Lose 15 Pounds in 3 Weeks

Losing 1 lb. (0.45 kg) of fat requires a 3,500-calorie deficit. You should aim to create a calorie deficit of approximately 2,000 calories per day if you want to lose 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) in 3 weeks. You can lose 12 lbs. through exercise and diet, in addition to several lbs. of water weight, in 21 days.

Steps

Cutting Carbs and Sugar

1. Get your family on board. It will be difficult to cut the kind of calories you need without a change in how you cook and eat as a family. Encouraging your family to eat healthy and be active with you will set you up for success.
2. Reduce your carbohydrates and increase your lean protein. You should never eat a meal that is comprised of more than 40 percent healthy carbohydrates. This means that if you eat a carbohydrate, it should be a root vegetable, ancient grain or whole grain—refined white carbs are out.
3. Download a calorie counter app to help you track your progress. Apps like My Fitness Pal Free Calorie Counter will allow you to input your food while you are on the go. Studies have shown that journaling and keeping a food diary is effective in encouraging calorie reduction and weight loss.
   • The reason a food diary might help with weight loss is that the person who writes down all they eat is less prone to mindless eating. The act of writing it down makes you accountable.
   • Use your calorie counter to see how much you can safely cut from your diet. Although 1,000 calories through diet is your goal, women should reduce to no less than 1,500 calories per day. Men should reduce to no less than 1,800 calories per day. If you are near these numbers already, your diet may need less adjusting than your activity plan.
   • Remember that increased exercise can make you hungrier. Snack on healthy snacks frequently, and consider splitting your meals so that you eat more often and stay more satisfied.
4. Never skip meals. People who skip meals, especially breakfast, tell their body to store fat. Give priority to breakfast, a snack 2 hours before you exercise and a meal after you exercise, since you will burn more calories with a boosted metabolism.
5. Drink only water, green tea and coffee for three weeks. Make sure you are not adding calorific sweeteners or full fat milk to your tea or coffee. Alcohol, soda and sugary coffees can increase your calorie consumption by 200 or more per drink.
   • Coffee has been shown to actually boost your metabolism.
6. Follow the 40/40/20 rule. You should have 40 percent healthy carbs, 40 percent lean protein and 20 percent healthy fats at each meal. The following are good guidelines for this meal plan:
   • Make sure at least 20 percent of your healthy carbs are from produce. Try spinach salads, red potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, peppers and other nutrient-rich veggies.
   • Try to replace some of your whole grain breads and pastas with legumes, such as chickpeas, black beans and pinto beans. Ancient grains like quinoa and wild rice are better for you than whole grain bread.
   • Eat lean proteins like egg whites, low-fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, salmon, tuna, chicken breasts, turkey breasts and low-fat cuts of other meat.
   • Choose monosaturated fats, like olive oil and avocado, peanut butter, nuts and seeds over saturated fats from full-fat dairy (butter) and animal fats (bacon fat).
7. Take 1 day off of your calorie reduction each week. Choose a different day than the day you rest from exercising. Avoid eating to excess, but allow yourself to eat things that satisfy you and fulfill cravings.

Increasing Activity Levels

1. Bike or walk on your commute to work. If you cannot replace the entire commute, park further away and walk. Incorporate 15 minutes of biking or 30 minutes of walking into both morning and evening commutes.
2. Schedule 1 to 1.5 hours of exercise time into your day. Take 1 day of rest per week for optimum results.
3. Sit for 3 hours or less on weekends. Studies have shown that sitting for more than 3 hours a day can actually reduce our lifespan. Choose gardening, sports, hiking and even shopping over movies, video games and TV for at least the next few weeks.
4. Do at least 45 minutes of high-intensity cardio intervals 6 days out of the week. Do a 5-minute warm up and cool down period. Then, work out at medium-intensity for 4 minutes and high intensity (sprint) for 1 minute.
   • Repeat until you get to your last 5 minutes.
   • Decrease your medium intensity resting periods and increase the number of sprinting intervals you do as you build strength.
   • Studies have shown that obese people who need to lose weight quickly should start doing cardio training for a little while before taking on strength training.
   • Aerobic exercise is essential for overall body fat reduction.
   • If you walk for exercise, try to walk uphill. Trading in hills for flat ground is similar to adding intense intervals, as long as you avoid stopping regularly.
5. Lift weights for 30 to 45 minutes every other day. Hire a personal trainer to choose bodyweight exercises, free weights and weight machines that are at your fitness level.
6. Do a high-intensity fitness class, in place of a gym workout, if you get bored easily. Try boot camp, barre method, flow yoga, aerobics or muscle pump classes. They are usually between 45 minutes and 1 hour and many classes include both strength training and cardio intervals.

Reducing Water Retention

1. Drink plenty of water. Increasing water consumption when you are working out, and in general, will flush excess water and salt through your system.
2. Lay off the salt during these 3 weeks. Sodium retains water. Use other spices, like chili pepper, cumin and garlic to flavor your food.
3. Try a sauna. You can try sweating out some water 20 minutes before you weigh yourself for an extra boost. Keep in mind that you will need to replace the water you lost through sweat to stay healthy and hydrated.

Tips

• Remember that although you can calculate calories, weight loss can be unsteady. People are more likely to lose weight quickly in the first 2 weeks and then plateau. Weightlifting and high intensity intervals can help you boost your metabolism through a plateau.

Things You'll Need

• Free weights/weight machines
• Coffee
• Water
• Sauna

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Sources and Citations

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