I've tested this plan on clients who were looking to lose weight fast before an event like a vacation or photo shoot, and it works wonders.
In fact, some of my clients who use this look like they've been on a three- or four-week diet after just one week.
Although it's not a long-term fix, this can kick-start your weight loss journey and motivate you for more sustainable long-term changes.
This plan is not recommended if you have a history of eating disorders like anorexia.
It Is Possible to Lose 10 Pounds in a Week
While it's certainly possible to lose 10 lbs in one week, it won't be pure body fat.
Due to the calorie deficit needed to burn each pound of fat, it's simply not possible to safely burn 10 pounds of pure body fat in just one week.
However, this isn't to say you can't lose that much weight and still look leaner.
While a lot of the weight loss will certainly come from body fat, you will also drop pounds by losing excess water weight (1Trusted Source).
This is partly because this plan lowers your insulin levels and makes your body get rid of stored carbs, which bind water.
Although your body can only store about 300–500 grams of carbs in a form known as glycogen, stored glycogen does hold around three times that weight in water (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source).
Reduced insulin levels will also make your kidneys shed out excess sodium, leading to reduced water retention (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).
Along with reduced body fat and water weight, you may also lose some weight due to less intestinal waste and undigested food and fiber in the digestive system.
Here are the 7 steps you should follow in order to lose 10 pounds in a week.
1. Eat Fewer Carbs and More Lean Proteins
You can lose several pounds by following a low-carb diet for just a few days.
In fact, lots of research has shown a low-carb diet is a very effective way to lose weight and improve health (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).
A short-term decrease in carb intake can also reduce water weight and bloating.
This is why people who go low-carb often see a difference on the scale as early as the next morning after starting the diet.
Additionally, making sure you eat plenty of protein can help reduce your appetite even further while boosting your metabolism (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
Try eliminating or drastically reducing all starchy carbs and sugars for the week. Replace these with low-carb vegetables, while also increasing your intake of eggs, lean meats and fish.
Check out this article to learn more about how to set up a low-carb diet and which foods to include.
2. Eat Whole Foods and Avoid Most Processed Junk Foods
When you're trying to lose weight quickly then it can be helpful to eat a simple diet based on whole foods.
These foods tend to be very filling, and make it easier to eat fewer calories without getting too hungry.
During the week, you should make sure to eat mostly whole, single-ingredient foods. Avoid most foods that are highly processed.
Eating mostly lean proteins and low-carb veggies can be incredibly satisfying even if you're not getting that many calories.
3. Reduce Your Calorie Intake by Following These Tips (See List)
Reducing your calorie intake may be the most important factor when it comes to weight loss.
If you aren't eating fewer calories than you expend, then you will not lose fat (10Trusted Source).
Here is a calculator that shows you how many calories you should eat to lose weight (opens in new tab).
Here are a few simple tips to reduce calorie intake:
Count calories: Weigh and log the foods you eat. Use a calorie counting tool to keep track of the amount of calories and nutrients you are taking in.
Eat only at meals: Reduce all snacks and don't eat anything after dinner.
Cut your condiments: Eliminate calorie-dense condiments and sauces.
Fill up on veggies: Fill your plate with vegetables and limit starchy carbs and added fats for the week.
Choose lean proteins: Choose lower-fat proteins, such as chicken and fish.
Don't drink your calories: Instead, opt for water, zero-calorie drinks, tea or coffee. Protein shakes are fine if you count them as a meal.
4. Lift Weights and Try High-Intensity Interval Training
Exercise is one of the best ways to burn fat and improve your appearance.
Resistance training, such as weight lifting, can lead to a similar amount of weight loss as regular aerobic training. It also helps you add or maintain muscle mass and strength (11Trusted Source, 12Trusted Source).
Full-body resistance training workouts are also a great method to lower your body's carb stores and water weight, which can lead to a sharp decline in weight (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source).
Lifting weights can also protect your metabolism and hormone levels, which often decline during dieting (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is another very effective training method.
Research suggests that 5–10 minutes of HIIT can lead to similar or greater benefits for health and weight loss as five times that amount of regular exercise (17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19Trusted Source).
Like weight lifting, it can quickly reduce muscle carb stores and also boost other important aspects of weight loss, such as your metabolism and fat-burning hormones (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).
You can perform HIIT three to four times a week after a workout or as part of your normal training regimen. It is very important to do this with 100% effort or intensity. Most sprints should not last more than 30 seconds.
Here are a few protocols you can try. These can be done running in place or outside, or applied to a cardio machine like a bike, rower or treadmill:
Session 1: 10 x 20-second sprint with 40 seconds rest
Session 2: 15 x 15-second sprint with 30 seconds rest
Session 3: 7 x 30-second sprint with 60 seconds rest
Session 4: 20 x 10-second sprint with 20 seconds rest
5. Be Active Outside of the Gym
In order to burn extra calories and lose more weight, you can also increase your daily activity.
In fact, how active you are throughout the day when you aren't exercising also plays a very important role in weight loss and obesity (22Trusted Source, 23Trusted Source).
For example, the difference between a desk job and a manual job can account for up to 1,000 calories per day. This is the same as 90 to 120 minutes of high-intensity exercise (24Trusted Source).
Simple lifestyle changes such as walking or biking to work, taking the stairs, going for walks outside, standing more or even cleaning the house can help you burn a lot of calories.
6. Intermittent Fasting Is Another Simple Way to Reduce Weight Quickly
Intermittent fasting is another effective and proven tool for dropping fat (25Trusted Source, 26Trusted Source).
It forces you to reduce your calorie intake, since you are limiting your eating to a short window of time.
There are many different protocols, such as a 16-hour fast with an 8-hour feeding window, or a 20-hour fast with a 4-hour feeding window.
If you're combining fasting with exercise, it may be wise to do the fasting at a different time than your workout.
7. Use These Tips to Reduce Water Retention
Several other methods can help you drop water weight and appear leaner and lighter. These include:
Take dandelion extract: A supplement called dandelion extract can help reduce water retention (27Trusted Source).
Drink coffee: Coffee is a healthy source of caffeine. Studies suggest that caffeine can help you burn more fat and lose excess water (28Trusted Source).
Mind your intolerances: Eating things that you are intolerant to, such as gluten or lactose, can lead to excessive water retention and bloating. Avoid foods that you think you may be intolerant to.