How to lose 20 pounds in two weeks? This is an often-heard question in the weight loss forums, which echoes a sense of urgency to lose 20 lbs fast.
But slimming down very fast within a short period may cause unwanted health issues in most people.
Obese people are always looking to lose extra fat in a fast-paced weight loss journey. They explore every possibility of trimming body weight as quickly as possible.
A healthy weight loss program includes a fat-loss diet plan, physical workouts, a stress-free mind, and regular night-long sleep. A meal plan with minimum carbohydrates is necessary to stop weight gain. The fat loss results from such a program may be slow, but they are very healthy and safe.
Trying to shed weight at a terrific speed may take its toll on your health. Choose wisely a suitable diet plan that will help you lose weight fast but safely. Preferably, do it under the guidance and direction of a bariatric physician or endocrinologist.
Is it possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks?
It is certainly possible to lose 20 lbs in two weeks with extreme weight loss methods. At this rate, it’s going to be 50 pounds per month.
Losing twenty pounds is a huge target to achieve in two short weeks. Even the best diet program will begin to show signs of weight loss after 5 to 7 days.
If you are serious about losing 20 pounds as fast as possible, then bariatric surgery or Liposuction seems to be the most practical option to lose such a huge amount of weight within two weeks.
“Aside from the very low-calorie diet (VLCD) and weight loss surgery, no other product, pill, or diet has been proven to work for fast weight loss.”
Orlistat (Xenical) is one of the most popular prescription medicines for weight loss. But this pill works slowly with a proper diet and workout plan. The label on Orlistat warns about the possible liver damage from it.
You may have come across many so-called “miracle weight loss pills” widely advertised in electronic media and web portals, which claim to make you shed 20 pounds or more in two to three weeks. Don’t believe those claims. Even if those pills work, you are certainly going to face health issues with their unnatural weight loss effects.
You have gained weight gradually over a period of many months; so the weight loss progress must also happen gradually over a few months.
It is ideal and healthy to lose about 10 pounds in a month; that adds up to losing 100 lbs or more in 10 months period. All that is required for it is a proper diet and lifestyle changes.
Ways to lose 20 pounds fast – 15 rules to follow
Healthy weight loss is not about starving or following extreme diets that eventually destroy your health. You should neither be quitting the meals nor making compromises on the nutritional requirements of the body.
If you desire to reduce weight fast and in a healthy manner, it demands adequate changes in your diet habits and lifestyle.
You can achieve the fastest weight loss results within 2 weeks or a month by adopting and following a healthy diet plan.
Trying to lose twenty lbs within a short period of two weeks is quite an overambitious goal. Your aim should be to lose weight at a regular pace without making any compromises on the nutritional requirements of the body.
Let us now look at some of the important features of a healthy diet plan that can produce fast weight loss at a regular pace:
1. Do not skip meals
Do not adhere to fasting diet plans like daily skipping breakfast or day-long fasting to shedding pounds fast.
Fasting deprives your body of essential vitamins and nutrients and damages your muscles and nerves. Lack of a regular supply of nutrition makes the body conserve energy, and this makes the person feel weak and tired.
Skipping meals can produce fast weight loss results, but after a few weeks, the body compels you to eat more food than the usual intake which ultimately results in quickly regaining the lost weight.
However, following a highly regimented intermittent fasting plan is proven to be effective (if done correctly) in shedding and maintaining weight.
2. Limit daily calorie intake to less than what the body needs
Weight loss begins to happen when the calories you consume are lower than the calories your body burns.
Counting calories is not the only step to rely on for shedding weight. You have to budget the calories; you are free to eat more calories if you have done workouts more than usual.
Approximately 3,500 calories are contained in 1 lb of fat in the human body. To lose 1 lb of body weight, you have to burn 3,500 extra calories.
To reach your weight loss goal of 20 lbs (9 kg) in two weeks, you have to lose about 1.5 lbs (675 g) every day. So, you have to burn over 5,000 calories to lose 1.5 lbs per day.
Running 25 miles at a moderate pace can burn 5,000 calories. You may require more than 5 hours of intense workouts daily to burn 5,000 calories. That is a humongous task for a non-athletic person to perform.
If you are looking to lose twenty pounds in 2 weeks without exercise, then your 2 weeks meal plan should have the lowest level of calories possible.
3. Bring regularity in eating habits and time
Eating 5-6 small meals per day may benefit in fast weight loss, but frequently eating at your will till you sleep is not correct.
Instead of eating large meals at a time, eat small portions of food 5-6 fixed times a day. Eat the correct amount of food that is just enough to get rid of the hunger pangs. Do not gorge on food until you are fully satiated.
