How To Lose Weight In 1 Week – Simple Tips To Follow At Home

Wondering how to lose weight in a week? This task may sound impossible to many. However, you can certainly make it possible with the right lifestyle and food habits. Yes, this rapid weight loss process is unsustainable, but it can give you that flying start to your weight loss journey.

Remember, this quick weight loss approach can only help you cut down on your water weight but not drop fat. Here, we have listed a few simple tips to shed pounds as quickly as in a week. Take a look!

How To Lose Weight In A Week

Following a few healthy practices can help you lose weight in one week at home easily (1).

A. Change Your Lifestyle Habits

Our habits go a long way in determining the quality of our life and health. Embrace the good ones and chuck the bad ones, and you will see yourself opening the doors to healthfulness.

1. Set A Realistic Goal

Yes, goals are necessary to motivate yourself to lose weight. But while setting goals, you must be realistic. Unrealistic goals can only be deterrents in your quest for weight loss (2).

  Marzia Prince  Sometimes you may feel that you will never be able lose weight. But that could be because you haven't set goals for yourself. Of course, goals are important. They help one focus on the task at hand. Irrespective of what you are striving for, setting realistic goals always helps you reach your destination. And the same applies for weight loss.

2. Set A Time

Reinvent yourself as a slow eater. Cherish the food you are eating. Set a timer for 20 minutes, and ensure you are spending each minute savoring the dish before you. Mindful eating and chewing well can help in losing weight (3). Hogging on your food can only lead to overeating, as your stomach doesn’t have the time to tell your brain that it is full.

Tim Ramirez  Move it or lose it. You must set time everyday for your workouts. Ideally, you can walk or jog for 45 minutes twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Invest time in yourself because you are worth it!

3. Reduce Your Portions

It is always important to check what is there on your plate – quality as well as quantity. Portion control is not only a good practice to lose weight, but it also reduces excessive energy intake (4). Cut the portions in half and ensure you are choosing smaller portions.

A study conducted at The Pennsylvania State University shows the link between large portions and obesity. It also says that for weight management, you can eat larger portions of low-energy-dense foodsⁱ  XFoods that are rich in water and fiber and low in fat and calories such as vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. (5).

  Lisa Tanker Potts  Use portion control. This helps you control calories. When you practice portion control, you no more would be tempted to overeat or binge. This ultimately reduces your calorie intake and aids in weight loss.

4. Don’t Eat In Front Of The Television

Merging television time with your dining time can lead to mindless eating. You tend to focus on what is happening on the television screen and become unaware of what is going on inside your mouth and stomach. Ultimately, you end up overeating.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that watching television and snacking could have a negative impact on health status and increase energy intake (6). Eat at the dining table and concentrate on what you are eating.

5. Eat Cautiously

You must start eating before you feel too hungry and stop before you are full. This is because when we starve, we tend to eat more than we actually should. This is the reason people who starve themselves to lose weight only end up gaining more. Remember to eat slowly and not when you are starving. Also, remember to end your meal just before you are about to be satisfied.

Quick Tip

Avoid eating while standing or walking, as it may empty the stomach faster, leading to a hungry feeling and mindless eating. Always sit down during meals.

6. Get Good Sleep

Your sleeping patterns have a lot to do with your weight. Lack of adequate sleep can eventually lead to weight gain.

A study showed that people who slept less than 5.5 hours tended to consume more carbohydrate-rich snacks than people who slept for 7 hours (7). Practice deep breathing exercises and get good sleep to regulate your hunger-satiety hormoneⁱ  XInteraction between the hormones, ghrelin and leptin, which helps regulate hunger and satiation in the body. .

  David Kirsch  Get sufficient amount of sleep in order for your body to recover. Your body repairs itself during sleep, and most of the healing also happens during this time. Hence, if you want a resilient body, sleep is as important as anything else.

7. Follow The 80/20 Rule

This rule is very interesting to follow to lose weight. This rule allows you to eat nutritious food 80% of the time, leaving 20% of the time to indulge in your favorite foods. This way, you can binge less and control yourself when you feel like binging.

Tom, a blogger, broke his weight loss goal into manageable 10-pound increments and celebrated each milestone with a special treat. He said, “I treated myself to a very unhealthy chicken dinner at one of my favorite local restaurants (i).” He suggested that such enjoyable rewards kept him motivated throughout his weight loss journey.

