How did you lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks?
How did you lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks? I have been asked this question in different forms many times. For some reason, many people are shocked and do not believe that this someone can lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks.
In this article I will explain the steps that you can follow to lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks.
- Ask yourself why you are doing it
- Decide what your goal is and define it
- Write down your target and tell others about it
- Get your kit together
- Do it
Ask yourself why you are doing it
Are you doing it for someone else or do you want to lose weight for your own reasons?
Has a doctor told you that you need to lose weight or do you just feel bad about yourself?
Are you doing it because you feel bad about yourself ? Are you doing it because a Doctor said you must ?
All of the above reasons are valid, but from my own experience all of the reasons above are demotivators.
I decided that I wanted to look good for my son’s upcoming wedding and increase my chances of living longer. I wanted it for me…..not for anyone else. ME!
Decide what your goal is and define it
Are you looking for a quick fix or are you looking for a long term change of your lifestyle?
This is very important because to lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks is easy. To regain 5 pounds in 2 weeks is even easier.
The approaches to short term weight loss and long term weight loss are different.
Short term weight loss goal: “My goal is to lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks”
Long term weight loss goal: “My goal is to change my life. To increase my fitness through exercise and healthier eating. As a result of these changes my weight will reduce automatically and my target is to lose 50 pounds in less than 1 year”.
Before you do anything more you need to decide if you 5 pounds in 2 weeks is really what you want to achieve.
In my case I decided that the long term approach was best for me.
Write down your target and tell others about it
Writing down your target and telling others is less important if you have decided on the short term approach, but it is really important if you have decided on the long term approach.
Most of us can stay motivated for short periods such as 2-3 weeks so we don’t really need the support from others.
Staying motivated for longer periods is extremely difficult without the support of other people.
In my case I intended to change my life for the better and it was obvious to me that I could not lose 50 pounds without support from other people, so I told everybody I spoke with including family, friends and work colleagues.
I wrote my target weight on a whiteboard – in public for all to see.
Get your kit together
In the 21st Century people seem to think that if they spend money they will be motivated to achieve a goal (eg….people think “I really don’t like gyms, but if I sign up for a 1 year gym membership then I will be forced to lose weight.” – This DOES NOT WORK!
There is absolutely no need to sign up for gym memberships and buy lots of fancy sportswear and sports gadgets. From my experience, irrespective of whether you have a short term or a long term goal the only things you really need are –
Bathroom scales – $20 USD
- Pencil and paper – $1
- Pair of reasonable walking shoes – $70 USD
The “nice to have” things that I bought are –
Whiteboard and tripod (used) – $30 USD
Garmin GPS watch – $200 USD (used)
Do it
This is where your goal is important. People who have decided on the short term approach will set about achieving their goal differently to the people who are in it for the long term.
Short term approach
Cut out anything from your diet that you don’t really need – eg dairy products (milk, cream, butter, cheese), pasta, pizza, bread, bagels, croissants, muffins, soda, alcohol…..
Increase daily water intake (drink ~ 5-6 pints per day)
Weigh yourself each morning (immediately after getting out of bed)
Long term approach
- Think about the foods and liquids in your diet – paying particular attention to things like dairy products (milk, cream, butter, cheese), pasta, pizza, bread, bagels, croissants, muffins, soda, alcohol and then ask yourself honestly if you are willing to completely cut out any of those foods and liquids for a period of time and if not then decide which ones you are willing to reduce.
Get exercise every single day
You can choose any exercise you want – I chose walking (I didn’t need any equipment and I could do it anywhere).
I set myself a minimum goal of 1 ½ hours per day – 45 minutes before breakfast and 45 minutes in the evening
Within the first few days I decided that 1 ½ hours wasn’t enough so I increased the duration to 3 hours per day minimum
1 hour before breakfast,1 hour midday and 1 hour in the evening
Walking has now become almost an addiction – it has changed my life. At the time of writing this article I have walked more than 5600 miles
Weigh yourself each morning (after your first exercise block but before breakfast).
The actual weight value isn’t really important – maybe it’s less than yesterday, maybe it’s the same – it could even have increased. Don’t worry! As long as you keep up the exercise and restrict the intake of a few of your not so healthy foods you are guaranteed to lose weight over the long term.
By following this approach there were many occasions when I lost 5 pounds or more in 2 weeks AND more importantly the weight loss has been sustainable.
Conclusion
Just because you haven’t succeeded before doesn’t mean that you cannot succeed this time. Losing 5 pounds in 2 weeks is possible – I am living proof because I went from 258 pounds to 208 pounds within 9 months AND I walked more than 3600 miles in that time period…and I feel great!
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. If something I’ve said in this post has resonated with you then please leave a comment
