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.


Hey! I love your website and all your articles make me crack up 🙂
I was just wondering though, wouldn’t an increase in calories after 1 week on this diet cause you to regain the weight? Or would you add on more exercise to make some sort of balance? I’m not really asking about the during of the diet, just the after 🙂
Thank you so much!
No an increase in calories would only make you gain weight if you go over your maintenance calories. After 1 week of “extreme” dieting, you simply go on a more sustainable diet (500 below maintenance).
I’m starting this diet today. I weigh 135 lbs at 5’3, and want to go back down to 125 lbs where I felt more comfortable. I have 4 weeks, and I want to look thinner than I do right now. Plus, I have had plantar fasciitis for 3 months now, and most cardio routines cause me great pain. Thus, strength training and low calorie sound like a great plan. My concern is whether I can prolong this diet for longer than one week, because I can’t do cardio for a while? Also, I’m taking synthroid due to my hypothyroidism, and wondering if that would affect this diet regime?
Thank you!
I’m not an expert on thyroid conditions, therefore I don’t recommend you do this diet. If anything, just take a long term approach to dieting, losing 1-2 pounds per week.
I’ve always been active and trying to keep in shape one way or another. Unfortunately I visited family overseas for a month and the influx of food being stuffed down my throat my my grandma’s and greatgrandma’s (which you can’t say no too, they take that shit like a death threat) has lead to some… ermm.. unwanted weight gain. Not too much, but still obviously unwarranted. Anyhow, I started an extreme diet/workout sched a week before flying back to the states. I’m on day 5 and I basically have been eating 800 calories (sometimes exactly sometimes less with the help of filling up on cabbage soup, and yogurt, light cheese, and cottages cheeses mostly) I’ve also been working out with a trainer everyday this week. 4 days hard strength training, the other 2 days have been mostly cardio and core, and the last day I will be on the plane so I’m giving myself a rest. My question though is that in addition to working out with my trainer in the morning (about 1 1/2-2 hours) at nights I also added on an additional 40-35 minutes of moderate cardio (usually elliptical or light jogging) but in your article you wrote “and if you even step foot on a treadmill, my dumbass radar will go off” Could you please elaborate on that. I’ve done intense weight loss regimes before many times so I always use additional cardio to create larger deficits. It’s just a jump start. I plan to return to fluctuating 1200-1500 when I get back but the workout schedule pretty much remains. I just found your site and it’s my new holy grail for information. I love the the way you output information!!
Thanks- J
Well 800 calories is VERY little food, for anybody. I recommend only resistance training and no excessive cardio because your diet is already creating a massive deficit. Additional cardio could help burn more calories, but in my opinion it’s just not worth the risk of potentially burning out and losing the motivation to continue. If you’ve done extra cardio before on an extremely low calorie diet and have no problem with it then go for it, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it for the majority of people.
I think I’m going to try it. I’m about 30 pounds from my goal weight and I could really use a boost. I tend to do well with things that are a bit extreme, so wish me luck! Hope I don’t die
Good luck!
Hi
I would really like to try this diet and succeed! But exercising is not my strong point at all! So my only query is, is exercise definitely needed when taking part in this diet?
Would just eating 1 bowl of chicken soup and maybe a large apple as you’ve suggested above for tea every day for a week give me the same results or not?
Yes exercise is required! You could do this without lifting weights, but you’ll end up losing large amounts of muscle, and you won’t look your best in the end.
How much fat can you realistically lose if you already lost water weight prior to starting this diet? I have been on low carb for a few months now, and I have lost all water weight in the first two weeks when I started low carb. I am wondering how much fat I can potentially lose if I do IF with 800 calories. I know it would be an estimate, but can you give me an idea? thank you!
Depends on your weight but probably anywhere from 3-5 pounds.
hi 🙂 I loved this blog. I’m 19, 5ft 3 and about 124 ibs. I really want to lose weight and I’m starting this tomorrow. Do you think I’ll be able to lose 10ibs by next friday (in 7 days)..?
thank you 🙂
Most likely, yes. But depends if you’re holding a lot of water or not.
thank you! I’ll let you know how I get on 🙂
Oh my god could this very extreme diet make you very ill if you don’t eat enough your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto fat?
No, eating less food won’t make you hold onto fat.
hi, im 17, next year i will heading out to america with my dad. my dad wants me to go an art school. mostly the girls there look really slim and very preety. i want to be like them too. my weight is now 56.7 kg and my height is 161 cm. i know im not that heavy but i want my weight to be at least 46 kg . can you make me a diet plan for 4 weeks to reach to my goal weight. eventhought that will almost classify me as underweight but i still want to have that nice body look.