8. Maintain A Positive Attitude

Maintain a positive outlook throughout, and always say to yourself that you are healthy and active. Most don’t understand, but what you do to yourself can have a dramatic impact on your mind, and ultimately, on your life. Reduce stress and learn not to take everything too seriously.

B. Change Your Food Habits

If you want to know how to get skinny fast, watch what you eat. As the popular saying goes, you are what you eat. You are also what you don’t eat! What you keep consuming plays the most important role in keeping you fit and healthy and helping you lose weight in a week.

Tom found success in his weight loss journey by adopting a straightforward approach to portion control and healthy eating. He said, “I cut back on the size of my portions and tried to eat more healthy stuff (fresh vegetables and fruits) and generally stayed away from fat, sugar, salt, and carbs. Small meals spread throughout the day. I also drank lots of water daily.”

1. Eat Plenty Of Fruits And Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables play a vital role in weight management and health. They are low in calories and contain water and fiber (8). The abundance of water and fiber can make you feel full, thereby discouraging overeating or binging on junk food (9).

In an American study, it was established that there was a link between the consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased weight and fat loss (10).

  Andrea Metcalf  Up your fruits and veggies. Opt for 9 – 11 servings a day. Having more servings of fruits and vegetables not only gives you the required nutrients, but also keeps you full and discourages.

  Marzia Prince  It doesn't matter if you are a vegetarian, vegan, or a meat eater. Eating a diet majorly consisting of plant-based foods will nourish and heal your body. Try to eat more of raw and fresh fruits and vegetables. This way, you can reduce inflammation and detox your body on a regular basis. Also, when you nourish your body, you don't crave for the unhealthy stuff.

2. Drink Soup Regularly

Having soup at the beginning of a meal can curb your appetite, and you will end up eating less. Also, soups can be highly nutritious but low in calories – precisely something every person who wants to lose weight needs.

In a study conducted at The Pennsylvania State University, it was found that consuming low-energy-denseⁱ  XFoods that are rich in water and fiber and low in fat and calories such as vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. soup can help decrease your calorie intake and enhance weight loss (11).

You can ideally go for vegetable-based soups, soups made of chicken or beef broth, and tomato soups without cream – these will fill you up with fewer calories (12). Make sure you prepare soups without using thickeners or fats.

3. Consume Whole Grains

Whole grains are one of the healthiest foods you will find in your kitchen. These grains get digested slowly, ensuring you feel full for a long time. Eating whole grains decreases body weight and visceral fatⁱ  XThe accumulation of fat within the abdominal cavity and around internal organs such as kidneys and intestines. , which is important to improve insulin resistance (13).

4. Eliminate Sugar Intake

Sugar can be worse than fat when it comes to harmful health effects (14). Sugar-sweetened beverages and carbonated soft drinks are major contributors to weight gain (15).

Sujani Hansamali, a blogger, shared her experience with reducing sugar intake, noting, “I prefer eating various snacks after my main meals. Fortunately, I was able to get rid of this habit of taking many snacks every time (ii).” She realized that excessive sugar consumption not only provided extra calories but also had a negative impact on her insulin levels, making her feel hungry again more quickly.

In a study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, it was found that consumption of beverages sweetened with sugar can cause weight gain in women (16).

  Sara Haley  Make sure you give up on your favorite drinks that are high on sugar. Trust me, it will do good to you in the long run and you will be happy you took that decision. If you want to have a sweet drink, you can do so by making your own flavored water by adding slices of your favorite fruit. For a quick recipe, you can check out my At-Home Spa Water Recipe. I also love HINT water so you can try one of those as well.

Kyle Brown  When my clients need to drop weight quickly in a week, we use a lot of biohacks to get them camera-ready.One of those is having them take FIT365 shakes www.fit365.com for 2 of their meals daily.These are not only delicious, but are also low on calories and sugar.It is important that one stays away from sugar whenever possible, if he wants to lose weight.

5. Avoid Bacon

Bacon contains a lot of fat – 68% of the total calories you get from bacon actually come from fat, and about half of that is saturated fat (17).

According to a Canadian study, a diet rich in saturated fat can contribute to the development of obesity (18). It can have severe repercussions, and the best way to avoid them is by avoiding bacon. You can, instead, replace it with some veggies or eggs.

6. Drink Green Tea

Health experts across the world vouch for green tea for a reason – it is amazingly healthy. Green tea is known to boost the calorie-burning mechanism in our body.

