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 wanted to know am 47 years old i need to lose 40 pounds what is the best diet does i will respect the the i just need to do this fast
Keith, you’re so kind and patient. Id be sarcastic as hell in your shoes. Kudos.
Too hard to be sarcastic in writing 🙂
I’ve gained nearly 20 pounds and have 3 three weeks to lose as much as possible. I really hope that this will work for me.
This does work. It’s very similar to Bob Harper’s Jumpstart to Skinny 3 week plan where you eat about 840 calories a day and do 15-20 minutes of MetCon training a day. No cardio needed. I always have a hard time figuring out how much is too much protein though. Good luck all.
Im 15 and really want to lose weight like this, but it says u have to be over 18. How many calories should I take in to have the same benifet as people over 18 and not be dangerous
Don’t diet right now. Your best course would be to simply clean up your diet and not eat as much junk food.
Sir, I want to know about the low calorie food
What should th food i eat daily for consuming 800 calorie
What Kind Of Exercises should i do then???
wheelchair folks can count themselves out – it won’t work for us because I did the same exact thing and barely dropped a pound after one week. Yes, I ‘fasted’ 23 hrs and then ate one meal under 800 calories. I actually did this for 14 days and i’m pretty damn sure I didn’t drop 10-15 pounds (i’m paralyzed n can’t walk so obviously i can’t step on a scale).
Any tips for the truly diet screwed folks like me? Wheelchair bound and if I gain too much weight that’s gonna cost me a $7K co pay to be fitted for a new chair…
So I’ve been doing this diet for 5 days. I know the weeks not over but I have dropped 7 pounds on the scale which is good but not great because most of it was probably just water weight. I haven’t exercised by heavy compound or weight training or anything and I guess I’m just wondering who the hell can on 800 calories?… I can barely stand up for 10minutes. I feel so weak. My body is shaking. Lift weights now? Seriously? I’d probably pass out. No lie.
Stop doing this diet immediately. If you can’t stand for 10 minutes, then something is very wrong.
Can you drink hard liquor for most of your calories?
I highly don’t recommend that.
Are 5 pound weights enough?
If you’re just starting off, it’s ok. But eventually you should get heavier weights.
Also say I do this the next week but add another meal, 1600 diet. Would that be OK? Would I still drop good weight? My goal is to lose 30-40 pounds
How much do you weigh now?
I’m currently 211. I want to drop to at least 180 again
Is this diet intended for any certain weight group?
it works best for those with more weight to lose. If you have 20 pounds or less to lose, it wont work as well.
I’m 16, but I weighed 292 pounds the last time I was weighed. Would I be able to do this since I weigh more than an adult? I’ve eaten about 1000 calories, maybe 1100, within the last two days so I think 800 a day would be fine for me. I only had, at the most, 550 today
YOu’re only 16, take a more sustainable approach to dieting. Something like 2000-2500 calories per day is much more manageable.
Destiny I’m also what would be considered ones given my height weight and age, I’m 15 5’6, and 196 lbs. if you know what I can do to loose body fat help me out , I know what it feels like.
I would talk to your doctor. He/she can give you a plan, or even give you approval to try something like this diet. I know it’s hard, especially when the stereotype is that young people can lose weight easily. That was not the case for me. I weighed 325 pounds at age 16, and I have had to fight, starve and struggle to lose every single pound that I have lost. I’m now 27 and 250 pounds, so as you can see, it’s very slow going for me. It amazes me that some people can drop 100+ pounds in months or a year or two. I have hypothyroidism and have to take steroids for all my life, so that means very slow weight loss for me. But I’m still not giving up, and I’m starting this 800 calorie diet today. My goal is to be 150 by age 30. I wish you all the best and good luck!
I have hypothyroidism too, that’s why it’s always been hard for me to lose weight. But I agree that talking to my doctor would be a good idea. She was supposed to make me am appointment with a nutritionist but she hasn’t. But 800 calories wouldn’t be such a low intake for me; I’ve gone almost a week without eating anything before in order to lose weight and it worked, and I stay under 1100 cals daily anyway.
I found this weight workout online :
https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Bikini-Workout-Weights-34635491/amp
Will it work?
yes if you’re just starting out, it’s fine.
As to Elijah Favila’s question asking about adding another 800 calories the following week… I would personally add another 1,000-1,200, bringing yourself up to a sustainable 1,800-2,000 calories, and increase your workout accordingly TRUST ME, after doing this (needing to drop a quick 10 pounds in order to fit into a bridesmaid dress) you will be famished!!! The trick is the weights. I personally did low repetition of the highest weights that I could safely handle.
As to “Ashley’s” question about consuming your calories through hard liquor …HILARIOUS, But… as much as I can relate, DON’T DO IT! I supplemented this program with 2,000 vitamin C, B complexes, and coral calcium daily. As to food, I bought a variety of beans,an onion, and balsamic vinegar for dressing. I measured my.daily ration out and then just snacked on that throughout the day, along with celery, and I drank a gallon of water/day (if you’re blessed enough to get 8 hours of sleep, that leaves 16 hours… I just put an hourly alarm on my cellphone, and downed an 8oz cup of water every hour on the hour. 16 8oz cups = exactly one gallon:) this also helped give me a feeling of full. 800 calories is also well spent on cabbage vegetable soup using fat free chicken broth.
Sorry for the long comment, but I wish that I would have had someone tell me! 🙂
…on a follow up note, I lost 8.5 pounds, but I was 5’8″ and 137 pounds when I started (already already size 5, but need to get into a size 4 dress) Also, I was so happy with my new summer weight that I only upped my calories to a total of 1,600, which of course I gave up, because it wasn’t sustainable.
I hope that this helps someone! 🙂
How long did you do this for?? I am also 5’8 and 138 and I am trying to lose 8 pounds in two and a half weeks. Any extra tips?? please email me!