Lose 5 pounds a week

How To Lose 5 Pounds In A Week (The Easy Way)

Do you have a couple of extra pounds you’re desperately trying to lose? Are they hanging on for dear life and giving you a muffin top instead of melting away to give you the body you want?

Blowtorch. A blowtorch is what you need to melt those extra pounds away. Simply ignite, melt away the fat, and admire the new, thinner you!

*Waits like 5 minutes*

ok , are the psychopaths gone? Can we go on with the article in peace? Don’t burn yourself with blowtorches please.

Anyway, for anyone that doesn’t use a blowtorch, it can seem impossible to melt that extra weight off. Cutting your diet in half, spending hours on the treadmill, and even signing up for trendy new workout classes isn’t doing the trick. And neither is using a blowtorch on your own body! What gives?

It’s super frustrating to lose a couple of pounds and then wind up gaining it back and then some! What is going on here?! IT’S ENOUGH TO MAKE ME TAKE A BLOWTORCH TO MY FREAKING THUNDER THIGHS!!!

Losing weight doesn’t have to be this hard. Plus, you don’t have to rush out and use half your paycheck on a gym membership or a personal trainer to yell at you in a boot camp. Or give yourself 3rd degree burns with a blowtorch. With a couple of simple moves and consistency, you can easily drop 5 lbs in just one week.

Just select a few of the following tips and tricks to incorporate into your every day life. Shedding pounds is easy when you stick to a couple of fat-blasting methods that get you results fast. There’s no starvation, crash diets, or crazy 2-hour long workouts here. Or blowtorches. Definitely none of those.

Pick a minimum of 4 of these tricks, but do as many as you like. The more you do and stick to, the more pounds you’ll shed. The key is commitment. Do it every day for a week and you’ll see the results yourself.

Step 1: Burn Off All Your Fat With A Blowtorch

Just kidding!

Do 30 Minutes of Cardio Each Day

This is the go-to method of dropping weight. It gets your heart rate up and boosts your metabolism to burn fat off.

While running is the obvious solution, a cardio workout is even better if you choose a routine that uses multiple muscles at the same time.

You know, like running from a ravenous jungle tiger while doing bicep curls and stomach crunches at the same time.

If that sounds too complicated (you know, if you’re a pansy ), boot-camp classes, cardio kickboxing sessions, and spinning all scorch between 200 and 300 calories per half hour. You also tone up your legs, abs, and arms for a sleeker physique overall.

Think about it this way: for every 3,500 calories that you burn and don’t replace with food, you lose one pound of fat.

Over 7 days, that’s 500 calories per day. So just by supplementing cardio into your routine, you’re already most of the way to the goal of losing weight.

If you’re looking to increase the intensity and get more results in a shorter amount of time, interval training boosts the calorie burn with short, intense bursts of cardio, punctuated by periods of slower-paced movements.

A good rule of thumb to go by is that if you’re talking to a workout buddy, you have to catch your breath occasionally. You shouldn’t be struggling to breathe but it shouldn’t sound like a normal, even-toned conversation either. That’s when you know your heart rate is up and you’re burning calories.

Get Extra ZZZ’s

ok . This is the easiest one. I’m telling you to sleep. Legitimately, just sleep more. who doesn’t want to sleep more?

*guy in coma raises his hand*

Wait, what?

We could all use extra sleep but getting in an extra 30 minutes of sleep (whether you’re a night owl or a heavy sleeper), can help you feel rested and more energized.

Why does that matter? well : when you’re tired, you tend to make poor food choices, reaching for sugars, carbs, and caffeine to keep you going. I’ve been guilty of sneaking out to the store for a Red Bull (or two) the night after mainlining a season’s worth of tv on Netflix.

Whoa… Word auto-capitalizes Netflix. the future is real.

Anyway, this has been proven by science. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition clearly demonstrated that people who are sleep deprived snack way more, especially late at night – plus, they are much more likely to choose high carb, unhealthy snacks.

Your body needs adequate sleep in order to build muscle. You can boost your metabolism while you’re dreaming by sleeping for an extra 30 minutes. Also, come on, I’m telling you to sleep . how easy is that?

Pack A Better Lunch

If you’re like most people, you probably grab your lunch on the go or travel out to a bakery or deli to pick something up. That’s because bakeries and delis are delicious, and easy, like your mom. burnt.

Getting back to the topic (not your mom), when you’re in a rush, you don’t take the time to think about what you’re putting in your body.

So swap out the crap for the good stuff! Substituting one or two things you normally consume can help you cut out calories and shed the pounds. If you always reach for candy or chocolate after a meal, swap in some chunks of fruit. While it still has sugar, it’s not processed and loaded with extra oils, fats, and calories.

Also, choosing a lean protein like salmon can keep you feeling full and give your muscles some much-needed protein to keep them toned. (Mmm, toned muscles, like your mom…) Pair it with a green bean salad and you’ve got a healthy, power-packed lunch that keeps you going.

