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.
=================
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.


I am going to start this tonight. I am nervous to pass out during the day. I know you recommend one large meal. Any tips? Thanks.
just follow as planned, I highly doubt you’re going to pass out.
Hey Keith, I’m planning to start this asap
I’m pretty knowledgable on my weight training and diet.
But this holiday season just wrecked me. I was planning to do this to get back down to my usual weight
Which is around 118-120
And then get back on track with my prep and training, I’m currently between 126-128 as of now, what do you think? Can I do it within a week?
Any comments, tips, advice?
Anything is of great help and much appreciated! Thank you so much!
I forgot to mention that I am 20
And 5″2! 🙂
just try it out for a week and follow as planned.
I am 160lbs 5ft3 i eat about 900 cals or less a day. And i have not even lost a lbs. I have tryed everything.
you’re either miscalculating or your metabolism is fucked 🙂
So I am 5’8 140 pounds and i have i layer of fat over my abs. Like when i flex i can feel my defined abs all i need to do is just lose the layer of fat and i have tried diets like this one before and i just can’t get rid of that layer. So my question to you is what workouts can i do along with the diet that will burn stomach fat fast?
Losing fat requires patience. This diet is essentially a “jump start” for most people but don’t rush it.
I’ve been told 2 alternative days of fasting for 8 hours a day then eat 800 cals.
The other 5 days can eat up 2 1500 cals a day but on 3 of these days at least do a good work out with heavy weights.
Drink 2 litre of water a day aswell.
So got a sibling wedding coming up. Need to loose weight, googled entire week previously and the camp is out if a no / low calorie diet has a greater impact on fat or muscle loss. I’m happy to be everyone guinea pig
I have a Fitbit so my results are as below taken in the morning:
So Day 1.:
Weight: 77kg,
BodyFat: 22.5kg
BodyFat %: 29.2 %
AM Bodyweight exercises for 15 minutes,
AM Coffee
Will keep you all posted daily… hopefully someone is reading this today and starts with me too as will be good motivation.
So after ten days or so it could go either way, my body fat percentage could go up if my body is eating muscle, or go down , if the body leave my muscles alone and burns the fat.. Place your bets!
Only have the fitbit scale, lost the tracker ages ago.
Day 1: Decided to skip dinner to get to the keto stage faster. Didn’t feel that hungry
Day 2:
1 hour boxing personal training, took it easy, no sweat soaked t shirt
Weight: 75.9 KG
BodyFat: 19.6kg
BodyFat %: 25.8 %
Day 2 is too good to be true but that’s because before i started the diet, i did pig out on 4 slices of pizza and was generally feeling bloated and dehydrated so fitbit must have got it wrong. . today results i tested on another scale and it more or less matches up.
Planning to skip food altogether today too. I read that fasting has 4 stages. 1st stage is to use stores, 2nd is to get the body used to different source of energy, which involved some muscle loss 3rd is to start using ketones from fat 4th basically leads to death.
I’m going to keep a keen eye on my body fat %, im expecting to increase ever so slightly before decreasing again but im going to keep training at least 3 times a week to try keep that at bay.
I’m not planning to fast throughout but will hold out as long as i can or if its having a negative impact on muscle mass then move to a 800 calories a day diet.
got no idea if my breath stinks. let me go breathe on one of my staff and see if they pull away lol
where is the update??
I’m 22 years old and I weigh about 138. I’m 5’3 so it’s super serious when I gain even a pound. I’m going to start this diet today and I really hope to lose 21 pounds so I will be 115 or less. If I can’t go work out will I still lose the max amount of weight? Or should I lower my cal intake? If I fast for a whole week will I still lose the max amount?
you should be working out, don’t do this diet if you don’t
Does this work if you have high blood pressure
i wouldn’t do it to be safe.
Thank you for all this – its exactly what I was looking for. Love the humor as well.
I’m struggling with 50 pounds of sick, 20 within the last 2 years. I eat healthy & low calorie but its been the norm for so long, Im 40, (5 kids in a row but 30 is from my 3rd & 4th) & my “inconsistent fitness regime” (dont stick to it) has made my metabolism similar to a dying turtle (this may or may not be accurate). At this point, i know my body has turned to the dark side &
its obviously affecting my new marriage to a younger mostly fit man who deserves far more (not in pounds) from me than this hot mess.