Give up eating after 7.30 pm. Eating at night and sleeping immediately after eating increases the calories stored in the body. It is still worse to keep munching snacks all the while you watch TV shows or movies. Avoid having a heavy dinner or buffet in the late evening.
Some dietitians advocate the idea of frequent light snacking or a 3-hour diet—this fine-tunes the metabolism and prevents you from gorging yourself later.
Keep your meals as small as possible; just enough for the body to function because you need to lose 20 pounds in two weeks.
A healthy lifestyle alone can help you lose up to 2 pounds per week.
4. Bring in mental and physical control
Your diet plan should include how much you eat and what you eat. Even weight-loss-friendly foods must be eaten in moderation.
Binge eating disorders must be tackled if you want to drop 20 pounds fast.
Here are a few tips for eating less and in moderation:-
Start using smaller plates and utensils for eating;
Do not go for taking second help;
Cook less amount of food and fill fewer foods in your Office Tiffin;
Include in your dieting plans the serving size of each food and adhere to it strictly;
Do not carry or keep near your packet full of snacks or cookies;
Keep reminding yourself of the ‘eating limits’ you have imposed on yourself.
5. Increase vegetables and lean protein intake
A major portion of your meals should comprise lean proteins that are nutrient-rich, and low in saturated fat and calories. It helps to build healthy, lean muscle mass.
A few of the healthy protein foods are:
- Lean meats.
- Seafood.
- Eggs.
- Nuts and seeds.
- Beans.
- Soy.
- Low-fat dairy.
Choose fish as your No. 1 protein source; the amino acids in it make your body healthy and suppress the urge to have fatty and calorie-rich foods. Among many varieties of fish, the best fishes for weight loss are halibut, oysters, wild salmon, scallops, tuna, Pacific cod, and sardine.
Besides lean proteins and healthy fats, the next most important part of your diet should consist of low-calorie vegetables and fruits with a lot of essential vitamins and nutrients.
Vegetables make you feel full and also supply the fibrous content that is necessary for better digestion and bowel movements.
Some of the best vegetables for fat loss are broccoli, spinach, onions, beans, peas, and lentils. All cruciferous and leafy vegetables and fruits like avocado and grapefruit are great for losing weight fast.
However, incorporating your diet with the best fruit and vegetable supplements can provide an added advantage in achieving your weight loss goals.
6. Avoid foods rich in calories
Most of the common foods we eat are high-calorie foods like pasta, bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pretzels, chips, ice cream, jams, jellies, bagels, pizza, burgers, sugary drinks, cookies, snacks, biscuits, cereals, candies, sugar, syrups, and sweeteners. They spike insulin levels and increase fat storage in the body, which leads to obesity.
Avoid all processed foods with refined carbs made of wheat, rice, and other white flour, instead, opt for whole grains and brown rice.
If you are looking to lose weight up to 20 pounds in 2 weeks (which is quite impractical), put your body on ketosis which is feeding off your fat stores and not your glycogen stores.
To make your body function in a ketosis mode, you have to eat as many calories as possible, including starchy vegetables and grains. Do not eat too many sugary fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, and others.
Eating negative calorie foods is gaining a lot of attention these days. Some foods, like leafy vegetables, take so much energy to digest that eating them burns more calories than what they contain.
There are many negative-calorie vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, green beans, lettuce, radish, spinach, cucumber, asparagus, and turnip.
Fruits such as cranberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, lemons, oranges, mangoes, raspberries, tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, and tangerines also contain very few calories.
7. Drink plenty of water; avoid sweetened drinks
Pure water is the best liquid for body hydration and flushing out the toxic contents of the body.
Do not drink sugary drinks or beverages as they bring in excess calories and toxins into the body.
Another great alternative to water is unsweetened green tea, lemon, or grapefruit juice.
Drinking water makes you feel full and also improves your metabolism. Drinking cold water at regular intervals alone can help you lose a few pounds a month.
8. Avoid junk foods and fad diets
Junk foods are highly responsible for obesity issues faced by many, especially young people.
Some of the common junk foods like French fries, soda, fried chicken, bacon cheeseburgers, pepperoni pizza, popcorn shrimp, hot dogs, tacos, etc. are bad for obese and overweight people.
When you are on a mission to achieve maximum weight loss in a short period, you cannot afford to munch on junk foods even for once. Stay away from them forever to maintain a healthy body weight.
Avoid dishes and tasty foods that are greasy, fatty, and high in sugar content. Anything covered in chocolate, packaged, battered, fried, or loaded up and preserved with sugar is a no-go. Do not eat anything sweetened or oil-fired.
Do not fall victim to fad diets that promise quick weight loss through what is usually an unhealthy and unbalanced diet. Most of the popular fad diets like alkaline diets, blood type diets, werewolf diets, cookie diets, five-bite diets, master cleanse/lemonade diets, baby food diets, cabbage soup diets, boiled egg diets, the HCG diet, cotton ball diets, or saltwater flush are not worth trying as they have only a temporary effect on weight loss.
