Losing 5 pounds a week (it varies depending on how overweight you are to begin with), is pretty doable provided you follow a great regimen. Follow these simple tips to lose up to 5 pounds in 7 days, and use it as motivation to keep yourself going on your journey to better health! For starters, make sure you drink nothing but water (or mainly water) every day for 7 days. No soda, juice, or other sugary drinks. Drink a gallon of water a day, starting with a giant glass when you first wake up. This helps keep your body hydrated, energized, and feeling fuller all day long. Get 30 minutes of cardio every single day. Whether you speed walk, jog, ride a bike, or just run, whatever you do get that heart rate up for 30 minutes a day. Keep that water handy! If water just plain sucks, add a splash of lemon or lime to make it more exciting. Do your leg lifts, push ups, crunches, squats, and calf raises every other day, in repetitions of 15 each 5 times. This in addition to your every day cardio helps boost your overall ability to build muscle, which helps you burn more calories. Do not eat white flour or simple sugars (candy, etc) if you can help it. Opt for whole wheat instead. Keep your fat intake to no more than 30% of your daily calories. Since your body burns simple sugars first, you want to avoid this type of energy as much as you can. Fruits and veggies are great for the fiber to eat all day long. Pick your goal weight and multiply it by 10. This is how many calories you can eat in a day to help you reach your goal weight. It takes 10 calories to maintain 1 pound of body weight, so if you naturally eat the amount in calories of your goal weight, you will eventually hit that weight. Cool, huh? Finally, eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones. It helps to eat a small snack before your workout, so you can keep up a good pace longer. Snacking throughout the day allows you to burn more calories all day long and keeps you from feeling starving (don't forget to drink your water!!!) *remember- the more weight you have to lose, the more weight you will lose in a single week. Don't push yourself too hard- a person who has a BMI of 24+ is more likely to lose 5 pounds in a single week, whereas a person who has a BMI of around 18-21 will lose more like a pound or 2. This is because there is less fat to lose overall. Talk to your doctor before you begin a weight loss regimen if you have concerns about your overall health. I am not a doctor or weight loss expert. Any of these tips work for great weight maintenance and loss as well- keep it up! Believe in yourself! Source
