How to Diet To Lose Weight in a Week
We all have occasions in our lives where we need to lighten up in a hurry. Special events like weddings, birthdays, a holiday trip, or trying to fit into a new outfit have been behind many attempts to shed a couple of pounds in a short amount of time ( Read about fat loss tips here ). But, is it really possible that there is a way to diet to lose weight in a week?
Is There Really a Way to Diet to Lose Weight in a Week?
We’ve all heard how fast weight loss is just a myth. That easy fixes are too good to be true. That dieting to lose weight should be a slow and steady process. But, the reality is, when you begin a diet you do lose weight in the first week, right?
It’s not impossible to diet to lose weight in a week, and there are some smart, safe ways to diet to do it. Here are a few simple changes you can make to get you on track to dieting to lose weight in a short amount of time.
A few quick changes
The best way to diet to lose weight in a week is to make some changes to your current diet. Whether you have been on another weight loss plan for a while, or are just getting started, here are some quick changes and swaps that will get the scale moving downward, faster!
- Drink water. Either swap your soft drinks for water or if you are already a water lover, drink more! The average person should drink around 8 glasses of water per day. That means 64 ounces or just under 2 litres of water. If you are exercising, or it’s hot, drink a couple more glasses.
- No sugar, no alcohol. If you are committed to trying to diet to lose weight in a week, cutting out sugar and alcohol will give your metabolism a great boost. We’ll show you why, in more detail further down.
- Put away the salt shaker. Don’t add extra salt to your food, and eliminate foods that are high in sodium. Things like cheese, cured meats, canned food, frozen dinners, and salted snacks. A high intake of sodium results in your body retaining fluids and fluid adds weight and bloat.
- Eat high-quality food. Do not waste your calories on food that isn’t nutritious. By adding more natural, quality food, you will nourish your body, provide it with more fiber, and feel more satisfied on fewer calories.
- Cook at home. You will have more control over the ingredients, and ultimately the calories that make up your meals.
- Move more! You don’t have to sweat it out in the gym for hours to get results, even an extra walk around the block will help.
Why no sugar?
If you are thinking about going on a diet to lose weight in a week, the first thing you should say goodbye to is sugar. There are many forms of sugar, it isn’t only that white stuff we add to our coffee, or pour over our morning cereal. There are dozens of different names for, and types of sugar.
Some types of sugar are familiar to us: from cane sugar to beet sugar, or high fructose corn syrup, they are easy to recognize. But, there are forms of sugar that are we are more unfamiliar with. Maltodextrin, diastatic malt, mannitol, or dextran, dextrose and ethyl maltol, are named for forms of sugar that are found in some of the foods we eat.
If you are buying packaged food at the supermarket, make sure you read the list of ingredients on the back. When you know what is in your food, you can make better choices.
When you are dieting to lose weight, sugar is an enemy. Of course, we know that sugar is found in candy, soft drinks or other bottled beverages, sweet pastries and cereals, to name a few. But, it is also in condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise, and salad dressings. You can find it in bread and crackers, or yogurt and cheese, too.
Sugar can affect your attempts to diet to lose weight in a week because the hormone insulin is involved. When large amounts of glucose enter the bloodstream, the pancreas releases insulin. Insulin is what makes the glucose and distributes it throughout the body to be used as energy.
When you have more glucose than your body needs, that excess energy is stored as fat. High insulin levels resulting from eating too much of the wrong type of food, slow down weight loss. When you diet to lose weight in a week, you don’t want to raise your insulin levels.
When you have lower levels of the insulin hormone, you have extra benefits, too. Your kidneys work better and help your body get rid of excess sodium. Lower sodium levels equate to less water retention, so less bloating. Also, lower insulin levels help you shed stored carbs, biologically known as glycogen.
Glycogen is notorious for holding on to fluids, so the result is a loss of stored fluids. A lighter, less bloated, healthier body in a short amount of time.
Eat quality food when you diet to lose weight in a week
Every calorie you eat must count when you diet to lose weight in a week. Dieting to lose weight doesn’t mean you should starve yourself. Of course, there should be no empty calories, therefore, no sugar. Eating only high-quality food is what you should be aiming for in a diet to lose weight in a week.
