In an attempt to lose weight in a short period of time, people often resort to crash diets, weight loss pills, fasts and many hours sitting in a sauna. The results from these measures are questionable, and you could even suffer side effects from some of the more drastic regimens. However, if you play your cards right, you can lose weight in a lasting way in a period of around three weeks without having to go to such extremes.
What It Takes to Lose Weight
Losing weight is not as complicated as you might be led to believe. You simply need to eat fewer calories than you expend. Given that a pound is equivalent to 3,500 calories, you can lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week by cutting 500 to 1,000 calories from your daily diet, according to the National Institutes of Health. This would come out to 3 to 6 lbs. in three weeks. If you need help finding the calorie amounts of certain foods, refer to an online resource like Calorie King.
Foods With Low Energy Density
Energy density is the amount of calories a food has per given volume. Foods like cheesecake, meatball hoagies, ribs and ice cream are high in calories and do not take up much space. This causes them to have a high energy density. Foods with a low energy density, on the other hand, provide a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. To successfully lose weight in three weeks, follow a diet that consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and leafy greens. As an added benefit, these foods are high in fiber and they take time to chew which can keep help prevent you from overeating.
Multiple Meals
Eating a meal and waiting for long hours until you eat again can cause you to become ravenous, especially when you are cutting calories. You then run the risk of reaching for something unhealthy or eating too much at your next meal. Prevent this from happening by eating small, healthy meals every two to three hours through the course of the day. A salad with chopped up vegetables and black beans would be a good option. Eating small, frequent meals also helps keep your metabolism elevated.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise, such as running, biking, brisk walking and kickboxing, burns calories efficiently during workouts. By adding cardio to your planner, you can increase your three-week weight loss even more. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of cardio, five days a week, to lose weight. If you weigh 180 lbs. and run at 6 mph for 60 minutes, you can burn over 800 calories. This can lead to over 3 lbs. of weight loss in three weeks.
Strength Training
Strength training contributes to weight loss differently than cardio. As you work out, you end up building muscle. Muscle then increases your resting metabolic rate and causes you to burn more calories when you are immobile. If you take short rest breaks in between your sets, you will increase your caloric expenditure even more. Perform exercises that target all of your major muscles like bench presses, shoulder presses, dips, squats and deadlifts. Aim for eight to 12 reps, do three or four sets and work out two or three days a week on nonconsecutive days.
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