The Plan for Those Who Need to Lose Weight in a Short Time Period

Uh oh. Something's coming up - a class reunion, a wedding, or maybe a beach vacation. And you need to drop some weight fast so that you can look great in your swimsuit, your jeans, or that new suit or dress you want to wear.

You need to lose a small amount of weight really quick! Don't panic.

There are ways to slim down fast, but you have to be prepared to do some things that might be tough. After all, you didn't gain the extra 15 or 20 pounds in a couple of weeks. It's not going to be a cinch to lose it in a couple of weeks. But you can do it.

When people try to lose weight really fast, there are some things you need to be aware of. First and foremost, quick weight loss diets usually fine for short-term use (as long as you’re healthy), but you shouldn't stay on them for more than a week or two.

After that, if you want to keep losing weight, switch to a plan that allows you to lose at a slower pace that’s healthier for your body. Not eating anything at all is not a diet, and it certainly isn't healthy.

Even if you want to lose weight very quickly, you still have to put some food in your body. Don't try to starve yourself. Also, quick weight loss plans are usually low on variety when it comes to food, so they can get boring quickly.

Since they’re made for short-term use (only a few weeks at a time) you can survive the boredom, lose the weight and enjoy getting into those skinny jeans.

Remember that once you come off your quick weight loss diet plan, you aren't going to be able to go back to your old way of eating, unless you don't care if you put all of the weight right back on. Start back into a normal, healthy diet, by eating three reasonable meals a day and one small snack.

Finally, exercise is going to play a huge role in your quick weight loss plan, so be prepared to really work out!

How to Eat

For dropping weight quickly, detox and fasting programs can work wonders. These can take on a variety of flavors, shapes and sizes. You've probably heard of some: the Seven Day Juice Diet, Three Day Diet and Cabbage Soup Diet are a few.

The premise behind these types of eating plans is that you consume foods that are naturally very low in calories and fat, along with some foods that may have properties that help to boost your metabolism, or cleanse your system of toxins.

Of course, there are severe restrictions in many of these diets, too. The restrictions could include refined sugar, carbohydrates, alcohol, caffeine, certain fruits, fast foods, and meats.

The good news is that you won't have to eat like this for the rest of your life, and if you lose the weight you need to in time for the big party, you'll be happy you did the diet. Basically, quick weight loss programs do two things: They clean out your system and they help you shed some extra pounds fast.

You'll often hear of detox diets. While detox diets aren't necessarily made for weight loss, they do result in some quick weight loss. These diets often involve consuming very little or no solid food and lots of juices, teas, special liquid mixtures and purified water.

The idea is to get the toxins that have taken up residence in your body to move elsewhere - somewhere outside of your body. Detox diets usually focus on cleansing organs and bodily systems like the lymphatic system.

Some detox diets are extremely rigorous and strict, and can last several days. Some are gentler. In the process of clearing your body of toxins, weight is usually also lost in the form of water and then fat.

Fasting diets for weight loss are used to jump-start a diet, and to help break food addictions. It's like going cold turkey. Juice fasts are very popular for shedding weight quickly, but they shouldn’t be used as a permanent weight loss solution.

Juice fasting diets involve drinking different types of fruit and vegetable juice combinations and fruit smoothies to help clean your body out (so it's like a detox diet in that way), and to help your body lose weight fast.

In many ways, detox and fasting diets are similar, and both may use simple, raw foods to produce results. If you want to use a detox or fasting diet to drop weight fast, you can do it very simply - here's an example of a good detox/fasting plan:

Breakfast:

Make a fruit smoothie from one banana, the juice of one freshly squeezed grapefruit and two freshly squeezed oranges, and a handful of strawberries. Combine together in a blender.

Lunch:

Make a hearty vegetable soup filled with your choice of favorite veggies, and made with vegetable stock (don't use chicken or beef broth). Have a serving of applesauce along with your soup.

Dinner: 

Combine three or four handfuls of washed spinach, several lettuce leaves, a handful of alfalfa sprouts, one cucumber, four or five stalks of celery in a blender, then add enough purified water to create a juice. If you like, add a squeeze of lemon juice for flavor. Drink up!

Snacks: 

Carrot or celery sticks with hummus, small apple or orange, fresh berries

As you can see, this diet leaves out all meat and dairy. You don't get that morning cup of coffee, or your diet soda. There are no sugary treats as rewards for doing well. But you would only stay on a diet like this for one to two weeks max. Beyond that would be unhealthy.

You will, however, clean your system out well with this diet plan, and you'll drop weight too. And you can do a detox and fasting program every once in a while to clear out your system and drop more pounds fast.

Now if you don't think a plan quite like this is going to work for you, you can do something like this, and still lose weight:

Breakfast:

Black coffee or tea, one piece of toasted protein or whole wheat bread (dry), one half grapefruit or a whole orange

Lunch:

One serving of tuna, or lean meat or poultry - broiled or baked, fat and skin removed, or two eggs - cooked without oil; a small vegetable salad with low-fat, low-calorie dressing, or a serving of streamed vegetables; water, diet soda, black coffee or tea

Dinner:

Same as lunch (you can eat the same types of foods, but it will probably be nicer if you don't have exactly the same thing you had for lunch)

Snacks:

Carrots, celery, fruit juice (no sugar added)

This diet gives you more variety, but is still very strict. It probably can't technically be called either a detox or fasting diet, but you'll still lose weight quickly with it. Again, this isn’t balanced enough to stay on for more than a couple of weeks.

