How to Drop 20 Pounds Fast – Can You Lose 20 Pounds in 2 Weeks?
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Want to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks? Well, losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks is nearly impossible.
However, you can drop 20 pounds fast without compromising your health by using risky diet fads or weight loss supplements by using the tips in this article!
Perhaps you’re trying to stick to your New Year’s resolution, or maybe you have an event like a wedding coming up soon so you want to lose 20 pounds fast? Or, do you simply want to be a healthier version of yourself and get an aesthetic body?
Regardless of the reason, losing 20 pounds doesn’t need to seem like an impossible process. In fact, all it takes is a bit of simple math, a strategic plan, and a few weeks of focus and dedication!
As a Certified Personal Trainer and someone who has spent a large majority of their life inside gyms and fitness center, I am confident that my advice will help you drop that 20 pounds and teach you who to live a healthy life for years to come!
Can You Lose 20 Pounds in 2 Weeks?
I won’t mince words, losing 20 pounds in two weeks is an unhealthy goal. Although some people can lose close to this month when you combine the natural loss of water weight as you change your diet with a healthy amount of fat loss, trying to drop 20 pounds in 2 weeks is unnecessary and can actually prevent you from achieving long-term healthy weight loss.
Losing weight too quickly, such as 20 pounds in 2 weeks, can cause metabolic adaptations to weight loss which can result in weight cycling and long-term issues with weight management.
Personally, I only recommend people try to lose 2 pounds per week, or at most drop 10 pounds in a month.
Honestly, dropping 20 pounds in 2 weeks will be impossible for most people.
Sticking to more marginal goals will allow you to use permanent weight loss solutions that will help you develop a healthy lifestyle, along with getting your dream body.
How Many Calories to Burn to Lose 20 Pounds?
To lose one pound of body fat, you need to burn approximately 3,500 calories more than you consume. If you want to lose 20 pounds, you are going to need a calorie deficit of 70,000 calories!
Most people can maintain a healthy calorie deficit of 500-1,000 calories per day, which is why I suggested trying to lose 2 pounds per week.
However, for some people, making a significant diet change can promote additional weight loss because your body is likely holding onto large amounts of fluid which will be removed from your body when you begin consuming less simple sugars and more nutrient-dense foods.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, here are the steps you can take to lose 20 pounds as fast as possible, in a healthy way:
How to Lose 20 Pounds Fast
Step 1: Use the Best Diet to Lose 20 Pounds Fast
If you want to lose 20 pounds fast, the first step is to develop a diet plan that works for you.
But, what is healthy eating? Healthy eating does not mean restricting overall food consumption. In fact, it doesn’t even mean completely restricting your favorite foods, even if that includes some “unhealthy” foods.
Instead, you want to consume a well-balanced diet of nutrient-dense foods and drinks, while allowing yourself the occasional or rare indulgence.
There are many diet plans you can follow such as Intermittent Fasting or Flexible Dieting, but I prefer to suggest broad rules for healthy eating which can help people lose weight. If you are interested in learning more about specific diet plans for weight loss, there are a variety of articles on my website where you can find additional information on my favorite options.
Here are a few rules you can quickly adopt into your diet plan for losing 20 pounds fast:
Eat Real Foods
The simplest eating tip that will undoubtedly improve your health and help you lose 20 pounds fast is to just eat real food.
We are constantly surrounded by “fake” processed foods that are low in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, amongst other nutritional properties, but you have to avoid these! They might be easy to find and easier to eat, but they’re also full of added sugars, unhealthy fats, and nothing good.
They’re empty calories, more or less.
Learning how to read nutrition labels is a good start, as you can look for foods that don’t contain added sugars, saturated fats, and processed ingredients.
Additionally, you should try to consume as many fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and other whole foods as possible.
Whole foods are generally higher in fiber and protein which will keep you satiated longer and help you with reducing your overall calorie intake each day.
If you want to find out more excellent information on which foods make for awesome healthy meals, you can check out Sun Basket Meal Delivery. Sun Basket Meal Delivery is an excellent option for anyone looking to making eating healthy meals easier. Also, their website has loads of tips on healthy meals and meal prep.
Skip the Refined Carbs
There’s a bit of a health myth right now that carbohydrates, in general, are bad. However, not all carbs are created equally, and the carbohydrates you choose to include in your diet play a key role in whether or not you will drop 20 pounds fast.
