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 lost 20lbs over the last year and then gained 10lbs back after a family loss. I currently way 170 my goal weight is 135. I tend to get inpatient with the “30 Day challeneges and only make it through two weeks. You said not to do this plan repeatedly, but is it okay to do it 1/4 weeks in a month. With a three week plan in between?
to be blunt, the fact that you just said you’re “impatient” is why you will never get long term sustainable results. Focus on changing your habits, and stop trying to look for a quick fix.
If I run for the workout and follow the 800 calorie diet then will I still lose the weight?and what workouts do you suggest I do?
some form of resistance training, if you can, heavy weights – compound movements like squats and bench press
You said not to do it for longer than a week, but if i need to lose more than 15lbs would it be safe to instead do a week on a week off and alternate until i’ve lost the 45lbs im aiming for?
if you need to lose more than 15 lbs then be patient and understand that weight loss is long term game. The weight will come off but not if you try to shortcut your way to success the entire way.
How do you make sure the weights hit all body parts?Also, is this something you can only do once, since you can’t go longer then a week? So like just not go 2 weeks in a row? Like maby do it every other week or something? Or its just a one time thing? I really wanna do this help!
focus on compound movements like bench press, shoulder press, squats, deadlifts – exercises that hit more than one body part (e.g. don’t focus on bicep curls).
No, you’re looking for a quick fix/shortcut. This is simply a way to “jumpstart” weight loss. Nothing more.
What if I don’t have any muscle to begin with? I’m a pretty skinny girl already, no toned or proeminent muscles. What would happen if I ate 500-800 kcal per day for a week but did no lifting?
If you are pretty skinny, then why are you even doing this?
My boyfriend told me I would look better if I was even skinnier and he comes back in town in exactly one week.
then you need a new boyfriend.
AHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH
Leave his was Maddie
I cut my calories down to 1000 – 1200. an in 25 days I have already lost 15 lbs. The same thing does not work for everyone, you have to find what works for you. An stick with it, that is the key. As with anything you do to reach a goal. I also do some low impact cardio and some weight training, that is what works for me. I was 230lbs, as of this morning I weigh 215. My goal is to lose at least another 40lbs. An I will not give up, because I know I can do this, an I will achieve my goal. Never give up.
I wish everyone good luck and a wonderful day. 🙂
Hey, if I eat 800 calories in a day without exercises how many pounds could I loose. And do I eat carbs, fats and proteins or just fats and protein and stay low on carbs? Will that work? Also I don’t feel hungry I can stay 12hr without food is that fine or should I go see a doctor?
I can’t predict that.
Eat super high protein, low carb, low fat.
12 hrs is nothing. No big deal.
Hello, out of curiosity do you have to eat the 800 calories at once or can it be throughout the day? And the weights? You said 2-3 times a week, does that mean do the bench,squat shoulder press everytime? Im looking to try this 1 week diet next week.
most ppl do it at once since it’s not really a lot of food, in general.
Will I gain it all back?(no I’m not going to eat like a pig after)
maybe a little water, but nothing crazy.
I’m 110 pounds and have never been able to gain or lose weight. Purely out of curiosity, would anyone like me lose weight with this plan? And why do you say cardio is bad?
you would probably do better focusing on gaining muscle.
Hy there! So I’m currently on school break and I’m at home …I added a lot of weight while In school(university) I because I was eating a lot of junk food but I was determined to get all the weight off this break …I’m currently eating very clean , that is fiber and protein and little or no carb .. I think just twice daily but I hardly leave the house I’m also taking an appetite suppressant pill ….will I lose weight ?
You wanna lose weight? Just do what you did before you went on break.
I am 58 post menopause woman. weighed 140 most of adult life. menopause came I gained 100 lbs in 5 months and stupid Doctors said it was normal? i finally went to several docs found one who put me on natural thyroid hormones and Progesterone. Voila! as of June 12 I have lost 25 lbs. I can go to gym 5x a week im no longer starving my skin is oily and smooth. total inches lost in 10 weeks is 18 inches…
I’m slightly confused I typically eat about 800 calories a day I’m five foot maybe that’s the reason but I’d feel awful like way to full if I ate more and I get WAY more than enough to keep me full all day long maybe it’s because I eat primarily vegan anyway so I eat a ton of veggies and no dairy
I guess I’m kind of asking is it okay that I eat 800 cal given I’m 6 inch below average height for a woman ?
how much do you weigh now?
Hi
currently weight is 139.7 kg and I want to lose it in 3 months what should I do cause I want to lose about 40 kg by December. kindly assist and advice me
80 pounds in 3-4 months is pretty unrealistic. Focus on changing your habits and focus on the long term.
Hi! I found ur article to be quite hopeful and well written..i really need to lose some weight for a wedding thats coming up but i cant go to the gym..i do have a treadmill at home..but i guess u wont suggest that..I would like a little nore guidance for what foods to eat to complete 800 calories a day and what exercise would be best..im a 23 year old female height 5’1 who weight 67 kgs rn…..I hope you reply ASAP
lots of lean protein (chicken breast, lean beef) and veggies.