Losing weight is something tedious for most people.
Trying to stay on a diet or workout for too long can turn unbearable.
Especially when you try to lose 40 pounds; you want to do it like in 2 weeks, TOPS!
Right?
Perhaps because you proposed to yourself to lose weight this year…
But you didn’t really commit, and now your deadline is right in the corner!
Or maybe, you struggle with diets so much that you don’t want to progressively change your meals.
You just want a quick way down those undesirable extra inches.
And, problem solved!
But, is it possible to do such a thing as losing 40 pounds in 2 weeks?
If you are one of the interested in doing so, keep reading!
In this article, you will find important information that will change your life.
Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Weeks; is it really possible?
Here, you can find some quick math: to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks, you need to lose 2,85 pounds per day (1.3 kilograms).
First of all, you need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat.
A regular person requires to eat around 2500 (men) and 2000 (women) calories every day.
Reason finds a hole in this logic, right?
Unless you are a professional athlete, it’s technically impossible to lose 1 pound per day, so imagine trying to lose 2,8!
In short, no, you can’t lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks, and even if you do it, there will be severe consequences for your health.
Usually, weight loss obsession comes from tricky publicity that guarantees quick weight loss, giving unrealistic expectations.
Then, when someone tries to do it, and it doesn’t work, that person thinks there is something wrong with themselves, affecting mental health.
The truth is that losing more than 2 pounds a day can cause you many health problems.
Some of these dangerous so-called “miraculous diets” are diets based on starvation.
They rely on cutting more than 1000 calories per day, eating little, cutting all the carbs, or just drink lots of water.
Does Starvation Work To Lose 40 Pounds In 2 Weeks?
Starvation could make your body run out of essential nutrients, dehydratase, and enter itself into starvation mode.
During the first part, you’ll be losing only muscle and water instead of fat.
And when in starvation mode, the body slows the metabolism down to protect itself, so you won’t even be losing fat.
What About Intense Workouts?
Some of the workout programs that promise this kind of weight loss are not for everyone.
They’re meant for people with an already advanced training level because it’s ideal for them to lean up, losing those last pounds.
However, if you’re really overweight and want to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks, those types of training will probably be too much.
You could feel dizzy, throw up, faint, and in worst-case scenarios, even have a heart attack.
And The Water Weight Method?
There are still people that do achieve to lose weight fast using the water weight method without wrecking their health.
But these are usually professional athletes, dancers, trainers, or people under strict medical surveillance.
And the weight loss is only 1 or 2 pounds quickly for some game, presentation, or special situations; nothing too extreme!
Also, that weight comes back after a few days of not depriving yourself of water.
Sticking on this method for too long will produce several side effects.
It will make you dehydrate, constipate, give you headaches, muscle cramps, fatigue, confusion, urinary infections, and in some cases, compulsions or even death.
But hey! Don’t be scared! That doesn’t mean you can’t lose tons of weight!
There are some nice tricks, but it is something serious, and it won’t be in fifteen days.
But, if you do things right, you can get many benefits for your health and self-esteem.
How To Lose Weight The Healthy Way?
First, you need to stop thinking that it can be done in a few weeks; we already settled that.
As the maximum starting amount of weight to lose per week should be between 1 or 2 pounds (which will be our main focus later on this article!).
It can take you around 2 or 4 months to lose 40 pounds, or 3 and 5 months if you are a woman.
Trying to do it quicker than that will make you lose muscle, water, or even bone.
Additionally, to avoid weight obsession, you need to stop thinking only about how to lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks and start seeing it as a journey to make you healthier.
Do not pressure yourself to make it perfect; it is allowed to make some mistakes, like eating junk food once in a while, missing one workout, etc.
The important thing is to never give up, and even when you already archive your goal, keep some healthy habits to make it last!
Now that you are aware of how risky it can be to lose weight so fast, it’s time to read some advice to start a proper meal plan and a workout plan.
Warning: This is only advice and not intended to be medical or professional instruction. In case of doubts, it is better if you consult a neurologist or a professional trainer.
Successful meal Plan: What to add, what to avoid?
