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.
So following the diet going to gym no cardio only weights day 5 and I gained 1.5 pounds. What in the world am I doing wrong
that’s odd….what have you been doing before this?
Female hormones do crazy things (levels vary daily) and a daily weigh in can be far from “true”. But she is also getting a lot of salt in the bacon and tomato juice. A big hit of salt can hold water for three days. Watch out for cottage cheese!
Just so you know
Breakfast 2 large eggs 2 strips bacon 100% fruit juice no sugar coffee
Lunch salad with chicken or Turkey or both with red peppers, cucumbers, green peppers, tomatoes
Fruit green tea
Dinner steak, chicken, fish with string beans or asparagus, peppers, peas, spinach green tea
No carbs
Tomatoe juice 6 oz. night snack
I need to lose some weight for basketball, and I’m only 13. I go to the gym and usually do the elliptical. What other things can I do to lose weight quickly, and how many times a week?
Make healthier food choices but please DO NOT DO THIS PLAN.
don’t only do cardio, try and add some variety in exercise, like weights or kickboxing(it’s really fun), swimming helps too.
Why can’t I use the treadmill?
read other comments
Hey I am not able to do this because I am 14 but I was wondering if u had other suggestions for me to lose weight
eat more fruits and veggies, don’t eat as much junk food, cut back soda, exercise in a way you enjoy it, find a way to stay active.
Hi I’m 26, 5’3, at 220 pounds. I used to eat over 2000 calories a day, eating everything I see from morning to mid night. ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE! I am eating 2 meals a day (intermittent fasting) from 11am-7pm. My first meal today was 300 calories and my second will be 500-600 . I go outside with my son to play football, do side workouts such as push ups, sit ups, and squats. I want to add weight lifting which I have at home. This low of calories,is only temporary, but How effective do you think my plan is? Any advice?
you’ll lose weight.
Oookaayyy
I know i know.
“This asshole keith telling me that i will lose weight. I already knew that!”
But that’s exactly what gonna happen.
You do an extreme calorie deficit and you’ll lose weight your first week. There’s not much more to say besides the fact that you shouldn’t do this for more than a week.
I’ve seen thousands of people try to be extreme with their diet only to fail because they NEVER think long term. They all want magic quick bullet fixes and want to lose 30 pounds in 2 weeks.
Truth is, majority of people are out of shape. If you want to be in the minority that’s in shape, then you have to do what the minority does – eat healthy and exercise consistently. Mind blowing, eh 🙂
Thats awesome! Thank you so much ! It IS mind blowing! Eh Eh
I am 5ft9 and weigh 292 lbs I had major health problems and surgery and after that is when I gained 100 lbs so I bought some really good Vegan protein powder and I replace 2 meals a day with a shake and eat tons of veggies and I’ve lost 5 lbs in 2 days so far. I am gonna add weight lifting as I have a whole set in my living room lol my goal is 160 lbs
Hi, I’m 5,3, 16, and about 200 pounds. The problem is I’m not a high intaker (most days I don’t eat more than 1600). I’m trying to lose weight. But I think my problem is I believe I have an endomorphic body. So I’m trying to eat more healthy but the problem is I don’t like to eat, chicken, egg, or any seafood. I try to do at home tabata’s when I can. Do you have any advice on what I can eat/do to get down to 140 pounds?
what do u eat on a daily basis?
If I don’t skip breakfast I’ll sometimes have like cereal, or yogurt but usually nothing.
Lunch is a toss up but it’s usually carb based. I don’t like lunch meat so it’s usually probably pasta or anything I can get my hands on, sometimes cereal.
Dinner I try my best to eat a protein but a lot of times I fail. It’s some sort of meat with rice, Or jusr rice, there’s always some sort of carb there like bread. Most of the time it’s pasta.
And if I’m under 1000 calories that day I’ll have a snack that can be really anything. But usually crackers, pretzels, Or fruit snacks.
seems like you’re eating a lot of refined carbs. Try eating more fruit, veggies, and of course, protein or even more healthy fats like avocado or coconut.
Can i drink lots of water during this week’s time ? I usually drink a gallon of water a day. Do i need to continue the same with this one week diet plan, or do i need to restrict the water intake ?
DO NOT restrict. Drink as much as you want but at the same time don’t force yourself to drink crazy amounts.
Thankyou very much for this:) What exercise do you recommend with weights? How heavy should I go and if I can use light weights what should I do?
I’d rec picking a weight you can lift 8-10 times.
Exercises like pullups, squats, bench press, lunges, shoulder presses are great.
Thankyou!
I’m 22, 5’5 and weigh 148 I recently started a 1200 calorie diet a month ago and lost 10 pounds it’s seems like I hit a plateau and can’t lose anymore I also noticed I’ve been losing weight every where but my stomach do you have any advice on how I can continue to lose weight my goal weight is 135
the last few pounds always takes time. You cant just keep cutting calories.
Hi I’m a 5’3 19 y/o female who recently lost roughly 13 lbs while away at college (I’m now 144ish lbs). I didn’t exercise more but what I think helped was walking trails to class and limited eating (not having food in the dorms when the dining halls were closed). I also had a friend pass away which kind of altered my appetite. (Plus I drank before college and I don’t anymore). ANYWHO, I’m wondering how to lower my weight on a budget and easily (I work long hour shifts in the fast food industry so meals are hard to fit in). As much as I want to get down to 120, I know that I carry a lot of muscle mass and I’m just trying to lower my overall body fat. For now I’m aiming for 130-135. I’m wondering what diets will be most beneficial under my circumstances? (In addition to dieting I’m also planning on drinking lots of water). Does this diet seem suitable for me to lose 10-15 lbs? Or would you suggest another?
I eat whatever I want and I’m 199 pounds but I only eat when I’m hungry so I eat around 2 to 3 meals a day. Not even a meal. I don’t eat I more than 1,600 calories a day and I run 4 miles a day 6 days a week. Will I lose weight?
Chances are, yes.
Hello, I am currently in the 190’s right now due to my cousin suggesting me taking 400 mg body building pills, which totally sucked for me, i gained muscle mass, but at the same time that mass is weight i’m trying to knock down to 170 or less, I am 19, don’t have any fruits or veggies id have to buy some, but i lift weights daily, i hit everybody part more than once in a week, can i really do this?
stop taking pills, and just focus on staying in a calorie deficit. At your weight you should be getting about 2000 cals per day (this is long term).