P.S: Hope u reply fast
Sorry, don’t have time to do custom diet plans. But in general eat water heavy foods (fruits, soups), lots of veggies, lean protein, coffee/diet soda (to suppress hunger).
Hi thanks for the great post! I am just at the end of day 7 on this 800 calorie diet, give or take its been more like 700-900 depending. I had changed the workout plan and exericised everday averaging 30 mins of moderate cardio and 20 minutes of weight training, focusing on one body part per session. I’ve only lost 1 lb for this entire week!!
I’m a 5’6″ female and my weight is 143 lbs. My weight earlier this year was about 120-125 lbs. I had been stress eating this year due to school work and the weight has totally packed on!! I’m not sure why I haven’t lost the weight like I should. My thyroid levels were checked and they’re normal.
Its my understanding that at a basal metabolic rate of 1200, eating only 800 and exercising about 300-400 calories worth of cardio daily that I should have lost a lot more weight. Any ideas why? And yes, my calorie measurements are accurate. I’ve been living on meal replacement and protein shakes. Other than the occasional hunger pangs, my energy levels are great!
Hmm….I would have expected a little more than that. The 10 pounds account for water weight as well. Some people won’t lose 10 pounds since they aren’t holding much water. Also, your metabolic rate is 1200 so you that’s another reason of only lost 1 pound, though I would have thought you would have lose some water as well.
Hi…im going for the diet..bit i have no weight and cant go tovgym fr certain reasons…pls can u tell me which non weight involving excersises i can do.. also on the first practice day ie. Today i exceeded 800 cals and went to 900… does this matter alot if happened one day..? Which excersises..? Thamks..
Push ups, pull ups, bodyweight squats, etc… And don’t stress if you go over by 100 calories. No big deal, just do better the next day.
How many of each excersise do you recommend…and also. On this eat stop eat fast r u aloud to drink water?
Can’t say exactly, depends on how you structure the workout. Yes you can drink water.
Basically thik of it as the fact that if i do about 10 of each i will get tired ..so can i split up 10 each five ti,es a day?
Hey there! So I’m 19, 5’4, and I weigh 190lbs. I know, morbidly obese. I’ve recently been doing exercises and stuff at my home to try and get into shape because I’ve been really lazy these past few months. Some of the exercises I do are:
100 sit ups
25 push ups
100 jumping jacks
30 squats
30 second planks (2)
50 leg raises (each)
I’m trying to workout about 4/5 times a day based off of that list, and in 21 days I fly back home to see my boyfriend. I’d like to not look as huge as I do so I was wondering, If I did your 800 calorie diet for a week including my workout, would that be good? I plan to do your 800 calorie diet every other week for faster results because frankly, I’m tired of being fat. I’d just like to get your opinion. Also, do you think it’d be possible to lose around 20 lbs in 21 days?
Yeah do it for 1 week ONLY. I really really don’t recommend you do it every other week…it’s too much. Just do the “xtreme” diet for 1 week and after that aim for about 1 pound of weight loss per week.
So i like the ideal of this article, i have troubles eating, i kinda have to force myself to eat. So this looks good to me.. i am 19 and weigh 158 right now and im 5’4”..i have to get to 145..you know tape test and such for military. What are some at home exercises i can do instead of weights, and reps-sets. How much water to drink. Thanks!!!!
If you don’t have dumbbells or barbells, then things like push up variations, bodyweight squat variations, pull ups and whatnot. Water intake is dependent of the individual. I would try to drink more since it blunts hunger well.
I’m on day 3 of this diet — however, I only eat 500 calories, large majority of that in protein. I also take BCAA capsules before working out. I do moderate cardio for 25 minutes on the elliptical. How intense should my weight training be? I’m not particularly tired after my workouts. I sweat but I’m not drowning in it. Do I need to go harder? Also, I’m actually not hungry or tired at all, which is a huge surprise. I feel perfectly fine. Can you explain that?
The first thing you need to ask yourself, are you really eating 500 calories? Some people think they eat 500 calories but they could be severely underestimating. I need more details – what are you eating exactly?
Yes, I make sure I count. I have two “Muscle Milks” which come to 360 calories, then as a treat, I have a skinny cow ice cream sandwich (150 cals), for a total calorie intake of 510 calories. I also take multivitamins.
Simply put, some people can handle more extreme diets than others. If you can get through these 7 days without any pain or frustration then kudos to you. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Wicked this sounds assuring. I am 21 5’8 and weigh 146 my goal is 120.. does this sound good or is it too extreme. Starting this tomorrow and will update on Monday Nov 26. 🙂
that’s totally doable, but you won’t hit that weight in just one week.