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.


Hi I started my diet 6 weeks ago and weighed 87.5kg when I started. I’m now stuck between 79kg and 81kg. I haven’t lost anything for the past 2 weeks and it’s getting very frustrating. My day consist of 1..5hrs at the gym, which includes 1hr on the treadmill, bicep curls 3 reps of 30kg, stomach crunches 3 reps of 30, pull-down exercise 3 reps of 15 and about 3 times a week I also do a 2nd work out in one day.my food consist of one coffee (which I really don’t want to give up), an orange for breakfast, an orange for lunch, 4 x rice cakes with cottage cheese and tomato for afternoon tea, and brown rice, chicken and vegetables. Any advice would be great, thank you. My goal is to get to 77.5kg in the next week and a half which will make it an even 10kg in 8 weeks, then I plan on toning up.
remember this diet was only supposed to be used for one week, that’s all. Maybe your diet isn’t good and you’re eating too many calories.
THANK YOU! !! This one week diet worked for me one hundred percent. Lost 16 pounds in one week. …………
wow that’s awesome.
Hello Susie. Great results!!!
I ‘m curious : What was your weight before you start this method ? What did you eat during the week ?
Thank you in advance for your answer !
I’d like to know as well. Thanks and congrats =D
Please tell me what u ate n did for exercising
What’s your take on using Herbalife with added protein for three meals with two snacks? Does it matter if almost all my protein comes from shakes? Thanks for your time!
all your protein can come from powder, that’s fine.
Hey, thanks for the great article! I’m currently weigh 170 at 16-18% body fat and want to reach 10%. I plan on starting this diet tomorrow, but after one week when I return to my normal deficit of 12 cals per pound of body weight will I regain any bodyfat or water weight? Also, how long will it take me to reach 10% body fat?
no you won’t.
I don’t know how long it will take to hit 10%. I’m guessing a few months.
Hi,
I’m 5’7 weigh 180lbs, can I do this with kettlebells and vegan protein shakes with raw almond milk?
If so how much can I lose in a week?
Thank you
yes, that’ll be fine just make sure the workout is intense enough.
I don’t understand why I couldn’t also incorporate running into this type of diet. I am planning to begin this tomorrow, but my experience with weight loss tells me to burn as many calories as possible while consuming as few as possible.
Anyone have some insight?
Nope that’s wrong.
Most people who try to lose weight via exercise almost never succeed long term. Use your diet to lose fat and your workouts to build/maintain msucle.
Very well! I will follow this diet over the next week and post results for everyone then! Thank you for this! 🙂
As a disclaimer, I don’t expect to see the fantastical results others have experienced, but I don’t have a lot of weight to lose. I am 30yo female, 5’2″ and 130 lbs (about 60kg?). I would count 5 pounds as a significant weight loss.
Hey Jenn,
I’ve done the EWL 1 week program twice, scroll back through the comments in the end of July/beginning of August and also end of October to read my notes on it. Adding the element of cardio is okay but not necessary as Keith has mentioned. Just don’t do more than 15 minutes. Being at a huge caloric deficit and lifting weights is why this program works.
🙂
Jen, did you do it?
How did you go? I’m around the same as you.
Thanks
Hi everyone! So I did this diet / excercise plan for a straight week. My diet was very high protein: mostly egg whites, veggies, fish, and chicken. Also- about 4 cups of green tea everyday. I consumed approximately 600 calories per day (I’m a 30yo female with a slower metabolism than some), and I worked out 4 times during the 7 days. I used higher than normal weight (5-10 pounds more than I usually do) and worked each muscle group each day.
Results! I feel this diet had mixed results. Firstly, I lost 5.5 pounds, and it was GREAT watching the scale change that quickly. The downside is that, upon resuming my normal dietary habits, all but 1 pound of that returned. So, while I may have gained a pound or two of muscle (justifying a slight increase in weight even when losing weight), the majority of what I lost was water weight.
So! For the ladies: I would say that, if you want to fit into a dress a little better in a hurry, this will DEFINITELY help you out and is worth a shot! For men- based on my results and the differences between male and female weight/muscle gain and loss, I would suspect this diet would be slightly more effective.
That’s all I have! Thanks again for the great process- I enjoyed it and it gave me the confidence boost I was looking for to continue with a normal weight loss regimen.
Hi my name is Charles and i am an overweight boy at 16 years old i weigh about 100kg and i am 1m.70cn tall.
Would you recommend me doing this and if i did this diet program how many kilos woyld i be able to lose in 1 week.
