Whether you've got a wedding, class reunion or other special occasion looming only days away, sometimes you've got to shed pounds fast. Though slow and steady weight loss is healthier for you, there are ways to quickly drop those last few pounds you need to look your best or look great in a special outfit. It's still about limiting calories and burning more calories through exercise, but you've got to make it extreme to lose five pounds fast.
Cutting Down Calories
If you want to lose one pound per week, the United States National Library of Medicine says that you should eliminate 3,500 calories from your diet each week. If you want to lose two pounds in a week, you would need to cut down 7,000 calories from your diet, and so on. One way to do that is through restricting how many calories you consume in the foods that you eat.
What to Eat
Even if you're severely restricting your calories, you can still feed your body nutritious foods. Fill yourself up on plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Remember to avoid sugar and salt in addition to fat. Many drinks are laden with calories, sugar and even sodium. Sticking to water only for your beverages will also help you to shed pounds quickly.
Vigorous Exercise
You've got to burn calories to burn off fat quickly. Exercises that help to burn a lot of calories include running, elliptical machines and stair-climbing machines set on a high-intensity setting, pilates, power yoga and hot yoga. To burn the most fat, exercise vigorously so that your heart rate is elevated. For the fastest weight loss, focus on aerobic exercises rather than strength training or weight lifting, as those are better for longer-term weight loss. Use caution when exercising if you aren't physically fit, and avoid pushing yourself too hard just to lose weight fast.
Healthier Weight Loss
Extreme dieting to shed weight may only work temporarily. Changing your eating habits to a healthy diet with a sufficient amount of calories to help your body function well -- the United States National Library of Medicine recommends a minimum of 1,500 calories per day for men and 1,200 for women -- can establish a long-term healthy eating pattern and maintenance of a healthy body weight. Regular exercise, at least 30 minutes at least three days per week, can also help keep you fit, slim and healthy.
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