5-Day Diet Plan To Lose 10 Pounds: Is It As Easy As It Sounds?

What if I told you there’s a 5-day diet plan to lose 10 pounds? Would you believe me? There are so many claims by different diets that promote quick weight loss. The question most people ask is whether these diets are safe and healthy. Another concern is whether or not the weight loss is sustainable. As everyone is very cautious with their weight, diets that promise quick weight loss are becoming incredibly popular without proof that they’re safe and recommended. 

In this read, we’ll look at examples of such diets, see if they’re healthy, and discover the best ways to lose weight. 

What Does Losing 10 Pounds in 5 Days Mean? 

Before we look at the different meal plans that promise to help you shed many pounds in such a few days, it’s important to know what losing 10 pounds in 5 days means. To lose weight, you need to ‌consume fewer calories than you burn. This creates a calorie deficit and promotes weight loss. 

Losing 10 pounds in 5 days typically involves losing a combination of water weight, muscle, and a small amount of fat. This rapid weight loss is generally achieved through extreme calorie restriction, dehydration, or other unsustainable methods, which can have several implications:

• Losing weight quickly often involves losing water first, especially when cutting carbs. This is because stored carbs hold onto water, which gets released when those carbs are used up (1).
• Without enough food, the body may start breaking down muscle for energy, leading to muscle loss (2).
• Losing weight too fast can be dangerous, causing dehydration, fatigue, dizziness, and other problems. It can also mess with your metabolism and overall health (3).
• This kind of rapid weight loss is usually not sustainable and often results in gaining the weight back once you start to eat normally again.

Now, let’s look at the breakdown of calories you need to lose if you’re following a 5-day diet plan:

• An average person consumes between 1,200 calories and 3,000 calories daily. 1,200 calories is the least a person consumes, and 3,000 calories is among the most. 
• 3,500 calories are equal to 1 pound. 10 pounds is equal to 35,000 calories. 
• Dividing 35,000 calories into 5 days means you need to burn an extra 7,000 calories in a day over and above what you take in through food. It’s unhealthy to create this large a calorie deficit, even if it’s possible. 

If you tend to let yourself off the hook, raise the white flag when things get tougher than you expected, send yourself on an unconscious binge-eating trip – BetterMe app is here to help you leave all of these sabotaging habits in the past!

How to Slim Down in 5 Days

A person shouldn’t aim to lose more than 1 or 2 pounds weekly (4). This is a healthy number of pounds to lose and is pretty sustainable. To lose 1 pound in a week means you have to create a deficit of 500 calories daily for 7 days, which means you need to burn 500 more calories than you eat each day. Of course, this is theoretical and weight loss is much more complicated and variable by individual, but this is a good place to start for most people. This way of losing weight doesn’t promise false results or make you adopt eating habits that aren’t healthy.

What Should I Eat to Lose 10 Pounds in 5 Days?

Losing 10 pounds in 5 days is an aggressive goal and may not suit most people. However, if you’ve been prescribed rapid weight loss for medical or surgical reasons by your doctor, you may proceed. Ask them for a customized diet plan, or you can choose either of the ones mentioned below:

The Military Diet

This diet is said to help you lose up to 10 pounds in a week. No one is sure where it got its name from, but some people believe it’s the diet new military recruits adopt to get into shape. This is most likely just a rumor and not true. The diet is based on 3 principles, which are (6): 

• For the first 3 days of the diet, you’re only allowed to follow a specific food plan of foods in this diet. 
• For the remaining 4 days of the week, you can eat anything you want, as long as you don’t consume over 1,500 calories. 
• People follow the diet until they reach their weight goal and then stop using it. 

You don’t necessarily need to work out while on this diet unless you’re doing light exercises such as walking as the calories the diet provides are so low. This brings up the question of how the military diet works if it doesn’t encourage working out. In the military, people are always working out. This suggests that the word military was used simply to make the diet look credible. In addition, no military body has associated itself with this diet. 

This diet is similar to most crash diets, including the likes of the banana-only diet, the grapefruit-only diet, and so on. It forces you to eat a few calories without proper planning. Everyone knows you can’t just jump onto a diet and just do it. The diet needs to be one that will work for you. You need to have numbers such as the total daily calories you take so ‌you know how many you need to reduce to get to your desired weight. The military diet has a meal plan for the first 3 days, and you’re only supposed to eat that, which is quite restrictive and won’t work for everyone. 