We are going to the Keys in a month. He’s so excited for me to experience it & i cant get past the shame & nightmare of looking good for him in 90 degree weather. So, im going to do the #2 above etc, & working out everyday. The challenge for me is charging up the metabolism (exercise & protein) & a getting in the most effective workout. Thanks again for your outline & explanation. I appreciate it. If you have any bit of added advice you think may help me along the way I’d listen (really).
Laura
your metabolism probably isn’t “broken.”
Like I said don’t abuse this system. Only use it for a week to jump start your weight loss and transition to a more sustainable long term fat loss plan.
Laura:
I am in my upper 40’s and had a slow gain of about 30 pounds from stressful jobs the last three years, and I have 6 kids (youngest is 10). Can we team up and motivate each other? I was always very slim up until 40. Now I am 5’8″ and 180 lbs. Want to get back t 140. I will check in every day if you do!
Can you do the Ellyptical ? At all and do weights and can we do a 500 calorie diet I only have lean green smoothie in the morning go to work yogurt and then when I’m home I have soup then the gym is that good or no
did you read the article?
Yes but I didn’t get it
There was a lot of information in the article, but if you wait until you can focus on it without distractions, and read it again, I bet you will get it. I read it a few times, just so I didn’t miss anything. I’m doing this, so I want to make sure that I am doing it right. I don’t want to end up in the hospital because I did something stupid. Just go back and read it again. Good luck
where is the like button???!!! 🙂
I loved this article. It was hilarious, but gave me lots of hope. I do have weights (only 8 pounds), but also a gym membership. I’ve always done cardio mostly because I don’t have a clue how to use the weight machines. I am guessing that is the heavy compound weightlifting you would do, right?
yes
Hi Keith!
Is it ok for me to be doing my weight training at home with 5 kilo (each one) weights? I can’t afford the gym financially and especially time-wise so this is the best I can do. I found a good all over body workout sheet online and just follow that but with my 5 kilo (about 10lbs each) weights. What do you think? I am following the food plan as well, just started today so we’ll see how things are in the am. 🙂 Thanks again!
I wil take fruits equivalent to 800 calories in the morning n then i will take same next day aftr 24 hours.. i will not eat anything else . Is it ok ? N what about water intake ? How much it should be ??
water intake should be normal – enough to stay hydrated and feel good. No don’t just eat fruit. Read the article!
I already read 🙁 total should b 800 . Bt wht shud we eat plz tell
Protein!
when I click the link to the the American College Of Nutrition study, it says the page is not found.
sorry for some reason the study is down. I will try to get a backup. YOu can use waybackmachine to see an archived version.
Loved the article. I have been doing this for 5 days now and I just jumped on the scales and they haven’t really moved at all. Just wondering if you could give me some pointers as to where I may be going wrong. Have lifted heavy weights 2 times this week, am going again tomorrow morn, drinking at least 1.5L of water a day and diet consists of, for lunch 2 chicken breasts with broccoli and courgettes and then when I get home/after gym 2 scoops of protein shake which gets me to 800cals and 125grams of protein. Feeling really good – physically strong, sleeping better and am not tired at all during the day but a bit deterred by the lack of progress on the scales thus far. I know I need to be patient but would love your thoughts. I am 24, 5 6″ weighing 78kgs beginning of the week. Thanks 🙂
might be water weight? Are you a girl? Are you on your period? That could water weight holds.
I’m 33yo 180pds 5’1 female I’ve been doing 9 rounds 30 min kick boxing 2-3 times a week and eating a very low calorie diet some days minimal calories as low as 2-3 hundred. I can tell I’m losing a little but not as fast as I would like. I even cut all fast food, sugary drinks (I only drink water) no fried foods. It’s been about 2 weeks and I lost only 5 or so pounds smh… Like whats the deal? I need to loose more and fast! Could it be I’m building muscle? Because muscle weights more right?
200-300 is insane, you’re hurting your body and destroying your metabolism doing that.