Not only do you want to eat healthy food, but it should also be food that will make your attempt to diet to lose weight in a week a lot easier. So, let’s take a look at some of these magical foods.
Protein
To make your efforts to diet to lose weight in a week more successful, be sure to include more protein. Good quality, organic, lean protein is best. For example, lean beef, chicken and turkey breast, or wild-caught fish. Not only are these easy to prepare in many ways, but they are satisfying and tasty, too.
So how does eating protein help a diet to lose weight in a week? When we eat protein it increases the hormones that are responsible for satiety (GLP-1, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin). At the same time, protein also lowers levels of the hormone responsible for hunger (ghrelin).
Switch off your hunger pangs faster, and satisfy your appetite better with 3 ounces (or 85 grams) of high quality, lean protein at each meal.
Fibre
When you diet to lose weight in a week, adding some extra fibre to your meal plan will help you drop weight more easily. Foods high in fibre are healthy and nutritious. Not only will extra fibre make you feel fuller and more satisfied, but it will also help your body eliminate waste easier.
Because fibre is found in foods that are also high in carbohydrates, it is essential to eat the right sources. Leafy, green vegetables are good quality foods that are not only low in calories, and high in nutritional value, they are also chock full of fibre that will fill you up faster.
Vegetables like broccoli, kale, Swiss chard, and spinach are delicious and easy to prepare in many different ways. Although fruit and some vegetables like tomatoes are healthy sources of fibre, no sugar during this diet to lose weight in a week means steering away from those foods too.
Eggs
Good, low-calorie sources of protein and healthy, metabolism-boosting fat, organic eggs are a top quality food item that will aid you in your diet to lose weight in a week. They are quick and easy to fix, can be prepared in many different ways, and can be easily transported for snacks and lunches at work, or in school.
Thankfully, eating eggs has been proven to be a healthy habit, and they fit in perfectly on a diet to lose weight in a week.
No alcohol
When you are on a diet to lose weight in a week and it suggests no sugar, that means no alcohol either. Alcohol is a type of sugar and has the same effect on your body as other sugars do. It raises your insulin levels, and high levels of insulin contribute to stored energy in the form of fat. Of course, alcohol is also very high in empty calories.
One glass of wine can add up to 130 calories, and beer up to 200, to your daily intake. And, because alcohol is customarily accompanied by food, hundreds of extra calories will totally sabotage any attempts at trying to diet to lose weight in a week.
Move around more in addition to a diet to lose weight in a week
Exercise should be a part of everyone’s lifestyle, whether trying to diet to lose weight in a week or trying to become healthier overall. If you are shooting for a moderate loss of weight in a short amount of time, adding exercise to your daily routine can go a long way to helping your diet to lose weight in a week. You don’t need to work out at the gym for hours every day to see results.
A brisk, half-hour walk will burn up to 200 calories depending on your weight and the intensity of your walk. Simply moving around more in your daily life will give your metabolism a boost, and aid your attempts to successfully diet to lose weight in a week.
If you are at work or sitting at home you should get up every hour and move around. Things like climbing a flight of stairs or do some exercises like deep knee bends. Every bit of extra movement helps and if you keep doing it, it will become a way of life.
Be logical when you diet to lose weight in a week
Life isn’t always a tidy package of normal conditions. Sometimes we just need to drop a few extra pounds in a hurry. Finding the perfect diet to lose weight in a week isn’t easy, but it certainly isn’t impossible either.
Just remember not to have unreasonable expectations. Most of the weight you will lose is due to a loss of retained fluid that comes with eating too much sugar, salt, and over-processed carbohydrates. And, that’s a good thing! You’ll feel a lot lighter, and less bloated once it’s gone.
If you tried dieting to lose weight before, you know its usually at the start of a new diet that you will drop a few pounds quickly. The most important thing is to be logical. Don’t starve yourself or overexert yourself at the gym. Making a few simple changes can make a big difference in how you feel.