According to a study, green tea can help you lose weight (you might have to drink about seven decaf cups a day). Green tea contains loads of antioxidants, the most potent of them being the catechins that have been found to boost metabolism and reduce body fat (19).

7. Eat Healthy Snacks

Choosing a healthy snack is challenging when you are trying to lose weight. According to multiple studies, snacks that are high in protein and fiber are beneficial to curb hunger, impart satiety, and aid weight loss (20).

Fruits, granola bars, or a packet of plain popcorn, oatmeal, fruits with yogurt – anything similar can serve the purpose. These contain fewer calories and are far better than high-calorie snacks.

    Tom Holland  Try to eat the same snack every day. By doing so, you would be knowing the caloric value of the snack you are taking in. And ensure your snacks are healthy.Even lean sources of protein at every meal would do the trick.

8. Say No To Anything Crispy, Creamy, And Cheesy

A big no to sauces, fried foods, and high-calorie eats. You can skip the cheese while having sandwiches. Refrain from adding mayonnaise or butter while you are cooking something at home. Lemon and pepper make a great combination for zest. Ditch the creamy soups and embrace the broth-based ones. Creamy and cheesy foods are possibly one of the best sources of saturated fats, and hence, carry the recipe for self-destruction. They increase bad cholesterol and make you vulnerable to weight gain and heart disease (21).

9. Consume Good Fats

Consuming good fats helps nourish the cells and keeps the body functioning at optimum levels. Sources of good fats include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, avocados, walnuts, a mixture of seeds, etc. They are found to help in losing weight by improving satiety and curbing hunger pangs (22).

  April Sutton  Not all fats are bad. There are bad fats, and then there are good fats. Replace the bad fats with good fats such as nuts, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, etc. These will not only help you maintain your health, but can also aid in weight loss.

10. Take Vitamin C

It is not unwise to consider vitamin C as one of the ideal nutrients for weight loss. The fruits that are replete with vitamin C, like oranges, grapes, kiwis, etc., maintain your health and stop you from binging. They make you feel full without adding too many calories.

Vitamin C helps to burn more fat and is inversely related to body mass (23). Hence, consuming vitamin C-rich foods can aid in weight loss.

  Theresa Longo  Just like vitamin C, there are several other vitamins and minerals that can aid in weight loss. Specifically magnesium, which is an immune booster, reduces inflammation and supports digestion (and it is something women don't get enough of). Magnesium works wonders for skin and waistline.

Quick Tip

You can also start your day with a glass of warm lemon water, which will help kick-start your metabolism and also help with hydration.

11. Drink Plenty Of Water

Make it a habit of drinking a glass of water before (to prevent overeating) and after (to aid digestion) a meal. People who drank more water and less soda or other high-calorie beverages were more successful in losing weight (24). Numerous American studies have also backed the efficacy of water in aiding healthy weight loss (25), (26), (27).

  Teresa  Double your water intake. Yes, it's as simple as that. If you want to lose the real weight.

C. Change Your Exercise Habits

How you change your body composition more or less determines how you shape your life. No wonder people who wake up and run in the morning end up being healthier and happier. Do you also want to be like them? Then, better keep your body moving.

1. Do Yoga

Yoga benefits all the parts of your body. If done regularly, it can also aid weight loss and slim down. Yoga forges a strong mind-body connection. You will be aware of what you are eating, and you will know when you are full. This encourages mindful eating, a practice that can go a long way in keeping you fit and healthy.

A study in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine stated that practicing yoga could help lower weight gain and improve cardiovascular fitness and flexibility (28), (29).

2. Burn Extra Calories

You can burn a few extra calories every day by doing a few quick and easy exercises. Simply walk a mile within 20 minutes or clean your house for 30 minutes. All such activities can help burn calories. Keep your calorie restrictions in mind as well. Don’t consume more than your burn.

  Fabrice  Reduce your daily calorie intake by at least 500 to 1,000 kcal depending on how much you wish to lose. If you want to lose 1 pound of fat, you will need to burn 500 kcal everyday for a week. In other words, if your current plan is to consume 2,500 kcal daily and you want to lose at-least 2 pounds in a week, your diet must be restricted to 1,500 calories during that week.

3. Exercise In The Morning

Morning exercise helps to control appetite and prevent excess calorie intake and is more effective in helping you lose weight compared to evening exercise (29). It also improves the quality of sleep at night. This, eventually, could also promote weight loss.

