Do you have a wedding, high school reunion, or office party to attend but have been too busy at work to realize that the event is now only 2 weeks away and you need to shed a few pounds to look good and feel great? With modern technology, your first instinct could be to go online and search weight loss in 2 weeks. Lucky for you, this article provides answers to the questions you may have to help you lose reasonable,healthy weight within this period.
Having a healthy body is everyone’s dream. Since being of ideal weight can have positive impacts on health, more and more people seek solutions online on how to lose weight fast, including diets and all sorts of weight loss programs. Here is everything you need to know about weight loss in just weeks.
Weight Loss In 2 Weeks: A Comprehensive Guide
You may have come across numerous success stories and tips of weight loss in 2 weeks as shared by nutritionists, fitness masters, and celebrities. You can find many programs that promise such results. However, as people respond differently to diet plans and workout programs, you might want to consider what works for you instead of trying everything at once.
Read More: Lose 15 Pounds in Two Weeks: Is It Attainable and Safe?
Recommended (Healthy) Weight Loss
Before delving into the nitty-gritty of how to lose weight in 2 weeks, it is important to understand what is the recommended weight loss. With all the weight loss programs online, one might expect quick results. However, when it comes to healthy weight loss, slow is healthy. According to the CDC, the recommended weight loss is between 1-2 pounds a week (7). People who aim for this range are more successful at keeping the weight off, compared to those who lose more within the same amount of time.
Is a 10 pound weight loss in 2 weeks realistic? Losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks means losing 5 pounds a week, a difficult task that most likely means both cutting your food intake by more than half and engaging in extreme workout. Remember, losing this much weight a week is not recommended because it is unhealthy and hard to keep off the weight for long.
What You Need For Weight Loss In 2 Weeks
When people pursue weight loss plans, they often face two major problems; doing extreme exercises and overeating as the body tries to recover lost energy, or doing too little and failing the process. Fortunately, losing weight requires no special equipment since you can start with simple workouts, a solid strategy, and readily available ingredients.
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Set Goals
Delving into weight loss without a goal in mind is a recipe for failure. It would be best if you first determined how much weight loss you want to aim for in 2 weeks, then create a strategy that gets you there. Sadly, many people set unrealistic goals for their chosen time frames. Losing a substantial amount of weight in two weeks is possible, but may not be sustainable. With that said, have realistic expectations before setting your goals.
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Daily And Weekly Workouts
How to see weight loss results in just 2 weeks significantly depends on your workout routine. You need to burn approximately 3500 more calories than you eat, to lose a pound of body fat (3). People often assume that only intense workouts can help lose that much weight, but the hard facts are that simple exercises can also lead to significant weight loss. Here is a brief list of effective exercises that you can do daily (11):
- 40 minutes of running/jogging (4)
- 30 minutes to 1-hour bike rides
- 2-3 hours of walking
- Vigorous swimming for 40 minutes
- High-Intensity Interval Training (burns 250-400) calories in 30 minutes
- 1 hour of strength training burns 200-250 calories
- Sign up for Zumba classes. Zumba weight loss in 2 weeks engages your body and mind in dancing with friends and family and, at the same time, burns calories (5).
According to researchers and medical experts, daily and weekly exercise helps as long as it is not too extreme. A study by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) found that 150-250 minutes of exercise (about 30 minutes of moderate vigorous activity per day) should help one achieve meaningful weight loss (9).
When setting your workout schedule, remember that tailoring it to your lifestyle and preferences could make or break your weight loss efforts. For instance, if your schedule allows, you can try shorter daily workouts and still lose weight. Shorter workouts are also great for building a healthy habit. For example, working out as little as 20 minutes every day will still help you lose weight, and in the process you get to learn how to adapt to the changes.
But if daily workouts sound impossible due to tight schedules and limited time, you can try regular interval exercises instead. In this case, your workouts need to be longer to compensate for being done on fewer days of the week.
Sample Workout Plan For Weight Loss In 2 Weeks
Several factors contribute to the physical side of weight loss, but the bottom line is how you structure your workout plan determines how much weight loss in 2 weeks you can achieve. Here is a sample workout plan that could help you get started in your 2-week weight loss journey (1).
Week 1
Day 1:
20 minutes back-to basic bodyweight workouts. This involves warming up with 5 minutes of light cardio followed by 3 rounds, each 60 seconds of squat, push-up, butterfly sit-up, alternating T-Plank, and alternating side lunge. Stretch for 5 minutes to cool down.
