Important note: Please advise your doctor before following any plan. Don’t follow the advice below if you are under 18.
People always ask: “How much weight can you lose in a week?” Well… to answer your question I have good news, awesome news, and bad news.
First onto the good news: YOU CAN LOSE A TON OF WEIGHT IN ONE WEEK
That’s right, you don’t have to be bound to the conventional wisdom of only losing 1 or 2 pounds a week. Extreme weight loss diets can definitely work, but only for a short period of time.
In fact, you can lose up to 15 pounds in one week if you do it correctly.
Now onto the awesome news: ALL THAT WEIGHT YOU LOSE WILL BE WATER AND FAT, NOT MUSCLE
Yup, you read that correctly, if you follow the methods at the end of this post, all the weight you lose during the week will be pure body fat. The conventional statement that losing more than 2 pounds per week leads to muscle, organ, and hair loss is absolute unicorn shit.
How do I know this? Because some awesome scientists from the American College Of Nutrition back in 1999, conducted a study, which tested 2 groups of people for 12 weeks.
One group only did traditional cardio, while the other group only did weight training. Both groups ate 800 calories a day. At the end of the study, both groups lost large amounts of weight, but the one that only did cardio lost large amounts of lean muscle mass, and the one that only did weight training didn’t lose any muscle mass at all.
So there you go, some hard hitting scientific facts that prove that you will not lose muscle during extreme dieting as long as you lift weights.
Note: And if you don’t have a gym membership or if you don’t have access to any weights, then doing a well-designed bodyweight program like Bodyweight Burn is your next best option.
And lastly, the bad news: YOU HAVE TO EAT VERY VERY LOW CALORIES
So yeah…. you have to eat a ridiculously low amount of calories to lose a lot of weight in a week. I’m talking along the lines of 800 calories a day.
The amount that would make any nutritionist hang themselves.
And now, onto the plan, but first, a picture of steaks:

The 2-step plan to lose the maximum amount of weight in a week
Please note that the following plan can be used by both men and woman.
And don’t do this plan if you’re under 18, you’re way too young to be eating such low calories.
I guarantee that if you follow the plan below, you will lose 10-15 pounds(water and fat) in one week:
1) For one week only, eat 800 calories per day.
2) Workout 2-3 times per week with weights. Make sure the weights are heavy and be sure to hit all body parts.
That’s all.
Some notes/tips about the above 2 steps:
- 800 calories is very little food, for any man, woman, or baby walrus. Because of this, I suggest that you only eat 1 meal per day a la Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat. If you eat one 800 calorie meal per day, then you’ll at least feel somewhat satisfied, but if you split that up into 3 or even worse, 6 meals per day, then you’re not going to fare so well on this one week venture. Yes, this means that you will be fasting 24 hours every day for a whole week. Just remember, you will be burning fat, not muscle.
- Whenever possible, eat higher protein and eat foods with high water content such as fruits and soups. Also, drink lots of coffee and green tea, since they both tend to blunt hunger quite well.
- Stick with heavy compound exercises when in the gym. That means no curling and crunching, and if you even step foot on a treadmill, my dumbass radar will go off and I may have to kill you.
- If you can’t lift weights, then your next best option is to do some sort of bodyweight training. You know…exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, pull-ups, sit-ups, etc..
- This is a mental game more than anything else. When you’re eating very few calories to lose weight faster, your mind starts playing tricks on you. Your stomach is gonna be grumbling more often. And there are gonna be times where you want nothing more than to self-sabotage yourself. Which is why the next point is so important.
- Above all, keep yourself distracted and out of the kitchen. If you’re constantly prancing around the kitchen and thinking about food, you’re going to fail. So keep yourself busy. Read a book, play some video games, take a nap, work on your tan, or shave your pubes. I don’t care. Just do something that doesn’t involve food.
- [EDIT 10/6/2014] I should also add that your protein intake needs to be HIGH. Like really high. In fact, the majority of your calories should probably come from protein, fruits, and veggies if you want this diet to be effective. The protein will help keep you full but more importantly also help maintain muscle.
Remember, this is only for one week
I just wanted remind you all, that this sort of extreme weight loss plan is only a temporary plan.
The results don’t have to be temporary, but the plan is. Please do not try and do this weight loss plan for more than a week.
Doing so is really going to mess with your head and you’ll most likely binge back to your original weight.
After one week, transition to a more moderate weight loss plan for the long haul.
I hope you guys now know how much weight you could lose in a week if went balls to the walls.
Want even better results? Take it to the next level with Fat Loss Boost
Many people have been asking me, “Can I do this for more than 7 days?”
Uh…
Yes and no.
Technically, you could eat 800 cals per day for a sustained period of time.
But sooner or later it’s gonna backfire on you.
If you want a more sustainable rapid fat loss plan…
Then I highly recommend checking out Fat Loss Boost.
This is a more long-term approach than the strategy I outlined in this blog post.
It’s a strategic rapid fat loss diet that works in 14 day cycles.
So you go hard on the diet for 14 days, lose a crap ton of weight, take a break, and repeat.
And the results from Fat Loss Boost are even better:
““I have been able to lose 10 pounds using this program. Starting weight 186. Weight this morning was 176.”
“I lost 12 lbs for my first attempt. Started at 201.7 and ended at 189.9. I am amazed!!! Thanks to everywhere for all the support and great hacks.”
