How to Lose 20 Pounds in Two Weeks

Whether you’re trying to lose 1 pound or 20 pounds, losing weight is a daunting task that many have failed at no matter how determined they were in the beginning.

This is due to the fact that you not only have to lose the weight, but you also have to keep the weight off your body permanently.

While it is fairly easy to lose as many pounds as you want, if you are not careful, you can gain back the weight in multiple folds.

It is possible to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, however, you would have to make diet and lifestyle changes that you must keep up with even after you have shed the weight successfully.

There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to losing weight as what works for another person might not work for you.

You will have to try different techniques and then stick to the one that produces the result and is compatible with your body system.

Here are a few tips for shedding your extra weight:

1. Reduce Your Calories

If you’re serious about shedding your excess weight, this is the first step you have to take.

Right now, your diet most likely consists of processed foods, oil, and grease, caffeine and sugar.

Cutting back on all these is a surefire way of losing fat quickly as they usually contain the most calories.

Stop eating processed foods entirely and incorporate more organic foods into your diet.

Foods made with carbs like bread, pasta and baked goods are responsible for a great percent of weight gain. They usually contain so many calories that pack on the weight.

However, this doesn’t mean you should stop eating carbs altogether as they provide us with the strength and energy that we need to carry out our daily activities of living.

Eat foods that are richer in protein like eggs, vegetables, meat, fish and fruits.

These foods contain fewer calories and necessary vitamins that your body needs regularly.

2. Do Not Skip Breakfast

Contrary to popular belief, skipping breakfast or other meals of the day is not a good idea.

This is because you are likely to pile the food up when you eventually eat because you would most likely be starving by then.

Eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner as at when due and resist the urge to snack on something sugary in between. Better still; eat a salad as your snack.

Seeing as it is not easy to change habits that have been formed over years of unhealthy eating, it is okay to fall off the wagon once in a while.

That is where the concept of cheat days comes from. However, be careful not to have too many cheat days so as not to regress to your former eating habits.

3. Diet Not Necessary

Also, it is not advisable to go on any form of diet just because your friend or the media portrays it to be the best form of losing weight.

Everyone has a different body metabolism, as such the same technique can not work the same way for everyone.

If you try a diet and you find it hard to stick to, please stop it.

Compelling yourself to continue can result in psychological problems where you start feeling like a failure and this might cause you to start eating more.

4. Start Exercising

When you exercise, your body uses up the stored up glucose which is a major constituent of fat.

You would have to follow a strict regimen of strength training and cardio, ensuring that you do not miss a day of exercise as this will set you back.

However, you have to use caution as you start working out. Start with easy techniques and build up to the harder ones.

This is because your body is not yet used to that much physical activity and overloading it at a go by doing high-strength routines can be dangerous for your health.

For instance, do not immediately start sprinting, start from walking, then progress gradually to jogging before finally moving to running.

This way you would have given your body enough time to adjust to the added stress of the workout.

5. Drink Water Often

The benefits of drinking enough water cannot be overemphasized. It helps to keep the body free of toxins and other chemicals which makes losing weight easier.

The most obvious advantage of drinking water is that it doesn’t have any calories so it doesn’t add to your weight gain.

Stop drinking soda, alcohol, and coffee and take to drinking water only. It will aid the quick digestion of your food, thereby reducing the risk of overeating.

6. Eat Your Food Slowly

The reason why we overeat most of the time is that we rush our foods, thereby not giving it enough time to settle.

When you eat slowly, you will be able to savour the taste of your food and you are at a lower risk of over-eating as you would be alert to your brain signifying that you are full.

So, take your time and chew slowly and thoroughly before swallowing your food. You will find out just how much joy can be derived from eating properly.

7. Cut Out Alcohol

If your goal is to shed that unnecessary weight, then it is time for you to cut out alcohol.

A report says that consuming wine is an additional 2,000 calories to what you eat each month.

What this implies is that a glass of wine and a chunk of cake have the same amount of calories.

Alcohol affects the body just in the same way junk foods do.

It might be a difficult one to stop the consumption of alcohol, but keeping your goal in mind will help you do away with any type of alcohol.

You can replace it with water with some strawberries and mint.

Conclusion

Even if you do not lose as much weight as you wish to lose by the time 2 weeks is up, do not despair.

Celebrate the weight you did lose and stick to your new diet and lifestyle that helped you lose it.