How to Lose 10 Pounds in 1 Week without Any Pills

Losing a lot of weight quickly can be unhealthy, and it is unlikely to be a permanent loss. Also, large weight losses will be be more successful with obese individuals, rather than the slightly overweight. While some weight loss strategies may lead to a quick, dramatic weight loss, keep in mind things like drastic calorie cutting, dehydration, and ramping up physical activity can also cause negative health effects. Discuss any dramatic weight loss plans with a health professional first.

Steps

Method 1 Preparing to Lose Weight

1. 1 Do the math. When you set a goal, it's important to know how to go about achieving that goal. Before you start counting calories, know exactly how many you need to stick to in order to lose ten pounds in one week.
   • One pound is 3,500 calories. You have seven days to lose ten of those.
     3,500 x 10 = 35,000 calories to be lost.
     35,000 / 7 = 5,000 lost per day.
     
   • Note that it is likely physically impossible for you to cut out 5,000 calories per day. That is over 2 times what the average male is recommended to eat in a day. Even a morbidly obese person may not be able to lose that.
   • Luckily, it's not just diet that controls calories: exercise does as well. In this rapid and intense diet, both are needed. However, this ability will be compromised if you are severely cutting food intake.
2. 2 Keep a journal. Being obligated to face what you're eating is going to keep you conscious of what you decide to put into your body. Keep a journal and write down every single thing you eat and drink for this week.
   • Make yourself accountable. Show your journal at the end of every day to a friend, family member, or trainer. Knowing you have to face another person's judgment might give you the extrinsic motivation you couldn't give yourself. If they're willing, have them keep a daily log of their diet with you.
   • You don't have to just log your food! Log your exercise, too! That way you'll see your combined efforts and be totally wowed.
3. 3 Share with others. Sometimes its hard to be so strict on ourselves when we're going through something alone. After all, does the world end if you eat that candy bar? No. Grab a friend and let them help you on your quest.
   • Make every social activity active. Get your family and friends cooking instead of going out. When your community is supporting you and not showering you in temptations, success will come a lot easier.

Method 2 Revamping Your Diet

1. 1 Cut out processed goods. Having a low-energy-dense diet is the simplest way to lower your intake of calories and still maintain feelings of fullness and keep the hunger pangs at bay.^[1] This is code for dishing up the veggies, opting out on the french fries, and still feeling full.
   • Energy density is the amount of calories (or energy) in a certain weight of food. If a food has a lower energy density, it provides fewer calories per gram. That means if you stock up on these foods you can eat till the cows come home and not see the result on your waistline. After all, 400 calories of fried chicken is a lot less food than 400 calories of salad.^[1]
   • Basically, foods like fruits and vegetables fill us up more quickly without the calories. Protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram; fat has 9. Fiber has between 1.5 and 2.5 and, of course, water has 0.
   • To maintain a low-energy-dense diet, load up on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean dairy and meats (foods that have high water and fiber content), and avoid processed goods.
     • The easiest way to avoid processed goods is to skip the fast food and restaurants. If you make it, you know exactly what's going into your body.
2. 2 Eat 5 times a day. In addition to three small meals, keep on snacking (healthily). Your meals should be smaller, but you'll feel more full.
   • There's a science behind it, too. When we eat, our thermic effect of food (or TEF) raises. A high TEF raises our metabolism, reduces feelings of hunger, and ultimately leads to weight loss.^[2]
   • Because you're eating more often, your meals need to be smaller portion sizes. You're not eating more; you're just spreading it out through the day.
   • Your snacks should be healthy and a healthy portion size. Munch on fruits, nuts, or low-fat yogurt. If rationing and time are issues, pre-measure your snacks and put them in resealable baggies. You won't overeat and you can grab one on your way to work.
    
3. 3 Learn about portion control. By portion control standards, an adult should eat 3 oz. (90g) of protein, 1/2 cup (87.5g) of starch and 1 cup (175g) of vegetables per meal. Eating any more than what your body needs will only increase your weight; however, understand also that eating less than what your body needs will lead to weight gain (or a stagnated weight) as well.
   • You must eat in order to avoid your body shutting down and retaining weight. Use visual cues if portion-sizing is Greek to you. 1 bell pepper is a serving of vegetables--about the size of a baseball. An apple is 1 serving, that's a tennis ball. A serving of pasta is the size of a hockey puck. A serving of cheese is the equivalent of four playing dice. And chicken? Think of a deck of cards^[3].
4. 4 Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. Add a glass before bed and one when you wake up, and drink a glass (or two) before each meal. Cleaning the body of daily toxins is one of the best ways of losing weight. What's more, the added liquid gives you the sensation of feeling full even before you start eating.
   • Carry a bottle of water with you daily and make a habit of drinking from it often. The more you drink, the more you will want and the better you will feel. A hydrated body has more energy.
   • The Institute of Medicine advises that men and women try to consume about 3.7 and 2.7 liters of water a day, respectively, including water found in food and other beverages^[4].