DO NOT DO THIS DIET IF YOU ARE 16.
Okay so if i can’t do this what should be a good way for me to lose some weight or a good program for me to lose weight! I have the willpower to do it and i do goto the gym the problem is i do not know what to eat or how much of it.
Hey Charles,
I know what it’s like to be young and overweight. The best thing for you is to be active and count your calories . Whether it’s shooting a basketball every day, going for a walk/jog, or simply doing some push ups/squats/jumping jacks/jump rope at home, it will all be effective.
Fitmale(Keith) has put some great work outs, diet write ups and is the absolute most honest about achieving real fitness goals and dieting.
These will help you tremendously
https://www.fitmole.org/weight-loss-answers/
https://www.fitmole.org/100-words-fat-loss/
I know you want to lose weight as soon as possible. I’ve managed to lose over 110lbs in 5.5 months. What I did was count calories, intermittent fasting, and stuck to a 90% weights & 10% cardio training program. Being that you’re only 16 you don’t have to do all that. You just have to turn up the activity level and keep your calories in order. The weight will fall off, trust me. Just get started and be patient.
FITMOLE**** lol… not fitmale.
I get that it has to be a really intense workout, so do I have to use very heavy weights for 5 to 10 reps?
Thanks!
depends on the workout but 5-10 is good.
Can you give some examples of workouts. Is cardio bad for the 7 days? I usually do zumba and classes at the gym. Help!!!!
This – https://www.fitmole.org/maintain-muscle-mass/
Thanks so much for this article Keith 🙂 I am female 5’2″ 210 lbs. I need to lose as much as I can in one week so I will be following this diet.
My question is, if I don’t have access to the gym and have to do this type of exercise on my own at home, how do you recommend I do this? Please be as specific as possible. I really want to do this but I can not go to a gym and I have no weights at home. All I have at home is a recumbant bike. Please help.
It’s best if you invest in at least a pair of dumbbells. You definitely shouldn’t do this plan with just cardio.
im a girl, 5,5 and weight 48 kg
how much weight can i lose one one week, its super important and i need to lose at least 5 pounds..
prob not a lot. just give it a try, at least a few pounds I’d say.
What you say absolutely makes sense. I read the entire blog in one afternoon.
Question: I am 32y/o female with much bodyfat to lose. I plan to diet to lose the weight (first the 800 calorie week for a boost in my confidence and a few months on one meal a day with a smaller deficit) and THEN begin working out. How’s that idea? My lifestyle is quite active, with 2 small children, a house to take care of and a job as a teacher.
I CANNOT DIET AND EXERSISE AT THE SAME PERIOD. I become anxious and frustrated, one thing at at time feels better. Is my body going to become like shit if i don’t work out? Am i going to “get stuck” soon like nutristionists say and not lose anymore?
can you workout at home? You really should be training and dieting at the same time.
You mean that the damage will be big if don’t work out at the same period? I guess i could do some squats and pushups. In another article you say that one should try to build muscle AFTER losing the fat, which is the most difficult part. ..
i’m literally dying haha some of the things you said were so funny: the steak pic caption, your cardio dumbass radar, baby walrus, distractions from the kitchen…. on point and very useful, love this article sharing it with everyone.
Thanks Kate 🙂
Lost 4kgs(8.8 lbs) in 5 days.
I did a stupid thing and went swimming on day 5, which made me very very weak on day 6(had trouble standing). So I discontinued after 5 days.
Agree with the plan: eat less, work on weights and no cardio. I was able to do the 5 days every comfortably. Ate 1 big meal and 1 tiny meal for dinner. Think it works better for people with less muscle mass
Thanks
Cool great job, Dora.
Hi
I’m 171 cm, 174 pounds (79 kg), female.
Trying to lose 11 pounds (5kg) in 8 days for an event.
Today I ate 800 calories (black coffee, 2 boiled eggs, tuna sashimi & seaweed salad, pulled beef & salad) (21% carbohydrates; 36% fat; 43% protein according to the app I’m using to count calories).
I power walked for perhaps 50 minutes today (25 minute stints with a 45 min stop in between).
I haven’t done any weights. I wouldn’t know what weights to do.
If I do what I described above for 8 days, will I lose 5 kg?
If not, what do I need to change?
Thanks!
Also – if I were to do no exercise at all with the above, what would the effect of that be?
Is it better to do no exercise than it is to do cardio on this plan?
it’s possible but just do it, it’s impossible for me to predict exactly how much you’ll lose.
I’m 270lbs , how much should I lose on this diet in a week?
did you read the article?