The key to losing a small amount of weight in a short time period, say 15 to 20 pounds, in two weeks is to cut way back, and eliminate anything that even resembles processed sugar or fat.

Diets like those outlined above are going to keep you in the very low range when it comes to calorie consumption, and your body will accordingly lose weight. There are diets that you can find online and in books that you can use, if you like, that will accomplish the same result.

You'll find that they’re similar to what I've described in terms of being quite strict. For example, the Seven Day Diet gives you some variety, but it still strictly limits what you eat as well as your caloric intake. It works like this:

·         Monday: All the fruit you want to eat, except you cannot have bananas

·         Tuesday: All the veggies you want; and you can use mustard, soy sauce or vinegar with them

·         Wednesday: All the fruits and vegetables you like

·         Thursday: Five bananas and five glasses of milk

·         On Friday: Four 3-ounce servings of lean beef, chicken or fish, with lots of fresh vegetables

·         Saturday and Sunday: Four 3-ounce servings of beef steak, with fresh vegetables

The Cabbage Soup Diet is another popular diet that’s aimed at helping you lose between 10 and 15 pounds in one week. There are a few versions of the Cabbage Soup Diet, but they all focus on eating plenty of low-calorie, low-fat cabbage soup, lots of vegetables and fruit, a bit of meat, and not much of anything else.

As you can see, the key to eating when you're on a mission to lose weight quickly is to severely limit yourself. And that takes will power. But, if you're determined, you can definitely do it, then returning to a normal and healthy way of eating.

You're going to have to get a lot of exercise in to help you drop the extra pounds, so make sure you have your doctor’s approval. Strict diets can make you feel a little less energetic.

If your diet is making you feel lethargic, or like you just can't get your exercise in, try adding a bit more protein and some complex carbohydrates to it. Yes, this will add calories, but not much, if you choose wisely. Go for very lean meats and fish, and some additional fresh fruit and vegetables.

Exercise Tips

Part of losing weight quickly is increasing your body’s ability to burn fat. How can you do that? It's simple. You have to do fat-burning cardio exercise for between 30 and 60 minutes at least five times a week.

How do you know the cardio you're doing is burning fat? That's really simple, too. If your exercise is getting your heart into its target range, and keeping it there for the majority of your workout, then you're burning fat stores.

How do you know your heart's target?

1.    Find your resting heart rate. You do this by counting your pulse for 60 seconds. This is best done first thing in the morning before you get out of bed.

2.    Subtract your age from 220. This is your maximum heart rate. You don't want your heart rate to exceed this.

3.    Subtract your resting heart rate number from the number of your maximum heart rate. The resulting number is your heart rate reserve.

4.    Divide this number by two.

5.    Add this number to your resting heart rate to find the low number for your target heart rate range.

6.    Take the heart rate reserve number you came up with (see step 3), and multiply it by .85, and add it to your resting heart rate. This is the upper number of your target range for heart rate.

7.    If your heart rate is between the low and high numbers when you're exercising, you're within you target heart rate range, and you're burning fat.

What kinds of cardio exercise are going to get your heart into that range for the 30 to 60 minutes you're exercising?

Well, if it gets you moving and breathing, it will probably qualify. So that means you can walk very briskly, jog, swim, dance, play tag with your kids, vacuum the floor, dig up a new garden bed, put your little one in the stroller and go walking, do a cardio DVD, walk up and down stairs, get on the treadmill, ride a bike, jump on a mini-trampoline, or anything else that gets you going.

Quick weight loss isn't about building up muscle, so skip the weight lifting and strength training for right now. Concentrate on working out with cardio, and you'll lift the fires of your metabolism.

Mindset Motivation  

You've chosen a diet plan that isn't easy for many. But if you really want to do it, you can! Your mindset during this time is going to have to be one of hopeful determination. Spend plenty of time giving yourself positive reinforcement.

You're doing well, and you will soon have made it through the diet, and you'll be slimmer, too! That's something great to look forward to. It's all about keeping your will power running high and your confidence in your abilities strong.

You can do this!

Before we go any further, let's do a reality check. It is possible to drop a fairly good amount of weight in a small timeframe if you're determined enough. However, it is unrealistic to expect drastic weight loss like 50 pounds in 14 days, and you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Approach this type of weight loss with determination and a good attitude. You'll lose weight if you follow a restricted diet and get in your exercise. Will you lose exactly 20 pounds? Maybe. But it might be 14 pounds. Just do your best.

Keep your attitude throughout the time that you're working on dropping this smallish amount of weight positive and upbeat. Remember that the rigorous eating plan won't last forever, and enjoy the cleansing and lightening effects of your diet.

If you don't lose the amount of weight you'd hoped to lose, don't label yourself a failure.

If you don't lose enough to fit in your bikini or your jeans from high school, then you need a plan B to show off the body that you do have. Whether you're a man or woman, you can still find ways to dress and look awesome. And the bonus is that you've no doubt lost some weight, so that’s a perk!

If you can't get into your jeans, then go get a pair that looks great on you. Don't try to pour yourself into your skinny jeans. Pair them with a great shirt, and get your hair styled.

If the bikini still doesn't fit, find a killer one piece or tankini and a fantastic sarong to wrap around your waist for a sexy effect.

Pat yourself on the back and give yourself two thumbs up for your strong effort! If you stuck to a strict diet and exercise plan, you deserve kudos for demonstrating your inner strength!

You can hold your head up and continue to lose weight with a more reasonable diet plan. Keep working out, adding in some strength training, and the pounds will continue to melt away!