How to Lose 20 Pounds. Teaser alert, the fastest and easiest way to lose 20 pounds is with water fasting! AKA only consuming water (and maybe some electrolytes) – for MOST of us it will take about 1 week to drop 20 pounds.
It is probably possible to lose 20 lbs in 7 days if you include the loss of water weight meaning the water that you lose during the diet. In my perspective nothing is impossible, but this is close to it. Good luck in losing weight, you now know the basics of a successful diet!
Since there are about 3,500 calories in one pound, it would take you one week to lose one pound and 20 weeks to lose 20 pounds.
Some studies show that it can help you lose up to 1 pound per day. This is largely due to the restricted calorie intake that makes your body burn stored fat for energy (2).
To lose 10 pounds in 3 days would mean decreasing your calorie intake by 35,000 calories in just 3 days! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends a slow and steady weight loss of no more than 1/2 to 1 pound a week. Otherwise you are losing muscle and water, as well as weakening your bones.
Although water fasting may have some health benefits, it comes with many risks and dangers. For example, water fasting could make you prone to muscle loss, dehydration, blood pressure changes, and a variety of other health conditions.
Eat Fewer Carbs
To help lose 20 pounds in two months, you should try to limit refined carbohydrates such as white rice and pasta and focus on fiber-rich, complex carbohydrates such as beans and whole grains. Dietary fiber can also reduce hunger, decrease caloric intake and help prevent weight gain.
Losing weight the healthy way — slowly — takes time, so don't plan to drop 25 pounds in as little as two weeks. At one to two pounds per week, losing 25 pounds will take you a little more than 12 weeks, or three months.
You can expect to lose ~1-2 pounds per day, but consider this a nice benefit, not the primary motivation. If you're doing it for fat loss you might do it too long or ignore signs to stop.
According to many experts, losing 1–2 pounds (0.45–0.9 kg) per week is a healthy and safe rate (1, 2, 3 ). Losing more than that is considered too fast and could put you at risk of many health problems, including muscle loss, gallstones, nutritional deficiencies and a drop in metabolism ( 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ).
Drinking at least 64 ounces (eight cups) of water every day may help with weight loss. Downing liquid is not the only way to meet this goal. About 20 percent of your hydration needs can be met through your diet, says Caroline Susie, RDN, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Drinking Water Can Make You Burn More Calories
Drinking water increases the amount of calories you burn, which is known as resting energy expenditure ( 4 ). In adults, resting energy expenditure has been shown to increase by 24–30% within 10 minutes of drinking water.
To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.
Once again, it comes down to your TDEE and simple math. To lose 20 pounds in 1 month, you'd need to create an average deficit of 2,500 calories per day for 4 weeks.
1. Cut back on refined carbs. One way to help lose weight quickly is to cut back on sugars and starches, or carbohydrates. This could be with a low carb eating plan or by reducing refined carbs and replacing them with whole grains.
The 72-h fasting induced significant decreases in glucose level, body weight, and an increase of ketone bodies that confirmed successful fasting of the volunteers. In addition, the median of BDI-2 increased significantly (4 vs. 7, p = 0.006).
Actually doing a 7 day water fast is simple—drink only water (and/or plain tea or black coffee if you want) for a full seven days. You cannot eat any type of food or sweetened beverage during the fast.
Eating one meal a day can increase your blood pressure and cholesterol. This occurred in a group of healthy adults who switched to one meal a day to participate in a study. If you already have concerns in either area, eating just once a day might not be safe. Eating one meal late can cause your blood sugar to spike.
The 3-Day Diet claims dieters can lose up to 10 pounds in three days. Weight loss is possible on The 3 Day Diet, but only because it is very low in calories. And realistically, most of that weight is likely water weight and not fat loss because the diet is so low in carbohydrates.