  Eric  When you make the vow to do something active each day, preferably first thing in the morning, you will increase your overall circulation and rev up your metabolism – these 2 factors are necessary for weight loss. Ensure you break a sweat at-least once a day.

  Lea Waide  Exercise regularly. Instead of crash-dieting, which is not a long term solution and can even damage your metabolism, just exercise regularly. Eating properly and exercising regularly are the secrets.

4. Lift More Weights

If there is any smart physical activity for losing body fat, it is lifting weights. Weightlifting burns body fat and helps build lean muscles (30). It is also effective in reducing belly fat. More muscles means quicker metabolism – something that every individual who wants to lose weight must aim for.

Lisa Raleigh  If you want results in a week, you must step up a bit. Your workout must have strength sessions where you are lifting heavy weights, along with your intense cardio routine.

5. Try HIIT Workouts

Research suggests that HIIT (high-intensity interval training) workouts are effective for fat loss (31). This may be due to the unique approach of this training method that incorporates several rounds of high-intensity movements that help you burn lots of calories relatively quickly. Along with helping you lose weight, HIIT workouts also help boost your cardiorespiratory fitness, which is a measure of how efficiently your body takes up oxygen and delivers it to your organs and muscles during long exercise sessions (32). Some HIIT workouts for weight loss include spot running, jumping jacks, planks, burpees, and inch worms. Perform all these exercises for 30 seconds each consecutively with a 30-second break between them. Repeat the whole routine 3 times.

Infographic: Tasty Tomato Soup Recipe For Weight Loss

Keep your nutrition in check and avoid junk food. Try healthy eating by adding soups to your diet. Tomato soup is a classic recipe that has countless variations. There is no doubt that cream is a popular addition to the recipe, but it can also add calories to the dish.

Check out the infographic below to learn how to lose weight in 2 weeks from this soup without compromising on taste!

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Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much weight can you lose in a week?

Weight loss depends on your body type and medical conditions. You can lose up to 6 to 10 pounds, which would be water weight and not fat.

Is it possible to lose 10 pounds in 1 week?

Yes. It is possible to lose 10 pounds in 1 week if you follow healthy practices. However, this is a drastic weight loss and is not advocated by experts. You can lose a maximum of 2 -3 pounds per week in a healthy way. Else, it can have adverse effects and also rebound after some time.

Is it possible to lose 5 kg in a week?

Yes, but it is not a healthy way of weight loss. You can instead follow a balanced diet and do the right physical activities consistently to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. Consult a doctor to get a diet plan suitable for you.

How can I lose my belly fat in a week?

You cannot totally lose belly fat in a week. To lose belly fat in a reasonable time, you can engage in exercises like Russian twists, side planks, push-ups, and sit-ups. Additionally, avoid consuming alcohol as it can make you feel bloated and lead to weight gain around the abdomen.

Personal Experience: Source

i. My weight-loss experience – Part 3: Making dieting a fun adventure! 😊
https://excatholic4christ.wordpress.com/2019/07/05/my-weight-loss-experience-part-3-making-dieting-a-fun-adventure-%F0%9F%98%8A/

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Madhu SharmaRD

Madhu Sharma is a member of the National Executive Committee of IDA. She has been associated for almost three decades with Pediatric Nutrition at PGI while serving in the Gastroenterology Department (20 years) and then the Advanced Pediatric Center (10 yrs) at PGIMER, Chandigarh. She is former Senior Dietitian from PGIMER, Chandigarh, retired in 2012.   Madhu has been closely...more

Priyanka SadhukhanNutritionist, CDE

Priyanka is a nutritionist and a Certified Diabetes Educator. She has over 8 years of experience in nutrition and dietetics with a strong research background. She is passionate about science and how it can be applied to one’s daily lifestyle. According to her, food is the best medicine, and proper nutrition is key to achieving good health. She has also...more

Arshiya SyedaSenior Editor

Arshiya Syeda is a senior editor at StyleCraze with 7 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer and combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care. She holds a bachelor's degree in literature and psychology from Osmania University, Hyderabad, and a post-graduate diploma in psychological...more

Sindhu KogantiSenior Health & Wellness Writer

Sindhu Koganti is a Certified Health and Nutrition Life Coach and has over 6 years of experience in writing on health and wellness topics. She has a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, and a diploma in nutrition from Fab Academy. After her graduation, she decided to combine her knowledge of science and love for writing to...more