How to Get Skinnier in a Week

Co-authored by Adrienne Youdim, MD and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: October 17, 2024 Fact Checked

For most people, losing 1–2 pounds (0.5–0.9 kg) in a week is a safe and reasonable goal. Losing more than that in a week isn’t easy and can be bad for your health if you’re not careful. However, if you need to shed a little weight or lose a couple of inches around your waist in a hurry, there are things you can try. One of the quickest and easiest ways to slim down is to lose water weight, so try some simple lifestyle changes to minimize how much fluid your body retains. You may also be able to lose a little fat in a week by cutting some calories and getting more exercise.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Losing Water Weight

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1
Drink more water to flush out extra fluids. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the more water you drink, the less you’ll retain. Drink water or other hydrating fluids, such as light fruit juices or low-sodium broths, to keep excess fluids moving through your system. You can also boost your fluid intake by eating plenty of water-rich foods, like juicy fruits and vegetables.^{[1]
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- Avoid sports drinks, which contain sodium and sweeteners that can cause you to retain fluids.
- Steer clear of dehydrating beverages, like alcohol, tea, and coffee. If quitting alcohol, even temporarily, is difficult for you, talk to your doctor. They can offer advice on how to quit or cut back.
- Drinking coffee can also be a hard habit to shake. Consider weaning yourself off slowly for a few days before you drop it altogether.
2
Cut back on salt to reduce water retention. When you eat a lot of salt, it encourages your body to retain fluids. Avoid foods that are high in salt, such as processed meats, salty chips and crackers, and sports drinks. When you’re cooking or eating a meal, resist the urge to add a bunch of salt.^{[2]
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- Eating foods high in potassium, such as bananas, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes, can help your body keep your body’s fluids at a normal level.^{[3]
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- Experiment with alternatives to salt when you’re cooking, such as black pepper, garlic powder, or flavorful vegetable oils (like sesame oil).
- You can avoid excess salt by cooking your own foods from fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
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3
Steer clear of carbs to lose water weight quickly. Eating lots of carbohydrate-rich foods can cause you to retain water. For this reason, many people lose a lot of water weight quickly when they first switch to a low-carb diet.^{[4]
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Research source} Try cutting out foods such as white bread, pasta, potatoes, and baked sweets.
- Replace high-carb foods with fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, like berries, leafy greens, and legumes (beans and peas).
- Cutting carbs out of your diet is good for short-term weight loss, but it’s not a good long-term solution. To maintain a healthy diet, eat sources of complex carbs such as whole-grain breads and pastas, brown rice, and beans.^{[5]
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4
Exercise to break a sweat. When you exercise, you lose excess water and salt through perspiration.^{[6]
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- Try circuit training or other high-intensity workouts to lose fluids quickly.
- Don’t forget to drink plenty of water while you exercise. If you get dehydrated, you’ll only retain more water!^{[8]
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5
Ask your doctor about diuretic medications. Certain health conditions can cause you to retain a lot of water. If you have a hard time shedding water weight, see your doctor to find out what’s causing the problem. They may be able to treat the underlying cause and give you medications to help you retain less water.^{[9]
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- Your doctor might recommend diuretic medications (water pills) or magnesium supplements to minimize how much water you retain.^{[11]
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- Common causes of fluid retention include allergic reactions, arthritis, kidney or liver problems, heart disease, and certain lung conditions. Some medications can also cause you to retain water.^{[12]
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Warning: Call your doctor immediately if you gain more than 2 pounds (0.91 kg) in a day or 4 pounds (1.8 kg) in a week. This can be a sign that you’re retaining too much water.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Cutting Fat with Diet and Lifestyle Changes

