When you are 5 lbs. overweight and you want to lose it quickly, the motives usually revolve around an upcoming event, like a wedding, a class reunion or a trip to the Bahamas. Weight loss is achieved by following the calories in versus calories out principal. This is a caloric deficit, which means you are burning more than you are consuming. Safe weight loss is considered 1 to 2 lbs. a week. To lose a pound of weight, you need to burn 3,500 calories. If you were to reduce your daily intake by 500 calories, you can lose 1 lb. a week from diet alone. By following several key steps that involve both diet and exercise, you can achieve a 5-lb. weight loss goal in three to five weeks.
Step 1
Avoid high-fat, high sodium, high-sugar foods like chips, cupcakes, pies, doughnuts, processed meats, frozen dinners, fast food, deep fried foods and commercial baked goods. Have your diet consist of nothing but fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and beans. By taking this step, you can save yourself up to 300 calories a day.
Step 2
Give up liquid calories. Calories still equal calories even in the form of liquid. They become especially dangerous when you drink them with meals. Avoid beverages like processed fruit drinks, sweetened teas, milk shakes, soda and alcohol. Drink nothing but water, as it has no calories and if you drink it with your meals, you can curb your appetite. Just to give you an example of how liquid calories can affect your diet, a 20 ounce bottle of regular cola has approximately 240 calories. If you drink two of those a day and give them up, you will save yourself 480 calories, which is almost equal to your total caloric deficit.
Step 3
Eat more often to lose weight. Eating more often during the day can help increase your metabolism, it can give you sustained energy and it can also keep you from overeating. Eat meals that are a balance of protein and carbs and have five to six meals a day. A midday meal example would be a banana with 2 tbsp. of peanut butter spread across the top. This comes in at about 300 calories. Keep your meals in the range of 300 to 350 calories.
Step 4
Do weight training. Building muscle can help increase your metabolism even more. Do exercises that target all your major muscle groups like bench presses, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps dips, biceps curls and lunges. Do 12 to 15 reps with moderate weights and three to four sets of each exercise. Perform weight training three times a week on alternating days. Every pound of muscle you put on can help increase your daily expenditure by up to 50 calories.
Step 5
Amp up your aerobic activity. Aerobic exercise, also known as "cardio," strengthens your lungs and heart and it is also efficient at burning calories. To lose 5 lbs. quickly, perform cardio three times a week for 45 to 60 minutes on alternating days. Examples of things you can do include running, elliptical training, biking, stair climbing, rowing and swimming.
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