The goal of losing 2 pounds a week is to burn or reduce 1000 calories per day of your regular diet. Sounds a lot, right?
But, you’re not counting the calories you burn! And even so, you can also find a way to reduce some of them without starving.
Therefore, it’s convenient to count how many calories you eat every day to reduce them a little.
And then balance your nutrition between protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, lipids, and hydrates in consequence.
Here it is a list of foods you should consider on your new meal-plan:
NOTE: This list is based on the Paleo Diet, one of the most effective diets to lose weight quickly and safely. It’s also important to warn that this diet needs to go along with a workout plan. Otherwise, it won’t show results that easy.
What to add to your meal plan?
-Meat: Any kind of beef, chicken, turkey, etc. Try to eat considerable portions of this.
-Eggs: in any presentation, except fried.
-Fish and seafood: Especially salmon, shellfish, shrimp, etc.
-Fruits: Lots of kinds of fruit, like apples, pears, avocados, or any kind of berries, and why not? Even an occasional banana!
-Vegetables: Broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, kale, lettuce, beets, etc. All types of fresh vegetables, including tubers like potatoes (in moderation).
-Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seed, or some almonds. Those are the kind of snack you want to eat!
-Spices: give flavor to your meals using turmeric, lots of garlic, and rosemary.
-Natural fats and oils: Coconuts oils or olive oil.
What should be avoided?
Tip: the general rule is avoiding processed food. Simple!
-Sugar: Soda, pastries, fruit juices, candies, most sweets drinks (that contain sugar or artificial sweeteners), and desserts. It’s also good to avoid foods that contain high-fructose.
-Grains: Such as wheat, oats, barley, bread, pasta. Except for rice, eat rice in moderation
-Legumes: Peanut, all kinds of bean, lentils, etc.
-Dairies: Milk, yogurt, butter, or cheese.
-Trans fats: Usually found in margarine.
-Vegetal oils: Like sunflower oil or soybean oil.
It’s also essential to drink 2 L of water and sleep 8 hours every day to favor your digestion and metabolism. We cannot stress how crucial this part is!
Workout plan: exercises to Quicken Your weight loss Journey!
As losing weight is the real purpose, knowing how many calories you will burn on each exercise is essential.
Here is a short list with the most burning-calories workouts to give you an idea:
-Running: Effective and easy to do. Each hour of running burns 850 calories.
-Boxing: This exercise can make you burn 800kcals per hour.
-Swimming: Intense swim burns 700kcals every hour.
-Cycling: every hour of biking burns 850 calories.
-Aerobic dance: it can burn around 500 calories when done continually.
If you are expecting to lose weight quickly and increase your muscles, then you must consider including strength training – using training equipment like weights or dumbbells -. And functional training – Using your own weight.
This guarantees a better break of muscle tissue, so when recovered, the gained muscle mass is also higher.
On functional training, you can do:
– Squats
– Push-ups
– Strides
– Planks
– Deadlifts
– Abs Roll-out
– Leg raise
There are many possibilities with functional training. Choose the one that fits you well, depending on what part of your body you want to work on. And then vary them every day of the week.
On strength training, you can do:
– Weights lifting
– Exercises using elastics bands
– Kettlebell exercises (deadlift, swing, push press)
– Circuit training
Basically, it consists of combining some functional exercises with weight equipment.
Lose 40 LBS In 2 Weeks – Final Thoughts
These workout plans along with the tips mentioned earlier should help you burn 1000 calories per day and reaching your goal of losing weight without wrecking your health.
Be patient, and cheers yourself up to try it!
Trust us, there’s no joy if you lose 40 pounds in 2 weeks and then add all the weight again and again; it’s all in being able to sustain that body shape in the long term!
And in order for you to keep off the weight you lost, you need a well-balanced diet plan that makes your journey much easier – check out our recommendation here.
This is a very informative article. I especially wondered exactly the Paleo diet included and excluded. The addiction to processed food is something I struggle with and eating based on emotions, especially during this quarantine, is a real struggle. I’m slowly incorporating some changes for a full lifestyle change.
Thank you 🙂 Glad you liked it!