Unfortunately, many high-carbohydrate foods have been highly processed. This process removes the fiber and most of the nutrients, making them essentially “empty calories.”
Refined carbohydrates are linked to a number of diseases, but they are abundant in processed foods at the grocery store or fast-food restaurants and are more frequently found than the best complex carbohydrates.
However, if you want to lose that 20 pounds fast, it’s time to break up with the refined carbohydrates and embrace a new world of carbohydrates!
A simple way to avoid consuming too many unhealthy carbohydrates is to look at the “added sugar” on nutrient labels. Added sugars are nearly always unhealthy!
Additionally, you can look for products that contain whole grains, which contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined grains. Lastly, feel free to consume as many whole fruits and vegetables as you would like.
Don’t Drink Your Calories
One of the best tips for dropping 20 pounds fast is to avoid drinking your calories. If you love things like soda, sweet tea, energy drinks, and coffee with tons of sweeteners, these are likely getting in the way of your health.
Contrarily, you should readily consume natural drinks that will stimulate your metabolism.
Coffee, water, and tea are all very healthy and should be consumed throughout the day.
My favorite coffee is Puroast Low Acid Coffee, and I also believe it is the best weight loss coffee as well.
While one sugary drink from time to time as a treat won’t ruin your whole health outline, you have to be careful of just how many calories you’re consuming from drinks.
Did you know that your brain doesn’t measure calories from liquid sugar the same way it does solid food? It’s easy to drink these beverages without a second thought, but they’re just as harmful as those sweets you know so well.
Having one sugary drink on a cheat day is okay, but you want to make sure you don’t have them more than once in a great while.
You can enjoy yourself, just keep it under control.
The exception to this would be a protein or superfood supplement that delivers nutrients instead of empty calories.
Eat More Plant-Based Foods
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is vastly flawed. The Standard American Diet often contains too many processed foods, refined rains, saturated fats, and other foods that increasing inflammation and promote weight gain.
Who’s the real star of the show? It should be fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and other plants!
Veggies and fruits are not only inexpensive and easy to prepare, but they’re also loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
You certainly don’t have to give up lean meats, eggs, and other animal foods, but you want to prioritize whole plant foods as much as possible.
There are even many amazing plant-based protein sources if you are nervous about not consuming enough protein.
You don’t necessarily need to stick to a vegan or vegetarian diet to lose 20 pounds fast, but you will definitely notice how much more energy you have each day and how much easier it is to lose weight when you include more plant-based foods in your diet.
Add Some Superfoods to Your Diet
If you truly want to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, using the right natural supplements and superfoods can significantly improve your ability to lose weight.
Personally, I use the superfood powder mixes from Your Super because they contain a variety of the best superfoods powders for weight loss and overall health.
Another great superfood powder you can try is Kyani Sunrise, which contains Wild Alaskan Blueberries amongst other superfood powders.
As for specific superfoods, acai is a common berry used in many popular dishes such as smoothies and parfaits that would make a wonderful addition to your plan for losing 20 pounds fast.
Acai berries are packed with loads of health benefits, including healthy fats, antioxidants, calcium, and fiber.
Turmeric is another great superfood that I always recommend.
In fact, turmeric is one of the healthiest superfoods on the planet!
Turmeric is a potent antioxidant and has many positive effects for reducing inflammation and other related health problems.
Additionally, you can use turmeric for weight loss.
Probiotics are another useful supplement to add to your diet for losing 20 pounds fast because they help your digestive system and produce healthy bacteria that support thousands of bodily processes.
I suggest Kimberly Snyder Vegan Probiotics or Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics, along with probiotic-rich food such as kimchi or kefir.
According to a study published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology,
“Flaxseed is emerging as an important functional food ingredient because of its rich contents of α-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3 fatty acid), lignans, and fiber. “
Potential health benefits of flaxseed include:
- Reduction of Cardiovascular Disease
- Treatment of Atherosclerosis
- Management of Diabetes (especially Type-2 Diabetes)
- Potential Treatment of Cancer, Arthritis, Osteoporosis, and Autoimmune and Neurological Disorders
Flaxseed delivers more ALA (Alpha Linoleic Acid) than any other plant-based food, which is an incredibly powerful antioxidant responsible for neuroprotection.