“Ok people I’m done 😀. I hit 171.8 today, my goal was to break 172 on this round which was what I weighed almost ten years ago (lowest as an adult). That’s 30.2 lbs in just under 3 months.“
Pretty crazy, right?
Definitely give it a look if you want a realistic, yet challenging plan that burns fat faster than anything. you ever tried before.
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Questions? Like steak? Let me know down below.
I respond to (almost) every comment, which is pretty crazy considering there’s been over 3000 comments. Sigh…I need a hobby.
Can you use meal replacement shakes for your 800cal?
yes
Love this article. Starting TODAY. Does it matter where you’re at weight-wise for it to work? I’m starting at a low but still healthy BMI but am still hoping to lose my last 10 lbs before vacation.
yes, the more you have to lose, the more you can lose.
I’m 6’7″ tall 280 lbs 42 yrs old my ideal weight is supposed to be around 198-210.
I gained 60 lbs in 3 years from taking anti-psychotic medications that i refuse to take now because of the weight gain and relentless fatigue.
When i was younger i used to starve myself so i’m not shy to lowering calories.
Now that i don’t have the medications complicating my weight management i can lose weight again.
What i’m wondering is, Keith, what would you say to this 1 week method of yours done multiple times with rest periods between – say 1 or two weeks of normal eating and then bam! back to this plan again.
I really don’t recommend people to do this plan for more than just the week recommended. People who try to constantly look for the “fastest” way to lose weight pretty much never learn to develop the actual long term habits necessary to keep the weight off.
I understand the desire to make things happen faster, but remember, there’s a reason why 99% of people don’t successfully lose weight and KEEP it off.
Can I have a protein drink on this diet
yes as long as you work it in your calories.
That is actually not true. I did this and did not lose 15 pounds.
how much did you weigh?
Will this just help you lose weight? Or could it help you be skinny too
what is the difference?
For what it’s worth, this article was both hilarious and immensely helpful!
hah thanks maggie. What are your fitness goals right now?
I find this really intriguing. It sounds like a great way to kick-start a diet. I have over 100 lbs to lose so I’m thinking about starting with this then transitioning to the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet that you mentioned. Or is this not recommended?
If you have 100lbs to lose, you can be on a bigger deficit for a larger amount of time.
Of course, there is also the issue of being able to actually sustain the diet, which is where 99% of people mess up.
This is why I rec people to just follow the 800 cal plan for a week then focus on a more long term approach to fat loss, one that focuses on fixing their habits and lifestyle so they can actually lose wegiht permanently.
Would this help me lose 10 lbs in 15 days?
the more weight you have to lose, the more you will lose.
Hi Keith, I’m 5’4 and weigh about 145-149 pounds. I want to lose as much weight as I can because my friend wants me to go swimming with her. How much weight do you think I would lose if I run everyday and also implement some strength in there?
I understand viv. I just really urge you to not try to look for the fastest “shortcut” to fat loss. Because as you prob know, 99.9999999999% of people fail at losing weight and keeping it off.
And it’s because they look for shortcuts and hacks instead of sustainable solutions.
You can follow this plan for a week, but i urge you to do something more sustainable afterwards so you don’t fall into that 99th percentile.
Would doing cardio along with the heavy weights ruin the plan?
it doesn’t “ruin” it. It’s just excessive. You’re already tipping your body in such an extreme by eating so few calories, that doing extra cardio on top of that would be overkill.
I’m 18 I weigh 270 in 6’2 I’m tryna lose 10 pounds I work out 4-5 times a week can I lift weights and do trend mill everyday I work out or that’s bad for me ?
if you’re that height and that weight, you can lose it pretty fast. You dont even need this plan.
So I was about 225lbs this time last ywar but suffered depression/anxiety (So I am Told) and was put on 150mg sertraline about September laat year I now weigh 312lbs and no longer fit in my tops which is annoying me to say the least. BMI is 44.9 and I am sick of this but dont want to stop rhe medication as my situation hasn’t changed much.
Will this.still help someone on medication?
i cant give advice in regards to your meds. You need to talk to your doctor.
Would this still work of you have hypothyroidism? I’m about 220 right now, 5’6″ and I’m trying to get down to at least 175 but no ‘real’ diet ever seems to work for me. So I guess my real question is, if you have a very slow metabolism, should you go for less calories for this to work?
have you accurately and consistently tracked the amount of calories you eat for at least a few weeks?
I’m 5’4 and currently weigh 112 do you think I’ll be able to go down to 100 if I eat 800 calories for 2 weeks?
you’re already on the lower end of a normal BMI. HOw come you want to lose more weight?
I’ve recently gained weight. I usually weigh around 105-107 and now I’m around 113. Ever since I’ve been gaining weight I haven’t been feeling the most confident so I was wondering if this 800 calorie diet will help me lose about 10 pounds in 2 weeks?
I just realized I said I was 5’4 sorry I meant to say I was 5’3. Also I want to lose weight because I usually weigh around 105-107 but I’ve recently gained a lot of weight from eating a lot since I’ve been restricting for a long time. So do you think I’ll be able to lose 10 pounds if I follow this 800 calorie diet for 2 weeks?
so you’re 112 right now and wanna get to 107. That’s not a lot of weight. I wouldnt do this plan.
I’m trying to lose it the fastest way possible though. Why should I follow this 800 calorie diet?
b/c you dont have much weight to lose, and i can almost guarantee you’re not “overweight” in the traditional sense.