Have you ever wanted to lose weight fast? Maybe there is a looming vacation or wedding, or you want to jumpstart some weight loss to make you feel better. Whatever the reason, you will need to learn how to lose weight fast in 2 weeks. Well, you’ve come to the right place. So keep reading to learn how to turn that weight loss into reality!
1. Cutting Calories
One of the things you have the most control over when thinking about how to lose weight is adjusting your calorie intake. Most nutrition and fitness experts recommend aiming for a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day for weight loss, which, if done correctly, can drop 1-2 pounds a week if this is the only thing you adjust.
2. Tracking Calories
Hand in hand with cutting calories is tracking them. It’s the best way to know if you are achieving the 500-calorie deficit suggested above or another calorie goal you have. One of the best ways to do this is by using the MyFitnessPal app to count every calorie consumed for the next two weeks. It’s a helpful tool for reaching your weight loss goal. And if you’re looking for something more advanced, consider this program.
3. Eat A Balanced Diet
Forget the fads. Stick to an equal and balanced diet. Picking the right foods has a significant impact on weight loss. Choose whole foods (fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, nuts), eat healthy fat ( oils like olive oil), eat more fiber (avocados, whole grains), and avoid refined grains and sugars (white flour, corn syrup). One more thing to keep in mind when food is involved – eat slowly!
4. Don’t Drink Calories
It’s not only calories from food that you need to be thinking about – don’t forget about the calories you drink! You will come across many high-calorie beverages daily, but these usually don’t fill you up and keep you hungry later. So if you are focused on how to lose weight fast, stay away from things like fruit juices, soda, milk, and alcohol and include unsweetened drinks in your diet, especially water.
5. Increase Your Protein
You may have heard about protein being an effective lever for weight loss. But do you know why? There are four main reasons. Protein keeps you feeling full longer, maintains a lean body mass, challenges your body’s digestion (uses more energy), and is more difficult for your body to store as body fat.
Numerous scientific studies have been done over the years to support this. The article, The Role Of Protein In Weight Loss And Maintenance, from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, covers one such study.
A high-protein breakfast, in particular, is a great way to start your day and jumpstart your daily weight loss goal!
6. Work Out At Home
In addition to minimizing calorie intake, you want to supercharge calorie burning by working out. If you want to figure out how to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, for example, you want to be diligent about exercising while managing your diet. And one of the most convenient ways to get that daily workout in is to work out at home. You can exercise anywhere at home or read about these small home gym ideas if you want to create a dedicated space.
Your weekly routine at home or a gym should include HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training), weight training, cardio, and working out for at least 30 minutes daily.
7. Drink Lots Of Water
As mentioned above, water is your friend when trying to lose weight. Your best friend, in fact! So how much should you drink? At least 64 ounces per day. There are many reasons why you want to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated improves workouts, helps your body remove waste, is a natural appetite suppressant, increases calories burned while your body absorbs it, is necessary to burn fat, and replaces other liquids with higher calories.
So grab a glassful, and let’s toast to more water!
8. Don’t Shortchange Sleep
Everything on this list will not only help you lose weight but will help you feel better and lead a more fulfilling life. But you could argue that nothing is more critical to overall health than sleep.
It can help you lose weight in many ways, like improving metabolism and energy levels, choosing better foods, and preventing late-night snacking. In addition, getting enough sleep helps your body heal itself, improves your cognitive function (which also helps with decision-making and motivation – critical components of weight loss), and minimizes health risks associated with sleep deprivation.
So, don’t underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep!
9. Give Intermittent Fasting A Try
Just to be precise – intermittent fasting does not equal a starvation diet.
If you haven’t tried intermittent fasting before, it can be a fantastic way to lose weight. It’s flexible to manage depending on your lifestyle and weight loss goal. It involves eating only during specific time windows and fasting during the remaining time. That could be over 24 hours, alternating days, or eating five days and fasting two days a week. There are many options.
The most common approach is the 16/8 method, where you eat during an 8-hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours over 24 hours. For example – eat between noon and 8 pm and fast from 8 pm to noon the following day.
Intermittent fasting helps you consume fewer calories. And restricting calorie consumption for longer forces your body to burn stored fat.
10. Don’t Eat Past A Cutoff Time
This dovetails a bit with intermittent fasting, but if you don’t choose a complete fasting regimen, you should set a nightly cutoff time not to eat past. Nighttime calories are the worst calories because they are typically not healthy (sweets, junk food), and your body has no time to burn any of them before you go to sleep, so it’s much easier for those calories to become an added weight.
Plus, you will get a better night’s sleep if your body isn’t focused on digesting food or caloric beverages (alcohol, we’re talking to you).
11. Write Your Goal Down
One of the best things you can do for any goal is to write it down. Losing a lot of weight in two weeks is not easy. But, you must commit to it and make it a part of your routine 24/7.
So take a piece of paper and write down your goal weight, and how you will feel when you achieve that new weight, and maybe add an inspirational quote or something else motivational like a picture of your kids or partner or vacation spot you’re preparing for. Whatever will give you positive energy when you look at it and keep you moving in the right direction if you have a low motivation day. Then put that piece of paper somewhere you will see it frequently throughout the day – maybe on your fridge or pantry.
You want to keep your motivation handy. It will help you more than you know.
Final Thoughts
So, how to lose weight fast in 2 weeks? As you can see, there are several different approaches. You can choose to implement the few that seem to work best for you, or you can go all in and do everything. It’s up to you to decide. The important thing is to take action and make it happen. And don’t be afraid to ask for some help to move forward. Good luck!