Day 2:
20 minutes cardio. For 1 minute each, do several reps of Ali Shuffle, 180 jump squat, jab and bounce, alternating knee hug, alternating lunge jump, bunny hop, arm circles, kick crunch, and invisible jump rope. Take a 2-minute break after the first 10-minute set. Stretch for 5 minutes to cool down.
Day 3:
Arm and abs exercises without equipment. Do light cardio for 3 minutes to warm up. Repeat each 3-exercise circuit 3 times. For circuit 1, do 10 reps of pushup to alternating side planks, 20 reps of seated Russian twists, 20 each side elbow side plank with pulse Stretch for 3 minutes to cool down. Circuit 2 involves 20 reps of pilates scissors, 20 reps slow mountain climbers, 10 reps, alternating sides of T-cross sit up. Exercises for circuit 3 are 10 reps alternating sides, side walking plank, 20 reps alternating side standing elbow to knee, and 5 ep each side of the up-down plank.
Day 4:
25 minutes leg-blasting cardio including standing knee hug, active hamstring stretch, gate swing with a twist, alternating reverse lunge and reach, and cross jacks.
Day 5:
Stretches and rest for 15 minutes for example seated forward bend, runners lunge, gown dog, and standing quad stretch.
Day 6:
20-minute bodyweight burner. Workouts include active hamstring stretch. Wide grip push up walks, squat hop and hold, and side plank pulse.
Day 7:
20-minute at home cardio.
Week 2
Day 8:
Planks (20 minutes)
Day 9:
Full body burner with weights (30 minutes)
Day 10:
Stretch and rest (15 minutes)
Day 11:
30 minutes lean body, sexy legs cardio
Day 12:
Arms and abs with weights (25 minutes)
Day 13:
At home cardio (20 minutes)
Day 14:
Full body burner plus weights (30 minutes)
Tip: Varying the intensity of your workouts could help accelerate your weight loss goals. For instance, short, more challenging routines could help burn more calories in a short time. On the other hand, longer exercises might be easier, but take more time to burn calories. Choose which type of workout your body is telling you that you need that day – short and more intense or longer and low-impact.
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Diet Changes
Weight loss is a balance between workouts and diet habit changes. Trying to lose weight with exercise alone can be very difficult; that is why people enroll in different diet plans to achieve the desired weight loss.
Calories create the bigger picture when it comes to weight loss on any diet. In a nutshell, you have to eat fewer calories than usual to lose weight, but how much? Determining how many calories you need to eat or reduce varies by person. Still, it can be calculated through the Harris-Benedict formula, which takes into account the height and weight of a person to calculate their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (10). The result can be multiplied by the person’s activity level for better accuracy.
BMR For Men:
66 + (13.7 × weight in kg) + (5 × height in cm) – (6.8 × age in years)
BMR For Women:
655 + (9.6 × weight in kg) + (1.8 × height in cm) – (4.7 × age in years)
Once you calculate your BMR, multiply with your activity level as follows:
- 1.2 if you engage in little to no exercise
- 1.375 if you’re lightly active (work out 1-3 days a week)
- 1.55 if you are moderately active (exercise 3-5 days a week)
- 1.725 if you are very active (if you exercise 6-7 days a week)
After figuring out how many calories you need every day, you can tweak how many calories to eat for a loss in 2 weeks. For instance, do you want to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks? Dropping over 15000 calories is what causes weight loss of 5 pounds in 2 weeks, although this is not recommended.
With that said, it would be best to keep your daily calorie intake above 1200. According to Dr. Jim White, RD, ACSM, and owner of Jim White Fitness Nutrition Studios, eating too little could have reverse effects on your weight (10). He says that when not given enough calories, the body will lack sufficient energy for workouts. Therefore, it would be best to seek out a level of calories that doesn’t put you into starvation mode.
