Many of us seek a short-term solution for weight loss, whether out of desperation or simply for convenience. If you’ve found yourself searching for “How to lose 5 pounds in a week,” you’re in the right place. We’re here to provide answers on how to approach this goal in a healthy way.
Keep reading to discover whether this target is achievable and safe, along with effective weight loss tips to help you shed those pounds in a short timeframe!
Things to Consider When Losing Weight in a Short Time
Losing weight predominately comes from achieving a calorie deficit, so when you consume calories less than what you need to perform everyday activities, your body turns to burn fat. If you wish to lose 5 pounds in a week, and you’re 250 pounds, that would require you to consume only 1,250 calories across seven days [1].
While you can lose significant weight through this calorie deficit, this does not mean just loss of fat. Our body is also composed of muscle and water content, and we undergo loss of muscle mass and severe dehydration when undergoing such a restrictive diet. A short-term weight loss program also has the side effects of fatigue, headaches, hair loss, etc. A heavy and sudden cutback of calories can leave you with the effects of intense hunger and the urge to binge, resulting in weight gain rather than weight loss [2].
Therefore, such diet strategies are not recommended for your weight loss journey. However, there are definitely healthier ways in which you can set realistic goals to burn calories every day, rather than strictly hoping to lose all 5 pounds in a week. In this article, we hope to guide you on that.
Find out where you are on the healthy weight range scale by estimating your body mass index with our BMI Calculator.
Healthy Ways To Lose Weight Fast
From incorporating a balanced, low-carb diet to training in exercises that burn calories, there are plenty of changes you can make to your lifestyle to lose weight healthily. Here are a few of them:
1. Practice Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting involves eating only during certain windows of time and fasting for the rest. It focuses more on when you eat rather than what or how much you eat, but it is good to be mindful of your eating habits during these eating windows. Fasting for the majority period in a day will inevitably reduce your calorie intake, creating a calorie deficit and helping you lose weight.
You may also like: Intermittent Fasting by Age Chart: A Guide on How it Works
2. Get Quality Sleep
Getting good sleep plays a very important role in weight loss as it’s essential for regulating hormones. When you don’t get your hours of rest, the body releases cortisol which is a hormone that makes you store weight [3]. Lack of sleep also disturbs the ghrelin and leptin hormone which leads to hunger pangs [4]. All of these can directly affect weight gain.
3. Cut Back Refined Carbs, Processed Foods, and Sugary Drinks
It’s not just important to consume fewer calories but also monitor the kind of food that goes into your body, however more or less it is. Avoid processed foods and refined carbs like bagels, waffles, chips, cookies, pizzas, white bread, white rice, etc, and go for healthier whole grain versions of them like brown rice and whole wheat grain bread.
Unhealthy fats must also be avoided and replaced with mono and polyunsaturated fats, as the former is linked to heart diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Finally, limit anything that includes added sugar as they are empty calories, and if you’re craving something sweet go for natural fruits or drinks like coconut water or lemonade for weight loss.
4. Go For Low-Calorie, High-Protein Food
So, what food can be part of a balanced diet for weight loss? Fruits and leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, lean protein like chicken, and healthy fats like nut betters and olive oil. You can also switch your regular whole milk for plant-based milk that have lesser calories. Fibre and protein play a significant role as they slow the rate at which the body digests carbs which helps in keeping you full for longer [5]. Foods with high fiber content are often associated with weight loss for this reason.
A popular, healthy diet you can try: A Guide to the Best Mediterranean Diet Recipes [Free PDF]
5. Do Cardio and Strength Training Exercises
You need to incorporate exercises that increase your heart rate and burn calories. Cardio workouts are perfect for this and it can range from running, swimming, walking, and even sports. For a more intense form of cardio, give High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) a try. Greater muscle mass will also help you burn more calories [6], and so strength training exercises are also a great option. These include weight training with barbell and dumbbell workouts, bodyweight training, resistance band exercises, and more!
6. Don’t Skip Your Meals
Skipping meals is proven to contribute more to weight gain than loss, as it slows down your metabolism [6]. It is recommended to have small meals across the whole day, around 300-400 calories each, as it’ll reduce your snack cravings. Eating less but more often will keep your metabolism functioning more efficiently.
7. Record Your Food Intake
Keeping a food journal and recording the quality of your meals, along with the calorie intake, will help you estimate your weight loss and have the right expectations. Monitoring what works and doesn’t work for your body will also help in short-term weight loss plans. Record your meals and calculate your calorie intake to know if you’ve stuck to your calorie allowance, along with the exercises that can help you burn them.
8. Set Realistic Goals
Losing 5 pounds in a week is not an impossible task, but it’s important to understand at what cost it comes. Taking all of the adverse effects into account and evaluating your lifestyle factors, set goals that can help you attain a healthy weight over a reasonable period of time that works best for you. This is to avoid frustration, disappointment, and also negative consequences on your health.
With regular cardio and strength training, a nutritious diet, and good lifestyle habits, you can 1 or two pounds in a week which is ideally the pace for losing weight in a short time period [7]. You’re also more likely to maintain and continue losing weight at this pace, rather than if you were to shed pounds too quickly.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has given you enough insight into how you can follow healthy habits for weight loss, and to navigate the need to lose 5 pounds in a week. Monitoring your body weight, having a proper diet, and exercising are a few amongst many other things you can do to lead a fitter life. For more tips and tricks on how you can transform your lifestyle, check out the JustFit app for inspiration!