Cut Out The White Bread

Simple carbs are the enemy of flat abs. Wait, that’s a great slogan! Autocratic empires were born on less!

simple carbs are the enemy of flat abs. We, the flat abs people, will hunt down and eliminate all simple carbs until only flat abs remain. all hail supreme leader, Flatab.

All hail.

Anyway. By cutting out white flour products – like spaghetti, sandwich breads, and rice – you eliminate bloating and actually prevent yourself from reaching for more food. Simple carbs are digested quickly and leave you feeling hungry shortly after your last bite.

The University of Rochester Medical Center conducted studies where they recommend that people should aim to keep their blood sugar levels relatively consistent throughout the day. If you’re eating simple carbs, it causes your blood sugar levels to spike and crash, leading to more hunger, and feelings of weakness and fatigue.

If you’re still craving pasta and breads, swap in whole-grain options or try some protein-packed quinoa with vegetables for extra fiber. Fiber makes you poop more, which helps your metabolism! Poop! Just think about poop often and you’ll cut out white flour in no time!

Instead of having a chicken salad wrap, just make it a chicken salad. Instead of chips and dip, have vegetable sticks with hummus. There are plenty of ways to swap in healthy alternatives without skimping on flavor or satisfaction.

And you know what they say about flavor and satisfaction: your mom.

Drink More Water

ok . We’ve got stuff on this list like “do cardio” and “cut out bad carbs”. Those are the hard ones. They’re harder to do than drinking water and sleeping.

It’s as simple as drinking more water . You hear it all the time because it’s true. Adding in more water to your diet has amazing benefits that help you shed the pounds. Drinking more water helps to eliminate fatigue, keep you feeling full, and flush out toxins from your digestive system.

Plus, it’s drinking more water. I’m not telling you to climb mt. everest (aka your mom ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh).

Instead of reaching for a soda or smoothie for lunch, drink a glass of water first. You may find that you don’t even want the other beverage afterwards. That’s because you’ll be hydrated . Because: water .

Besides, sodas, sports drinks, and fruit juices are loaded with empty calories, packed with sugar, and can even have surprisingly high sodium which makes your body retain water, making you feel bloated and puffy. Plus, you’ll look bloated and puffy. Stay Puft Marshmallow Man or Flat Ab Master, your choice.

As if you needed another reason to drink more water, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a study that showed that dieters with an increased water intake lost more weight than dieters who drank less water.2

more: Take The Quiz – Do You Know The Unique Veggies That Burn Abdominal Fat?

I have a dedicated water bottle that I drink from all day and keep by my nightstand to make sure I’m drinking enough. I also have these little flavor packets I get from the store when I get bored with the taste of plain water. Which is fair but come on, water is delicious. It’s water . People have been drinking it for literally infinity years.

You can pick some flavor packets up in fruit flavors like strawberry and grape. Some of them even have added vitamins and minerals. Just make sure to look at the ingredients so that you’re not grabbing a flavor packet that’s loaded with sugar or artificial sweetener.

I also find it helpful to pack a flavored seltzer water with my lunch. You get the fun little carbonation bubbles but none of the added chemicals or sugars. Either way, you’re hydrating right and without drinking tons of sugar. Go you. You did it. You drank water.

Do Regular Pushups and Lunges

These two moves are so simple and easy you can do them in your cubicle on your lunch break. Or anywhere you’ve got a spare few minutes. You know, so you don’t terrify your coworkers with your display of pure muscular power . Simply do 3 sets of 12 reps of both pushups and lunges every other day.

You can easily work your legs, hips, and butt by doing lunges and target your upper body with pushups, giving you a slimmer appearance in just days. In just days. And think, you didn’t have to sleep for any extra time at all ! Any time you need a stretch or you’re blanking out on an assignment, get up and do some lunges and pushups.

For added intensity, hold a pair of dumbbells in each hand as you do the lunges to give yourself some resistance and increase strength. Way easier than drinking water.

Squats and Situps

Another simple set of exercises you can do pretty much anytime you want is squats and sit-ups. All you need is a clear floor space that’s not made of lava. Don’t do situps in lava. I won’t be held legally responsible for that.

Squats utilize your legs and glutes, some of the most powerful muscles in your body. When you’re activating so many powerhouse muscles, you burn more calories and fat.

Do 3 sets of 12 reps of both to tone up your butt, abs, and legs.

That’s it! Start by picking out 4 of these suggestions and putting them into action, then after a couple weeks ramp up to include a few more.

Let me know in the comments how your workouts are going, and if you have any questions. And if the question is “Can you please stop making fun of my mom?” the answer is LOL nope your mom so fat she fell in love and broke it!

MORE: How to lose 7-10 pounds in a week

In summary…

The Best Way To Lose 5 Pounds In A Week

  1. Do 30 minutes of cardio each day
  2. Get extra sleep and keep your sleep schedule healthy
  3. Pack a better lunch
  4. Cut out the white bread
  5. Drink more water
  6. Do regular pushups and lunges
  7. Add squats and situps to your routine

how to lose 5 pounds in a week

References:
1. Nedeltcheva, A. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2009.
2. “Association between water consumption and body weight outcomes: a systematic review.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, April 2013.