The Military Diet Meal Plan (6)

Day One 

Breakfast

• ½ grapefruit (52 calories)
• 1 slice of toast (82 calories)
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (188 calories)
• 1 cup of black caffeinated coffee or caffeinated tea (5 calories)

Total Calories: 327

Lunch

• ½ cup of tuna (124 calories)
• 1 slice of toast (82 calories)
• 1 cup of black caffeinated coffee or caffeinated tea (5 calories)

Total Calories: 211

Dinner

• 3 ounces of any lean meat (140 calories)
• 1 cup of green beans (31 calories)
• 1 small apple (78 calories)
• 1 cup of vanilla ice cream (274 calories)

Total Calories: 523

Total Calories for Day One: 1,061

Day Two

Breakfast

• 1 egg (78 calories)
• 1 slice of toast (82 calories)
• ½ banana (60 calories)

Total Calories: 220

Lunch

• 1 cup of cottage cheese (222 calories)
• 1 hard-boiled egg (78 calories)
• 5 saltine crackers (65 calories)

Total Calories: 365

Dinner

• 2 plain hot dogs (302 calories)
• 1 cup broccoli (30 calories)
• ½ cup of carrots (26 calories)
• ½ banana (60 calories)
• ½ cup vanilla ice cream (137 calories)

Total Calories: 555

Total Calories for Day Two: 1,140

Read more: 7-Day Weight Loss Low-Carb Diet: Choose High-Protein, High-Fiber, or Ultra-Low-Carb

Day Three

Breakfast

• 5 saltine crackers (65 calories)
• 1 slice of cheddar cheese (113 calories)
• 1 small apple (78 calories)

Total Calories: 256

Lunch

• 1 egg (cooked however you like) (78 calories)
• 1 slice of toast (82 calories)

Total Calories: 160

Dinner

• 1 cup of tuna (248 calories)
• ½ banana (60 calories)
• 1 cup of vanilla ice cream (274 calories)

Total Calories: 582

Total Calories for Day Three: 998

After you’ve finished this diet, you can eat whatever you want for the next 4 days, as long as it’s under 1,500 calories per day. 

Different people have different theories as to why those specific foods were chosen. It’s most likely they were convenient foods for whoever designed the diet. People like this diet because it claims to promote fast weight loss. The fact that it’s only restrictive for the first 3 days is also another reason why it’s liked by many people. 

Does it Really Promote Weight Loss? 

Yes, it does. The fact that you’re eating fewer calories than you’re burning means there will be a calorie deficit, so weight loss will result (6). However, the calories it provides are quite low, particularly if you’re physically active. Eating too little can lead to muscle loss and negatively affect your metabolism. 

Does it Deliver on Helping You Lose 10 Pounds in a Week? 

There’s no proof that it does this. Losing weight and at what pace depends on individual energy needs, genetics, physical activity levels, etc. For this reason, some people can lose weight faster, and others cannot. It may be easier to lose weight at the start of your weight loss journey and become more difficult as you get closer to your goal. 

The 5-Day Apple Diet

This is another diet that promises 10 pounds of weight loss in a week. It’s a low-calorie diet where the primary food is apples (6). Some people believe that eating meals that consist of apples promotes weight loss. Apples are thought to promote weight loss by making you feel fuller and decreasing hunger pangs, thereby promoting weight loss. People on this diet eat approximately 1,200 calories in a day. 

Although this diet may have meals that are only composed of apples, it sometimes includes lean proteins, whole grains, and vegetables in the food plan  (6). This diet doesn’t allow highly processed foods, junk foods, and fast foods. 

Does This Diet Promote Weight Loss? 

Yes, it does. This diet is known to promote weight loss in different ways. The first reason is that apples are low-calorie foods (6). This means you will consume fewer calories than you burn, leading to weight loss. The apples are also rich in fiber. Foods rich in fiber have a filling effect. This makes you feel full for longer (6), which reduces the amount of food you consume, resulting in you consuming fewer calories and therefore, weight loss. 

Read more: 24 Weight Loss Smoothies, 2 Diet Plans, and 5 Belly Fat Smoothie Secrets

Does it Deliver on Weight Loss of 10 Pounds in a Week? 

Although this diet is said to promote weight loss, there is no evidence to support that it can encourage a weight loss of 10 pounds in a week. It’s also quite a restrictive and low-calorie diet, which may not meet your nutritional needs and can lead to undesired consequences. 

What Is Water Weight?

When you lose several pounds quickly, most of the weight lost is not fat but water. In some cases, water weight fluctuates when fluids collect in your tissues and make them swell (7). This causes an uncomfortable feeling and can make your body bloat. Water weight is also known as edema, and it is when your body retains water and fluid that would, in normal cases, go to the kidney to be passed through urine. These water levels can make a person’s weight fluctuate by 2 to 4 pounds daily (8). Water is also stored along with glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates in the muscles and liver. If you suddenly start eating much less, these glycogen stores may be burned for energy, releasing that water in the process. This is why you may see someone who has lost as much as 10 pounds in a week.