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1
Eat lean proteins to fill up faster. Eating plenty of protein forces your body to burn extra calories in the digestion process. It also fills you up longer than other types of foods, making you less likely to get hungry between meals. Try to eat 1 - 1.5 g of lean protein for every pound of body weight you’d like to weigh.^{[13]
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- Some healthy sources of lean protein include white meat poultry, fish, legumes (such as lentils, beans, and peas), and Greek yogurt.^{[14]
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2
Avoid liquid calories. It’s easy to pack in extra calories from the things you drink without even realizing it. If you’re trying to slim down quickly, avoid beverages that are high in calories and sugar, such as alcohol, sugary soda, juice, or sweetened coffees and teas.^{[15]
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- Stick to water to keep yourself hydrated. Not only will it help you shed water weight, but drinking plenty of water can also help you feel less hungry.
3
Stick to 3 light meals a day to encourage your body to burn calories. Instead of eating several small meals throughout the day, eat 3 light but filling meals daily while you’re trying to lose weight. Your meal should include a lean protein, fruits or vegetables, and a whole grain. Once you’ve eaten, resist the urge to snack until it’s time for your next meal.^{[16]
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- You’re more likely to lose weight if you eat fewer calories than you burn throughout the day.^{[17]
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4
Boost your metabolism with high-intensity interval training. Doing high-intensity exercise can increase your metabolism and encourage your body to burn fat.^{[18]
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Research source} Talk to your doctor, physical therapist, or personal trainer about trying high-intensity interval training to get your heart pumping and burn calories quickly.
- Try doing circuits of intense exercise for 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds of slower exercise.
- Some good exercises for a high-intensity workout include lunges, jump squats, and jumping jacks.^{[20]
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Tip: Strength training is also a great way to burn fat and help define your muscles. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the number on the scale going down, however—you may be putting on muscle mass!^{[19]
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5
Ask your doctor about going on a low-calorie diet. If you need to lose fat in a hurry, a low-calorie diet is an option. These diets usually involve limiting yourself to a smaller amount of calories per day.^{[21]
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Research source} Keep in mind, however, that this isn’t a good option for long-term weight loss. Try a low-calorie diet only under the supervision of a doctor or registered dietitian, and don’t keep it up any longer than they recommend.
- Eating a low-calorie diet may be dangerous if you’re pregnant, nursing, or have certain health conditions, such as a vitamin deficiency or eating disorder.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Is cutting carbs entirely going to help me lose weight?

Adrienne Youdim, MD
Board Certified Internist
Dr. Adrienne Youdim is a Board Certified Internist specializing in medical weight loss and nutrition and the founder and creator of Dehl Nutrition - a line of functional nutritional bars and supplements. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Youdim uses a holistic approach to nutrition that blends lifestyle changes and evidence-based medicine. Dr. Youdim holds a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MD from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She completed her residency training and fellowship at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Youdim holds multiple board certifications awarded by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Youdim is an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She has been featured on CBS News, Fox News, Dr. Oz, National Public Radio, W Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times.

Adrienne Youdim, MD

Board Certified Internist

Expert Answer

It might in the short term, but it's not a healthy way to lose weight over time. There are a lot of good carbs that you need to maintain healthy energy levels. Unless you're actively pursing the keto diet and you want to cut carbs out in a sustained, planned way, I wouldn't remove entire food groups.

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Question

Why does drinking water help you lose weight?

Adrienne Youdim, MD
Board Certified Internist
Dr. Adrienne Youdim is a Board Certified Internist specializing in medical weight loss and nutrition and the founder and creator of Dehl Nutrition - a line of functional nutritional bars and supplements. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Youdim uses a holistic approach to nutrition that blends lifestyle changes and evidence-based medicine. Dr. Youdim holds a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MD from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She completed her residency training and fellowship at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Youdim holds multiple board certifications awarded by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Youdim is an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She has been featured on CBS News, Fox News, Dr. Oz, National Public Radio, W Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times.

Adrienne Youdim, MD

Board Certified Internist

Expert Answer

There actually isn't a lot of good concrete science to explain it, but there's plenty of evidence that drinking a lot of water will help. It's more of a common sense thing. Water help your metabolism and keeps you hydrated, which can help you maintain energy levels and stay healthy.

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Question

What can I do if I just keep eating too much?

Adrienne Youdim, MD
Board Certified Internist
Dr. Adrienne Youdim is a Board Certified Internist specializing in medical weight loss and nutrition and the founder and creator of Dehl Nutrition - a line of functional nutritional bars and supplements. With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Youdim uses a holistic approach to nutrition that blends lifestyle changes and evidence-based medicine. Dr. Youdim holds a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MD from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She completed her residency training and fellowship at Cedars-Sinai. Dr. Youdim holds multiple board certifications awarded by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists, and the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Youdim is an Associate Professor of Medicine at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She has been featured on CBS News, Fox News, Dr. Oz, National Public Radio, W Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times.

Adrienne Youdim, MD

Board Certified Internist

Expert Answer

Try drinking a tall glass of water when you get hungry. If you still feel hungry afterwards, then you can eat. A lot of people actually mix up their hunger and thirst signals, It's easy to mix them up just because your brain processes those signals more or less identically.

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Tips

Keep your expectations realistic—you’re not likely to lose a lot of weight in the space of a week, and losing too much weight too fast can be unhealthy.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

When you're eating because you're bored, do something active like going for a walk, working out, or cleaning your home. Avoid passive activities like watching a movie because you may munch on more snacks than you intend to.
Make your weight loss journey fun by switching up exercises! Keep a planner for your workout, and choose different activities. On Monday you could go swimming but on Tuesday you go for a jog instead.
Make sure you have nothing sweet or unhealthy in the house and only keep healthy options around, it helps you make better decisions about what you eat.

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Warnings

Don’t make major changes to your diet or exercise routine without consulting your doctor. Depending on your age, current weight, and any medical conditions you may have, making changes like these without medical supervision could be dangerous to your health.

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