water helps keep you hydrated, but it also helps you flush out toxins from your body. The more water you drink, then, the healthier and lighter you’ll feel overall. The rule of thumb is that for every 10 pounds you weigh, one extra glass of water should be consumed per day. If you’re unsure about how much water you should be drinking in a day, check with your doctor or dietitian to find out what works best for your health needs.
6) Get more sleep
Sounding tired? You may be surprised by how much more effective you are on just one extra hour of sleep. Researchers from Harvard Medical School found that when people reduced their sleeping time from eight hours to five hours for just two weeks, they had elevated levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) and reduced levels of leptin (the satiety hormone). In other words, they felt hungrier and less satisfied during meals, resulting in an overall reduction in calories consumed.
7) Count calories
If you want to lose weight fast, stick with 500-600 calories a day and avoid adding sugar and other refined carbohydrates that can spike your blood sugar and make your hunger cravings fluctuate quickly. Keeping your calorie count in check is one of best ways to slim down within one week. But remember, losing weight doesn’t have to be drastic—sometimes 10 pounds can drop in just seven days if you follow these healthy tips. (By: Brad Pilon, Men’s Health).
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