Causes of Extra Water Weight

Extra water weight can caused by (2): 

• Salt. Too much salt in your diet is known to cause bloating, swelling, and water weight. 
• Menstruation. Women are known to retain water weight a week before their periods. This is due to fluctuating hormones. 
• Pregnancy. This is another thing that can make you retain fluids, particularly when you’re close to your due date. 

Risks Associated with Rapid Weight Loss

Is summer almost here? Is prom almost here, and your dress doesn’t fit you? If this is the case, you’ll find people going for crash diets ‌to lose as much weight as possible in a short period of time. A 5-day diet plan to lose 10 pounds is an example of a crash diet you might find people trying. Are there any risks associated with rapid weight loss? 

As previously mentioned, the recommended weight a person should lose is 1 to 2 pounds in a week. To lose 1 pound in a week, you theoretically need to reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 calories daily. This is within reach for many people. As we live in the current generation, people want to be 100 pounds last week and 60 pounds by next week. Rapid weight loss, as appetizing as the idea may be, has certain risks, including (9): 

• Gallstones: These occur in almost a quarter of people who lose many pounds over a short period (9). 
• Dehydration: This is another side effect associated with fast weight loss. However, it may be avoided if you drink plenty of fluids (9). 
• Malnutrition: This is a ‌likely side effect. When you adopt most crash diets such as the apple-only diet, you’ll miss essential nutrients due to not eating certain foods. This can be problematic for your health. 

Other side effects of fast weight loss include headaches, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, constipation, hair loss, and muscle loss (10). 

What Are Healthy Ways to Lose Weight?

With that being said, there are healthy ways in which a person can lose weight, including: 

Restricting Your Calorie Intake

This is the most proven way to lose weight effectively (11). To ‌do this, you need to know your daily calorie requirements based on your age, sex, weight, height, activity level, etc. From that number, you need to reduce the number of calories by 500 calories every day. This creates a calorie deficit, which can reduce your weight. By using this plan, you might lose approximately a pound weekly while remaining healthy. 

Reducing the Amount of Carbs You Consume

Low-carb diets are widely believed to promote weight loss. On a low-carb diet, you look to reduce the carbs you take in a day and increase the amount of proteins you take. If this ultimately reduces the number of calories you eat each day, you’re likely to lose weight.  

military dietYou can add to the weight-loss effect by increasing your protein intake and reducing your carb intake. Proteins make you feel full and reduce your appetite. This helps reduce the amount of calories you consume(12). Proteins also require more calories to burn compared to the macros. This also helps on the weight loss journey. 

Generally, scientific evidence suggests that many different types of diets can be similarly effective for weight loss, as long as they decrease your calorie intake. So whatever eating pattern helps you achieve a calorie deficit and that you can live with long-term is the one that’s most likely to work for you. 

Working Out 

To lose weight, you need to change your lifestyle. This means changing your eating habits as well as working out. Exercises help you burn fat (14). This doesn’t mean you should only work out in the gym and are okay. You should try to be as active as possible in your day-to-day activities. Cardio is incredibly effective for weight loss. Strength training helps build and maintain muscles. Muscles have a higher resting metabolism, which works to promote weight loss. 

Looking for a way to break the vicious cycle of weight loss and tone up all the jiggly parts? Watch the extra pounds fly off and your muscles firm up with the BetterMe app!

FAQs

• How much weight can I lose in 5 days without eating?

Living for 5 days without eating may seem impossible for many people. It’s not a good idea for most people and is flat-out unsafe for some. Without adequate nutrition, your body may break down muscle tissue for energy. This is undesirable as muscle mass is important for overall health and metabolism.

Initial weight loss is often due to water loss. Glycogen, the body’s stored carbohydrate, binds with water. When glycogen is used for energy, the water is released, which causes rapid weight loss. While some fat may be lost, most initial weight loss is water. Instead of opting for such extreme plans, you should choose more viable ones such as a long-term healthy balanced diet. Don’t attempt extended fasting without speaking to your healthcare provider first.

• Can I lose noticeable weight in 2 weeks?

Yes, it’s possible to lose noticeable weight in 2 weeks if you opt for comprehensive programs that cover diet and exercise. Drastic measures such as losing 10 pounds in 2 days aren’t sustainable, and you may regain weight soon.

• Does lemon water burn fat?

No, lemon water doesn’t burn fat directly, but it can help with weight loss by promoting hydration and providing a low-calorie alternative to sugary drinks.

The Bottom Line

Although a 5-day diet plan to lose 10 pounds may sound like a good thing, it’s important to note that a person shouldn’t lose this many pounds quickly. In addition, any diet that promises this kind of weight loss shouldn’t even be considered as it may cause significant harm to a person. Before you start any new diet, it’s recommended that you first consult your healthcare provider.