How to Lose 5 Pounds in a Week Using 8 Proven Tips

Many weight loss journeys can be rewarding and inspiring.

You may have goals in mind that seem hard to reach first. Burning five pounds of fat in seven days is a dangerous target to reach. It’s recommended that you only burn 1–2 pounds per week to maintain a healthy metabolism. Avoid creating excessive goals to achieve rapid weight loss.

Sticking to a healthy diet and exercise routine can encourage your body to burn those unwanted calories. There are scientifically proven tips, like doing more cardiovascular workouts to reduce stubborn fat. Consistency is key when trying to change your body weight.

Dropping five pounds in just one week can prove to be a challenging task. Following eight sustainable weight loss methods can help you reach your goals safely. 

In this article, you’ll learn how to lose 5 pounds safely.

How to Lose 5 Pounds in a Week? Use These 8 Tips! 

Losing a few pounds in a short period can be dangerous for your health. You need to find a sustainable fitness plan that helps you lose weight at a considerable pace. Here are 8 beneficial ways you can safely drop 5 pounds in a week. 

#1 Be on a calorie deficit

Reducing your calorie intake is basically a given for weight loss. You need to cut 500 calories out of your diet to see physical results. If you remove this amount from your diet, you can expect to lose 1 or 2 pounds per week. Keep a food journal to keep track of these calories. 

To reduce calories more easily, you can limit your meal portions. Consider serving food on a smaller plate or follow the recommended serving size on food packaging. Eating healthy food is great, but having too much of it can lead to excessive calorie consumption.

#2 Eat quality food

Consuming healthy food will fuel your body with nutrients. You need to eat fruits, vegetables, and protein-filled poultry. Quality foods also have fewer calories, which can aid your weight loss progress.

Processed foods can increase your fat, sugar, and sodium levels. This may lead to health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Avoid eating at fast-food restaurants or buying cheat snacks from the store. 

Your body needs nutrients and vitamins to function properly.

#3 Reduce carbs 

Going on a low-carb diet can help you drop stubborn weight. If you fuel your body with fewer carbohydrates, it will go into a state of ketosis. This means your metabolism burns more fat for energy. You can follow a keto diet to achieve these weight loss results.

#4 Avoid liquid calories

People don’t usually think about calories in beverages. Drinks like coke and wine can have a high-calorie content that contributes to weight gain. In just 12 ounces of Coca-Cola, there are 140 calories. You can replace this drink with some water or even a protein shake. 

Drinking a gallon of water a day can hugely benefit your weight loss. If you can’t drink this much, try to have around 8–10 cups daily. Staying hydrated will help your body burn fat more easily. The water molecules interact with fats (triglycerides) to create energy. 

#5 Consume more fiber and protein

Protein is a good source of energy that can strengthen your muscle mass. It also reduces the recovery time of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The more energy you have, the more likely you will work out and lose weight fast.

Some good protein foods are chicken, eggs, beef, cottage cheese, and salmon. These are easy to mix with your dietary meals throughout the day. 

According to the Dietary Reference Intake report for macronutrients, a sedentary adult should consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. 

Soluble fiber can also help you drop stomach fat. It fills your gut with healthy bacteria that may improve your metabolic process. Foods like avocados, beans, whole grains, and broccoli are great for your fiber intake. Just make sure to have around 30 grams of fiber a day.

#6 Walk everywhere

Staying active is great for losing 5 pounds. 

You can go for daily walks in the morning to build up your fitness level. Take a friend with you and enjoy the fresh air. There’s no need to use your car if the destination is only minutes away. Losing weight requires plenty of physical activity, even when you don’t feel like it. 

#7 Include cardio workouts

Cardiovascular exercise will burn fat quickly. You can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that gets your heart rate up. This form of exercise is never going to be easy, but with the right motivation, you can lose 5 pounds just through vigorous activity.  

Cardio also has amazing benefits for your heart. Intense exercise is said to strengthen your heart muscles and vessels. The stronger your heart is, the more likely you’ll burn calories through cardiovascular exercise. Start by doing ten minutes and build your way up from there.

#8 Forget the scale

It might be tempting to hop on the scale every day. 

The decrease in numbers could be a huge motivation for you to continue losing weight. However, those numbers won’t always be accurate. Building muscle during exercise can actually increase the figure on your scales.

Many people become obsessed with weighing themselves. It’s normal to want to see your progress each week but refrain from checking daily. You can see your results at the end of every week or month. Don’t forget to check your physical progress in the mirror too! 

Can You Lose 5 Pounds in a Week?

Yes, but most of that will be water weight.  Losing 5 pounds of fat in seven days is not healthy. 

You shouldn’t be eating less than your 500-calorie deficit. If you starve your body of the right nutrients, you might slow down or ruin your progress completely. Make sure to stick to a sustainable plan that contains healthy foods.

There are ways you can safely drop excess water weight. Exercising regularly, reducing your salt intake, and drinking more water are just a few things you can do. Just remember that you will only see this progress in the first week. Most water in your body comes back after a few days.

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose 5 Pounds in a Week?

The number of calories you eat will depend on many physical factors.

Your age, sex, weight, height, activity level, and weight loss goals can alter your diet. Many people opt for the 500-calorie deficit plan that subtracts 500 calories from your maintenance calories. For example, if you normally eat 2000 calories, you would need to go for 1500. 

Cutting 500 calories from your diet ensures you lose around 1–2 pounds per week. This is a good amount of fat to drop in seven days. Losing 5 pounds quickly is not healthy, so avoid doing rapid weight loss methods to achieve that. Slower weight loss is always safer for your body.

What to Eat on a Healthy Diet?

Fruit, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seafood, and lean meat are just a few things you can eat. 

You need to get the nutrition that provides energy and restores your muscles. If you don’t eat the right food, you might put on weight or feel weak due to insufficient nutrients. 

Protein is also very important for your meal plans. Some examples of protein are beef, prawns, chicken, greek yogurt, and salmon. 

Strength training requires plenty of protein, as your muscles need recovery time. You could try protein powder shakes that are quick and easy to make.

What to Avoid When Trying to Lose Weight?

You need to avoid sugary foods that are heavily processed. Sugar will only make you gain weight, especially around your stomach and thighs. Fast food restaurants usually sell highly-refined products that may increase your blood sugar levels. 

Stick to a healthy diet that focuses on fruit and vegetables. Strawberries and peaches contain sugar, but this sugar is not processed. The sugar you want to avoid contains chemicals and synthetic ingredients. This also applies to alcoholic drinks that have lots of calories.

Not drinking enough water may prevent your metabolism from digesting food properly. You need to have at least 8–10 cups of water a day to hydrate your body. Water is essential to progressing your weight loss journey. It might help to buy a liter bottle that motivates you to drink. 

Avoid eating fewer calories than your 500-calorie deficit. If you don’t fuel it with good energy, your body will go into starvation mode. This means you’ll store more fat instead of burning it off. Eat within your recommended diet plan, and you’ll lose those 5 pounds in no time.

Takeaway 

Following a balanced diet will ensure you reach your fitness goals. Estimate how many calories you need and schedule your meal plans around that. Nothing can make you feel cleaner than a good, healthy diet. It may be hard at first, but your body will thank you for it.

Losing 5 pounds may take over 2 weeks, but it’s better to burn fat gradually. You can use the KetoCycle app to monitor what you’re eating throughout the diet.  For a successful weight loss, you need to be consistent with your healthy eating and workouts.