What Science Says About Losing 15 Pounds in Less than 7 Days?

Internet is plagued with countless articles promising readers the ways to cut off a big chunk of their weight in unbelievably short span. While some of these ways are absurd “hacks” and “tricks”, others are legitimate that does help in losing weight.

The biggest challenge for today’s forward population, who wants everything done quickly, is to clutter through the crowd of these articles and find something worthwhile.

Lose 15 pounds quickly…

These are keywords on Google, YouTube, Yahoo and Bing, which are based on the most searched queries.

Here’s how quickly people want to cut their 15 pounds. Some wants to vaguely lose them “fast”, others are illogically ambitious with their wish to cut 15 pounds in just “3 days”

So now the question arises—is it really possible to lose weight that quickly?

…in 7 days

Here are few of the very popular methods that, many people swear by, help in cutting 15lbs of weight in 7 days:

Combine cardio and strength workouts- Combining cardio with strength workouts is one of the most effective ways to reduce weight in less time. Plan a perfect workout routine; mix resistance training with dead lifts, squats, pull-ups, push-ups and lunges. Consider 50-minutes workout session morning and evenings with 5 to 10 minutes of post-workout anaerobic conditioning. Invest in circuit training- Circuit training is a great tool to lose weight. Including resistance and aerobic training, it increases your heart rate and keeps it at a training level for the duration of the exercise session. This outcomes in improved cardiovascular and muscular endurance along with functional strength and fat loss. Get on a crash diet- Crash diet is a method to lose lot of pounds, in a short span of time, by reducing the calories intake to as low as 700 calories a day. (Recommended energy intake for the adults is around 2100 calories per day, mind you!). Not surprisingly, depriving yourself of so many calories and nutrition, keeping on this diet plan is difficult and promises strenuous days ahead before reaching the ultimate goal. Kill your appetite- Of course, when crash dieting, you have to be peculiarly selective in what you eat and when you eat. You have to keep tab of the calories you’re taking in and the amount you’re burning; there are foods that makes you even hungrier, foods that you must avoid, foods you must have every other hour. In short, in your quest to 15 pound weight loss, you have to kill your appetite. Write everything in your diary- Yes, when all is done at the gym, your next task, before resting, is to write. Write down your progress and goals. As irrelevant as this may look, it is one of the highly recommended steps to know where you are and where you want to reach.

These are 5 methods that vouch to reduce your weight by 15lbsin 7 days—that, of course, if you’re dedicated enough on your ambitious quest.

Look at the MMA fighters for instance

Over the course, we have seen countless instances when Mixed Martial Art (MMA) fighters had to cut back on significant pounds to fit in the right weight class. The recent example we saw was when Bellator’s Dada 5000 cut 49lbs in the weeks before his Mainevent fight against street fighter Kimbo Slice to make the 265lbs heavyweight limit.

In fact, “it is not uncommon for the fighters to lose 20 lbs in just 5 days,” reports Daily Mail.

So to put it all together, theoretically and practically, it is possible to lose your 15 pounds in 7 days—many have done this successfully and many others are doing it currently. However, there exist a wide range of side-effects of cutting this much of weight—especially if you aren’t known for your top-notch health.

The side effects of losing massive weight

Nausea, diarrhoea, constipation, fatigue, lethargy and frequent mood swings are some very common affects if your body is seeing a drastic transformation. Since lacking enough vitamins and minerals (sodium and potassium, in particular), you also risk the chance of malnutrition, which could lead of dehydration and cramping. Other problems include loose skin, gallstones, and liver issues, all of which could turn into something serious.

So, again, while cutting 15lbs off your weight in 7 days is possible—it is unhealthy, according to science.

So what do you do now? Do you just give up your dream for a gorgeous physique?

Well, not really!!!

Here are few solutions, backed by science, to lose weight but at the same time keeping the negative effect to the minimal point:

Solutions to counter the side effects

Understand the need of your body. Not so surprisingly, fat people lose weight faster than others. You will have loads of problems on the way if you drastically change your diet, or if it has been years since you last exercised. The point is, understand the definite need and requirement of your body properly and then only plan your diet and workout routine accordingly, without so much thinking about the time limit. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

While you might be looking for shortcuts, understand that gradual weight-cut is the best process. So instead of striving to magically transform your body, have a slow and steady process that doesn’t starve you and doesn’t bore you with HIIT workout sessions.

Although it might not be appreciated by the professional fitness buffs but the fact is that dieting is known to be more effective that the exercises. It is recommended that you combine both. But if can’t, when aiming to lose massive weight, eat less and invest in at least light activities.

Few years back, many would have overlooked the relevance of wearing the right workout apparels, but not today. The right fitness top, bottom and outwears plays a major role in the outcome of the workout sessions. With their high wicking and ventilation properties, they enhance the performance of the wearers, ensuring they workout harder and longer, which transcends into better outcome.

These are few broad, science-backed ways that, keeping a range of factors in mind, can help you reach your goal of cutting 15 pounds in 7 days with very less side-effects.

It is possible, says science, and you can do it too. But above and beyond, your foremost consideration shouldn’t be the “7 days” but the wellbeing of your health.