19 comments… add one
  • Gert January 4, 2019, 3:52 pm

    Not helpful to me at all. I don’t eat until lunchtime, when I have a cup of soup-broth with chicken and carrots, green beans, that sort of thing. No noodles, rice or bread. Then nothing until supper, when I eat a broiled fish filet or grilled chicken and have steamed vegetables (brocolli, usually) and pinto beans with raw onion and garlic. Then nothing again until lunch the next day. No snacks, no drinks other than water and the occasional herbal tea with no sweetener. I just can’t seem to lose that last 5 pounds. I don’t exercise much, but my commute means I leave the house at 5 am and don’t get home until almost 6 pm. I pack my own lunch. When I get home, I usually have outside chores since I have pets and chickens (for my meat). I’m in my 60’s and dr says no thyroid issue, but I don’t believe him.

  • Sami April 6, 2018, 8:18 am

    Thanks for the advice, but the jokes are cringy as hell.

  • happypants September 22, 2015, 8:53 pm

    No supplement is a replacement for diet or exercise! YES, you will see some weight loss right away by using the Lady Soma Detox, but it will be slow and at a lower level, unless you watch what you are eating. The first time I did the Lady Soma Detox I lost 3 lbs RIGHT AWAY, but then my body got used to it. Now it has been easy to maintain this weight . . .

  • Seth April 11, 2015, 11:03 am

    Even though losing 5 pounds in one week would be awesome, it is not something that you can maintain for very long. As long as you know that, the first week of weight loss can be exciting, but then it might not be as easy from that point forward.

  • Jessica Smith April 7, 2015, 11:46 am

    Great tips! I love the fact that each movement throughout the day can affect things like this. People just need to remember that losing 5 pounds in one week is not something you can maintain for very long.

  • Homer March 25, 2015, 5:24 pm

    The easy way! Ha! If you do not have to work to get it, it is not worth having, remember that. Goes for a diet and losing weight as well!

  • Jimmy Grambler March 20, 2015, 12:17 pm

    Even though the list is for losing 5 pounds in a week “the easy way”, all of the things listed here still take some work. It might not be “work” like you would think it is, but having the determination to complete some of these things can be considered work.

  • RunnerKim March 14, 2015, 8:45 pm

    I think you have a great list of suggestions. You say to do a couple of them and get started and that is what I am going to do. If I could just find about 30 minutes during the day to do them, I think I could lose weight very quickly!

  • Mark March 13, 2015, 11:06 am

    If you have not dieted for a long time, losing 5 pounds in one week is even easier! Once you hit that 30 day mark and start to see the weight loss flatten out, that is when the hard work must start. All diets are only successful if you are willing to put work into them.

  • DietLover March 12, 2015, 4:25 pm

    Losing 5 pounds per week is not a good thing, all the time. Most of the time, if you lose 5 pounds in the first week of a diet that is normal, but most people cannot be expected to carry that on forever.

  • Davis March 6, 2015, 2:09 pm

    I drink plenty of water and when I do the lemon water in the morning, I feel great. Sure beats “chasing” the thirst that comes with soda all day.

  • Penelope March 2, 2015, 12:10 pm

    I like to drink water. I like that it is on this list, because I put down about 128 ounces each day if I can. The problem I have is that I also drink coffee and soda :/ which is probably cancelling them out.

    • Jacob April 9, 2015, 9:19 pm

      Something worth doing is not going to be easy right? Dump the soda for ZERO calorie flavored water and you might find yourself away from the soda in no time!

  • Theresa Wilsom February 27, 2015, 11:04 am

    Blow torch! That was good. I tend to do the cardio, because it is easy to run on a treadmill each day, or walk outside and get the heart rate going. Seems to work for me when I want to drop a few pounds for the summer.

  • Tammy February 24, 2015, 4:25 pm

    Perfect tips! Turning away seconds, getting plenty of good sleep and keeping that heart rate up should do the trick. It always comes down to making sure you do it every day.

  • Alix P. February 20, 2015, 9:19 pm

    One time I was doing a juice cleanse and I lost 8 pounds in one week, but I felt HORRIBLE afterwards. Plus, all the weight came right back on as soon as I stopped doing the cleanse. Thank goodness there’s a way to lose weight quickly that doesn’t involve just drinking juice all week and nothing else, lol!

    • Dennis March 2, 2015, 12:11 pm

      There is nothing wrong with a good cleanse every now and then. I think that it is a good place to start, but it is not going to keep the weight off, you still have to eat right afterwards.

  • Ginny A. February 20, 2015, 7:41 pm

    Losing 5 pounds a week is excessive and unhealthy for anyone who isn’t severely overweight. That being said, if you follow these steps, especially the cardio, you can stand to lose 5 pounds in 2 or 2.5 weeks no problem.

  • Annabel February 3, 2015, 1:01 am

    I don’t think it’s possible to lose 5 pounds in a week and sustain that kind of weight loss. If you restrict your calories that much, what do you think it does to your metabolism? I think the one thing though that’s true about this article is the drink more water suggestion. I actually like 34 pounds in 2 and a half months and something i’ve been doing is drinking a lot a lot of water.

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