When you are trying to lose weight fast--over a few days or a week, for example--there is usually some form of unexpected social event or public appearance on the horizon that requires you to wear revealing clothing or clothing that has become too small since the last time you wore it. No matter what your motive is, though, the steps needed to reach your goal are the same. You must be more disciplined than ever before, and you must be willing to go to diet and exercise extremes for a few days.
Step 1
Overcome your addiction to processed carbs that are high in sugar and low in fiber. Avoid sweets like candy, cakes, cookies and pies, and refined flour products like white bread, bagels, croissants and buns. Eat high-fiber, complex carbs instead, like whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread, oatmeal, brown rice, quinoa, fruits, vegetables and beans.
Step 2
Eliminate high-fat foods from your diet due to their high calorie content. Processed meats, deep-fried foods, fast food and high-fat dairy products are all foods to avoid.
Step 3
Cut back on your intake of sodium, which can cause a bloated look from fluid retention. Frozen dinners, condiments, soups, sauces and meals on the go are examples of these.
Step 4
Incorporate quality sources of protein into your diet to keep yourself filled up and to boost your metabolic rate. Lean beef, egg whites, chicken breasts, fish, turkey, venison, bison and tofu are all examples.
Step 5
Drink water as your only beverage to help flush fluid out of your system and to save yourself empty calories. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get approximately 2.7 total liters of water a day and men get approximately 3.7 liters.
Step 6
Restrict your calorie intake. Eat no more than 1,200 calories a day if you are female and 1,500 calories a day if you are male.
Step 7
Start your day with a small meal for breakfast. Then eat every two to three hours the rest of the day. Have a bowl of high-fiber cereal with low-fat milk or a cup of yogurt with granola and fruit for your first meal. Compose all of your meals out of protein and complex carbs. A hummus sandwich on rye bread with lettuce and tomato is an example of an afternoon meal.
Step 8
Engage in cardiovascular exercise to burn calories. Exercise for at least 60 minutes every day. Examples are running, biking, swimming, elliptical training, rowing, jumping rope, kick boxing and walking.
Tips and Warnings
- For weight loss over the long term, weight training should be incorporated into your regimen as well, since muscle helps to increase metabolism. Over a week, weight training would not have much of an effect.
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