Whether you’ve got a holiday coming up soon or you just want to feel better in yourself as quickly as possible, you may be interested to learn how you can lose weight fast in just 2 weeks.
Although smaller weight loss goals are more sustainable over a longer period, there are some things you can do to burn fat more quickly yet safely.
To find out how to begin shedding the pounds quickly, read on for 5 top tips, along with an example meal plan to kickstart your weight loss journey.
When you’re hoping to lose weight fast, it’s important to implement lifestyle changes as quickly as possible. Keep reading to discover 5 essential tips to begin seeing sustainable weight loss results within 2 weeks.
The most important thing to do when trying to lose weight fast is to eat fewer calories than you burn each day.
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Decrease your calorie intake by 500–750 calories by eating fewer snacks in between meals. Instead, bulk up your plate with healthy fats, fruits, leafy greens, and other vegetables that will keep you full while helping you to naturally eat fewer calories overall.
Serve sauces on the side so that your food isn’t smothered in extra calories, and swap fried or processed meats for grilled fish and steamed vegetables.
Many types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are packed with sugar and empty calories that offer no nutritional value and can contribute to weight gain when consumed too often.
Another form of empty calories is processed foods, which often contain lots of simple carbohydrates or sugars. This type of carb is broken down quickly in the body, which causes blood sugar levels to suddenly spike and then fall back down rapidly.
As a result, you’ll be left feeling fatigued and hungry, meaning that you’re more likely to go over your weight loss calorie goal.
To avoid this, try to eat more complex carbs that take longer for your body to digest, including whole grains, oats, beans, potatoes, fruits, and lentils. Replace sugary beverages with black coffee, tea, and mint water.
Along with exercise, one of the biggest factors in how fast you lose weight is your eating habits. Instead of consuming empty calories, try to incorporate more whole, fiber-rich foods into your daily diet.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that takes longer for your digestive system to process, which keeps you feeling fuller for longer despite eating fewer calories.
This naturally reduces the number of calories you’ll consume throughout the day and keeps your gut healthy.
Some of the best high-fiber foods to eat include kidney beans, avocados, fruits, green vegetables, lentils, oats, chia seeds, and even dark chocolate.
As suggested by the name, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of exercise where you complete a short yet intense period of work, followed by a short rest and recovery period.
HIIT is one of the most effective ways to increase your calorie burn, as not only will you be working harder during the workout, but your body will also continue burning fat for hours after the training session.
This is due to a process called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), which is commonly referred to as the afterburn effect.
From daily running on a treadmill to performing a circuit of exercises with a dumbbell, HIIT can be easily incorporated into your weekly exercise routine as you only need to put aside 30–60 minutes per session.
Research shows that intervals of 60 seconds are the most effective in improving aerobic capacity and heart health. Ease yourself gently by running for 60 seconds before walking for 60, increasing the number of intervals each time you go for a walk.
However, you shouldn’t neglect regular-paced cardio either, as this is ideal for building endurance, burning extra calories, and improving fat distribution without putting your body under too much stress.
Intermittent fasting (IF) can help speed up your weight loss by reducing your calorie intake without restricting the number of calories you eat per day.
It works by fasting for a set number of hours and eating in a short time frame, for example, on a 16:8 hour ratio or a 20:4 warrior diet.
Fasting for 10–12 hours causes your body to go into ketosis, a state where you rapidly burn stored fat for energy rather than carbohydrates. One of the benefits of this is that you’ll notice dramatic weight loss as your body adjusts.
IF is also thought to boost your metabolic rate, which is how fast your body burns calories. Therefore, the higher your metabolic rate, the quicker you’ll lose weight.
It’s essential to note that depriving yourself of food and essential nutrients for 2 weeks is extremely dangerous and should not be attempted by anyone.
This can cause your body to go into starvation mode, where it begins to reserve energy for vital functions such as breathing.
You may begin to experience extreme fatigue, headaches, dizziness, hair loss, and muscle loss. If your nutrition is not restored, this will eventually lead to death.
After 5 days without food, you are likely to begin losing 1–2 kilograms, or 2.2–4.4 pounds, of weight per day due to dehydration. After this period, weight loss will begin slowing down to around 0.3 kilograms, 0.7 pounds, per day as your body adjusts to receiving little energy.
To lose weight quickly, you’ll need to stick to a diet plan that reduces your calorie intake yet still allows you to eat nutritious and delicious foods.
Below is an example plan that will allow you to achieve your goals while incorporating your favorite meals and snacks into your daily routine.
According to research, most low-calorie diets reduce the number of calories consumed by 500–600, which leads to a loss of approximately 1kg (over 2lbs) per 2 weeks.
However, the rate of weight loss depends on factors such as your metabolism, genetics, starting weight, diet, and how much exercise you do.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, losing 1–2 pounds per week is a healthy, realistic, and sustainable goal to aim for. This means that you could aim to lose 2–4 pounds within a 2-week timeframe.
It is extremely difficult and may be unsafe to lose 20 pounds in such a short period, but it may be possible for those who have a higher starting weight.
If you’re hoping to lose weight in as little as 2 weeks, it’s important to quickly make changes to your diet and exercise habits.
As well as eating high-fiber foods, try to include more protein in your meals, which can help to keep you feeling more full while eating fewer calories and contributes to muscle growth. Having bigger muscles helps you to burn more calories in the long run.
Alongside decreasing your calorie intake and exercising more, try to drink plenty of water. Water acts as an internal flushing system that helps your body to get rid of waste and toxins.
You should also prioritize sleep, which is the time when your body rests, restores itself, and repairs muscles after a workout. It also contributes to muscle growth, which means you’ll be able to burn more calories during your workouts, not to mention have more energy overall.
It’s important to remember that sustaining healthy weight loss involves making long-term lifestyle changes, so you’ll need to remain consistent to meet your weight goals.
Although it is possible to lose weight in 2 weeks, you should only aim to lose 1–2 pounds per week. Trying to lose more than this can be unhealthy, unsustainable, and cause negative side effects. In the long term, you’re likely to gain this weight back anyway.
To begin losing weight, try to eat fewer simple carbs, up your fiber intake, and increase the amount of exercise you do.
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