Sample Meal Plan For Weight Loss In 2 Weeks
Does your diet feel out of whack? Eating too many processed foods is unhealthy for your body. Instead, you need to replace it with healthy whole foods for better overall health and lower calorie intake for weight loss in two weeks. Here is a 1200-calorie a day meal plan borrowed from Eating Well (2)
Week 1
Day 1:
- Breakfast- Muesli with raspberries (287 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 medium orange (62 calories)
- Lunch- Vegetable salad with white bean (4 cups) (360 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 medium apple (95 calories)
- Dinner- Balsamic dijon chicken (one serving) kale salad with beets and wild rice (1 ½ serving) (420 calories)
Day 2:
- Breakfast- 1 serving avocado egg toast (270 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 medium pear (101 calories)
- Lunch- Greek meatball mezze bowl (1 serving) (392 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 medium orange (62 calories
- Supper- Squash & red lentil curry (439 calories)
Day 3:
- Breakfast- Muesli with raspberries (1 serving)
- Morning snack- 1 medium orange (62 calories)
- Lunch- Greek meatball mezze bowl (1 serving) (392 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 12 almonds (92 calories)
- Dinner- 1 cup easy brown rice and Asian tilapia with stir-fried green beans (439 calories)
Day 4:
- Breakfast- Rolled oats and milk, one medium chopped plum (257 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 medium apple (95 calories)
- Lunch- Greek meatball mezze bowl (1 serving) (392 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 medium banana (105 calories)
- Dinner- Sheet-pan chicken & Brussels Sprouts (one serving) and mixed greens dressed (1 ½ cups) dressed with 2 tablespoons Lemon-Tahini Dressing (432 calories)
Day 5:
- Breakfast- Peanut Butter-Banana Cinnamon Toast (290 calories)
- Morning snack- 1/2 cup raspberries (32 calories)
- Lunch- Greek Meatball Mezze Bowl one serving (392 calories)
- Dinner- one serving Pork chops with garlic broccolI (543 calories)
Day 6:
- Breakfast- ½ cup rolled oats with milk (257 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 medium pear (101 calories)
- Lunch- Veggie & Hummus Sandwich (325 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 medium orange (62 calories)
- Dinner- 2 cups of mixed greens dressed with 1 Tbsp. Citrus Vinaigrette and Cauliflower rice-stuffed Peppers (1 serving) (543 calories)
Day 7:
- Breakfast- 2 cups of Jason Mraz’s Avocado Green Smoothie (307 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 clementine (35 calories)
- Lunch- Toasted sprouted-grain bread with 1 Tbsp. hummus topping, Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette (352 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1plum (30 calories)
- Dinner- Mexican Cabbage Soup and black bean salad (490 calories)
Week 2
Day 8:
- Breakfast- 1 scrambled egg and vegetables (1 serving) (338 calories)
- Morning snack- 1/4 cup hummus and 1 cup sliced cucumber (119 calories)
- Lunch- Veggie & Hummus Sandwich (1 serving) (325 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 plum (30 calories)
- Dinner- Quinoa & Chicken with Greek Kale Salad (302 calories)
- Evening snack-1 serving broiled mango (102 calories)
Day 9:
- Breakfast- Jason Mraz’s Avocado Green Smoothie (2 cups) (307 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 clementine (35 calories)
- Lunch- Black bean salad (1 ½ cups) and Mexican Cabbage Soup (1 cup)(328 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 3/4 cup Kiwi & Mango with Fresh Lime Zest (92 calories)
- Dinner- Roasted sheet-pan veggies (2 cups), riced cauliflower (1 cup), 1 tbsp citrus vinaigrette, soy-lime roasted tofu (1 serving)(453 calories)
Day 10:
- Breakfast- Peanut butter and banana cinnamon toast (1 serving) (290 calories)
- Morning snack-1 cup raspberries (64 calories)
- Lunch- 1 serving chicken & apple kale wraps (370 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 plum and 8 almonds (92 calories)
- Dinner- Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Asian Slaw, 1 serving (402 calories)
Day 11:
- Breakfast- Avocado egg toast (270 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 cup raspberries (64 calories)
- Lunch- Greek kale salad with quinoa & chicken (1 serving) (302 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 medium apple (95 calories)
- Dinner- Basic quinoa (1 cup), salmon & asparagus with lemon-garlic butter sauce (1 serving) (478 calories)
Day 12:
- Breakfast- Peanut Butter-Banana Cinnamon Toast (290 calories)
- Morning snack- 1 clementine and 8 almonds (92 calories)
- Lunch- Mixed greens (2 cups), 1 ½ Mexican cabbage soup, 1 tbsp Citrus Vinaigrette (344 calories)
- Morning snack 1 hard-boiled egg, seasoned with a pinch each of salt and pepper (8calories)
- Dinner- Spaghetti & meatballs (1 serving)(408 calories)
Day 13:
- Breakfast- Non-fat plain Greek yogurt, muesli, blueberries(¼ cup) (264 calories)
- Morning snack- 2 clementine (70 calories)
- Lunch- Veggie & hummus sandwich (1 serving) (325 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1 medium apple (95 calories)
- Dinner- Zucchini noodles with avocado pesto & shrimp (2 serving) (446 calories)
Day 14:
- Breakfast- Avocado egg toast (270 calories)
- Morning snack- 2 clementine (70 calories)
- Lunch- Tomato, Cucumber & White-Bean Salad with Basil Vinaigrette (2 ¼ cups), Toasted sprouted-grain bread with 1 tbsp hummus topping (378 calories)
- Afternoon snack- 1plum(30 calories)
- Dinner- ½ cup basic quinoa, fish with coconut-shallot sauce, mixed greens topped with 1 Tbsp. Citrus Vinaigrette (2 cups) (458 calories)
Incorporating more fruits and vegetables in your diet also helps maintain overall health. Avoid refined carbs, hydrogenated fats, sugar additives as much as possible.