Fad diets are not sustainable, and they can cause serious health issues in the long run. Opt for a portion control diet which means choosing a healthy amount of a certain food.
9. Set new lifestyle habits and mindset
Two researchers, Bradley Appelhans of the Rush University Medical Center and Sherry Pagoto of the University of Massachusetts Medical call for the end of ongoing ‘diet wars’ by nutritionists. In their research report, they make the case that lifestyle changes trump diet in fighting obesity.
Increasingly more and more dieticians today are realizing the importance of lifestyle changes to tackle obesity and for the long-term maintenance of healthy level bodyweight.
10. Be dedicated to your goal
Nothing great in life can be achieved without total dedication to what you are aiming for.
If you are determined and committed to achieving your weight loss goal, then you are sure to succeed. Fast weight loss results within 2 weeks are possible only when you are 100% dedicated to the diet and exercise regimen without missing the plan ever once.
It is best to take the help of a weight loss trainer to monitor and keep track of your diet plan and your adherence to the same.
11. Maintain a daily record of your diets and workouts
Since you are on a short-term (two weeks to one month) fast weight loss program it is worth keeping track of your daily diet and workouts. More physical activity burns calories at a higher rate.
This also motivates and keeps you focused on your goal. You can just jot down the daily diet and exercise plan in a diary or use any of the weight loss apps available in the Google Play store to manage your fat loss regimen.
Some of the apps are really great as they make your work easy by helping you count carbs, fat, calories, and protein, and lay out the plan for your daily exercise regimen.
12. Eat homemade foods
You can manage the right amount of calories and protein intake by preparing your foods at home according to the pre-fixed diet plan.
If you are eating at restaurants, you may end up eating more calories than you are supposed to have.
The meat or fish you eat from the restaurant may not be of lean protein.
When you cook the planned diet at home, you can make sure that the amount of sugar, salt, oil, butter, and other ingredients used in cooking are of high quality and do not exceed the permissible limit.
13. Get 8 hours of night’s sleep
Lack of sufficient sleep upsets the metabolic and digestive activities in the body. Most people who sleep less are quite sure to become overweight or obese soon.
Our body recuperates and restores to its full functional capacity and optimum energy level after a night-long sleep. Getting good sleep makes the body healthy and improves the metabolism to burn more calories to reduce body weight.
When you are aiming to lose 20 pounds as fast as 14 days, you must get at least 7-8 hours of continuous sleep at night. Good sleep and rest optimize hormone production and reduce hunger.
14. Do several hours high resistance exercises
Several hours of intense exercise are necessary to burn away the extra calories. If you want to lose 20 pounds within 14 days, you have to lose approximately 5,000 extra calories daily. Even losing 15 pounds in 2 weeks is not easy.
One hour of active jogging, swimming, bicycling, aerobics, or heavy weight lifting can make you lose approximately 500 calories. You have to do a minimum of 5 hours of intense workouts and active life throughout the day to burn 5,000 extra calories daily for two weeks.
If you are a non-athletic person and not used to several hours of intense exercise, it is going to be hard for you to lose 1.5 lbs of weight per day.
Do not stay sedentary for more than half an hour per day. Even the little household chores you do can be done with a lot of physical agility and extra motion to burn more calories.
15. Relieve stress and tension
Trying to lose 20 lbs in 2 weeks fast is not an easy task; if you are stressed about this issue, it will become even more difficult to achieve the goal.
Excessively stressed people gain weight, and it is rather difficult for them to lose weight.
A high level of the stress hormone Cortisol has been shown to increase appetite, drive cravings for junk food, and make it so much easier to accumulate belly fat.
Weight loss efforts gain faster results if you can stay stress-free and relaxed. Try to get rid of stress through a few of the following helpful steps:
- Longer sleeping hours
- Practice yoga
- Listen to Music
- Spend time in Meditations that calm down your body and mind
- Practice deep breathing exercises
- Entertainment that makes you cheer and laugh
Final Thoughts
We have discussed in detail “how to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks”. Honestly, losing 10 pounds in a week on average is quite impossible.
Liposuction may be an excellent option for reducing larger deposits of excess fat very quickly. But this procedure can have some side effects on health.
Another great option for fast weight loss is surgical procedures such as gastric sleeve, gastric bypass, duodenal switch, lap band, or gastric balloon.
The low-calorie diet plan is a proven and healthy method to lose weight fast and at a regular pace.
Try to lose weight naturally and in a healthy way by following a well-planned diet program, healthy lifestyle habits, and regular workouts. Ideally, it’s healthy and easier to lose weight on an average half-a-pound daily or up to five pounds per week.