Method 3 Exercising More

1. 1 Vamp up the cardio. Exercise must be a regular activity in your day even after the week is up if you want to continue to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Exercise also builds your energy and increases your metabolism, and both help make your weight loss endeavor more successful. Because exercise methods for losing weight are subjective and dependent upon your health, meet with your doctor to discuss the best exercise routine for your personal needs.
   • Cardio burns more fat than strength training, but both are needed for maximal weight loss. If running isn't your thing, choose an easier-on-the-knees activity like swimming or the elliptical machine.
     • Look into High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT. The National Institute of Health says HIIT "involves repeatedly exercising at a high intensity for 30 seconds to several minutes, separated by 1-5 minutes of recovery (either no or low intensity exercise)." They also say that "...such benefits, especially weight loss, are amplified with HIIT."^[5] So, next time you get on that machine, rotate going all out with relaxing and you're done in 15 minutes.
   • Plenty of activities count as a cardio workout that you may not even realize. Here are the calories burned in 30 minutes of each activity^[6]:
     • Aerobic dance - 342
     • Boxing - 330
     • Jumping rope - 286
     • Tennis - 232
     • Basketball - 282
     • Swimming (freestyle) - 248
2. 2 Start strength training. Those who do cardio and strength will burn the most fat and build muscle^[7]. If you're new to weights, use a buddy or consult a trainer at your gym.
   • No time for the gym, huh? No problem! Invest in hand weights or dumbbells for your home. You can get a workout in wherever, however, and without the monthly fee.
3. 3 Add yoga. Let's face it: 10 pounds in one week is a steep goal. You need to burn as many calories as possible. So why not do some Yoga while Homeland is playing in the background?
   • Yoga burns 3-6 calories a minute^[8]. After an hour in front of the TV, you've knocked off 180-360 calories.
     • Yoga is not the most intense workout, no. However, it has shown to lead to mindful eating (which other workouts do not correlate with) which, in turn, leads to greater weight loss^[8].
4. 4 Stay moving. So, you've been to the gym 5 times already this week and you're yoga-ed out. What else can you do?
   • Bike to work. Take the stairs and skip the elevator. Take whatever little opportunities you can to burn those calories and get active.
   • Do those household chores you've been putting off. You'd be surprised how washing the car, tending the garden, and rearranging the furniture can make you break an unintentional sweat.

Method 4 Using Alternative Methods

1. 1 Do the research on fad diets. They're called fads for a reason, but if you're looking for an...interesting...challenge, pick the one that appeals most to you:
   • Juicing. This diet takes your food and puts it in liquid form. 24/7, it's juice. You can buy juices just for this purpose at the store in a wide variety, but juicing your own fruits and veggies is much cheaper.
   • The Master Cleanse Diet. You only drink an elixir of 2 tablespoons (30 g) fresh-squeezed lemon juice, 2 tablespoons grade-B organic maple syrup, 1/10 (.5 g) teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 10 ounces filtered water. That's it.
   • The Sleeping Beauty Diet. Well, on the upside, you don't have to ingest a tapeworm, but all you can do for days on end is sleep.
   • The Maple Syrup Diet. Similar to the Master Cleanse, this is a concoction of maple syrup, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and water. Again, this is all you're allowed.
     • Fad diets are not healthy. There are no two ways around it. Most people crash after a few days and gain back any weight (and then some) that they may have lost. If you want to lose weight permanently, fad diets are not the way to do it. All in all, they are injurious to your health.
2. 2 Visit the sauna. A trip to the steam room will quickly shed that water weight off of you. You won't lose fat, but you may lose inches.
   • It's important to stay hydrated and not visit the sauna too often. A 15-20 minute visit once a day is plenty. When you get out, drink a glass of water.
   • Saunas are not safe for children. It's best to leave them at home (supervised, of course).
3. 3 Consider body wraps. Most spas nowadays offer a plethora of wraps that claim to tone your skin and add to weight loss. Take a gander at what your local spa has to offer and give it a try.
   • The more common types are mineral, detox, slimming, and cellulite. Each one uses slightly different herbal remedies; pick the one that seems most catered to your needs.
     • The treatment is relaxing and skin-soothing more than anything. No research has shown that wraps actually pull out or eliminate toxins from your body^[9].

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