Keto Diet And Weight Loss
If a low carb diet weight loss in 2 weeks sounds like your style, you might want to try out a keto diet. The keto diet is a low-carb diet with a high-fat and moderate (or high) protein content. The main idea behind how much weight loss on keto in 2 weeks comes from switching the body from burning carbs to burning fat instead. The keto diet takes a while before the body gets used to it, but once you get there, it will not matter whether or not you exercise because the body will continue burning fat for energy, says Dr. Axe (6).
Beware; however, not all high-fat content meals count as good options for a ketogenic diet. The average American is used to having deep-fried foods smothered in sweet layers of unhealthy sugars. On the other hand, the keto diet demands healthy fats such as avocados and olive oil. Again, the keto diet won’t work alone. It would be best if you supplemented it with a few exercises for faster weight loss. Cardio exercises like a one-hour walk help, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself if you don’t have the energy.
Undertaking a keto diet for your 2-week weight loss may also bear some side effects such as increased or decreased hunger, lower exercise performance, digestive issues, insomnia, etc. However, once your body gets used to it, keto diets may help you achieve significant weight loss.
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Other Expert Tips For Maximum Weight Loss in 2 Weeks
The journey to desired weight doesn’t end there. Health experts also recommend additional tips to help sustain a healthy weight loss and overall health.
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Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol is harmful to your overall health, not just your weight loss goals. It is packed with many calories and sugar. Besides, common mixers, including soda, juice, among others, contain extra calories that could take you a step back in your weight loss goals.
Alcohol has several ways of hindering your weight loss goals. For instance, when you drink before your two weeks are over, you won’t feel good the next day due to hangovers. Your body gets tired and exhausted; hence you will not be able to exercise efficiently. Secondly, alcohol alters how your body burns fat. It takes longer to burn fat because the body prefers burning alcohol calories instead of body fat. With these few facts to reflect on, you ought to keep alcohol as far as possible.
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Hydrate
Water plays an essential role in your overall health, not just weight loss. It contains zero calories, therefore, adds none to your body. When taken before meals, water makes you feel full. Besides, there are several other ways in which water can help your body lose weight. According to Melina Jampolis, an internist and board-certified physician nutrition specialist, the brain often mistakes thirst for hunger (12). This means that you may be able to feel more satisfied by drinking water.
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Reduce Your Salt Intake
High salt intake hinders your weight loss goals. Too much salt in the body causes water retention; water makes up more than 50% of the total body weight. Water is good for the body, but if you are eager to see more results, limiting your salt intake could be what you need.
Conclusion
Before committing to any weight loss in 2 weeks plan, remember that rushing too much or fad diets could lead to more harm than good. In case you have an underlying medical condition, please consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist and let them find the best course of action to avoid extreme weight loss in 2 weeks. Also, once you achieve your target weight loss, rely on healthy eating and exercise to keep the desired weight.
DISCLAIMER:
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!
SOURCES:
- 2-Week Tone-Up Plan (popsugar.com)
- 14-Day Clean-Eating Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (2019, eatingwell.com)
- How Many Calories Do You Need to Burn to Lose One Pound? (2019, verywellfit.com)
- HOW MANY MINUTES OF JOGGING A DAY IS ENOUGH TO LOSE WEIGHT? (2020, ipsnews.net)
- ‘I Finally Found A Workout I *Loved* And Lost 72 Pounds’ (2019,womenshealthmag.com)
- I Tried the Keto Diet and Lost More Weight Than I Expected To (2018, shape.com)
- Losing Weight (2020, cdc.gov)
- Simple Weight Loss Workout Plans for Beginner to Advanced Exercisers (2021, verywellfit.com)
- The Science of Exercise (2017, acsm.org)
- This Is How Many Calories A Week You Should Eat For Weight Loss(2019, eatthis.com)
- Top 10 Ways to Burn 200 Calories in Under an Hour (2015, healthywomen.org)
- Yes, drinking more water may help you lose weight (n.d, hub.jhu.ed)