Last but not least, chia seeds are another type of superfood that you may want to add to your regular diet. Chia seeds are nutrient-dense but are also low in calories. They have a considerable amount of protein and fiber to keep you full.
Many people like to add them to drinkable things like water and smoothies because they absorb liquid.
All of these superfoods, and others, are excellent for your diet plan to drop 20 pounds quickly because they are nutrient-dense and promote your basal metabolic rate by optimizing the performance of your body!
Related Reading: Pros & Cons of Superfood Powders
Eat Low Calorie, Filling Foods to Suppress Your Appetite
One of the worst things about dieting is having to deal with hunger, and certain foods are better than others when it comes to providing satiety and making those hunger pangs go away.
As I mentioned before, foods high in fiber and protein will certainly help you drop 20 pounds fast. Fortunately, some of the best appetite suppressant foods may already be inside your fridge, and if not, you can easily get them at the grocery store!
For example, eggs are such a common and popular item. They are also a versatile food choice that can be cooked in a number of different ways, and a meal that contains eggs can be very quick and easy to prepare.
Eggs are filling as well, and during a study that compared the value of eggs to that of bagels (for weight loss), researchers discovered breakfasting on eggs can reduce hunger levels for up to 24 hours!
Turkey is a great meat that is high in protein and low in fat. It also has another virtue that makes it a deserving contender for some of the shelf space in your fridge: turkey is a good source of tryptophan (amino acid). When tryptophan enters the brain, it is converted to serotonin.
This feel-good hormone improves your mood and reduces your appetite, so gobbling up some turkey could help you look as good as you feel!
Additionally, scientists have discovered people who eat a diet that contains plenty of fish tend to be experience reduced hunger levels.
This is believed to be due to the way certain compounds in the fish interact with a hunger-suppressing hormone called leptin. There are a variety of types of healthy fish that can help you drop that 20 pounds, but salmon is one of the best types of fish to eat for weight loss because it contains valuable micronutrients and it is very filling.
Not only does salmon contain necessary Omega-3 fatty acids and the protein that your body needs, but it also contains Vitamin D. Along with helping you lose weight, these nutrients make your hair shine and your skin smoother.
Hummus is a tasty Middle Eastern dip that mainly consists of chickpeas.
A study published in Appetite, in April 2010, found eating 104g of chickpeas per day provides the stomach with an increased sense of fullness, while also improving bowel regularity.
Step 2: Use These Supplements to Help You Lose 20 Pounds Fast
Along with your healthy diet plan, you should also use a few supplements for weight loss. I suggested some superfood powders you can find in supplement form above, like turmeric, but there are other weight loss supplements and diet pill options that work as well.
If you are going to use supplements to lose weight, I suggest you use natural fat burners.
Although you can combine a few individual supplements together, my suggestion for you is to use RSP Nutrition AminoLean.
AminoLean is an excellent weight loss supplement because it combines multiple well-researched weight loss ingredients (L-carnitine, CLA, green tea extract and green coffee bean extract), with natural caffeine and amino acids.
In my opinion, the best way to use this supplement to help yourself lose 20lbs is by taking it between your breakfast and lunch.
This will provide you with energy for your day, increase your metabolism, and burn calories faster.
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Step 3: Use This Workout Plan to Drop 20 Pounds Fast!
Although I still don’t believe you can lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks unless you are significantly overweight, if you follow all of my advice, I am sure you will lose a significant amount of body fat!
There are tons of ways you exercise to lose weight, but some are certainly better than others. My first advice is to begin with a 30-45 minute walk each morning on an empty stomach.
You can drink some green tea or oolong tea before your walk, but don’t eat anything or drink anything with calories!
Doing this “fasted morning cardio” is a great way to burn calories, speed up your metabolism, and improve your digestive system.
After that, I suggest trying to do some form of strength training or resistance training a few times per week. If possible you should try to do four or five resistance training sessions per week.
If you are a fan of high-intensity exercise, I suggest you try Tabata Intervals.
Along with those workouts, you can also do intense cardio workouts such as using the Jacobs Ladder or HIIT jump rope workouts.
Concluding Thoughts – The Fastest Way to Lose 20 Pounds
Are you ready for a real change? It’s easy to adjust your weight and physique with the tips above. There are no sacrifices or fad diets needed, just a few key changes.
Learning about how you eat will go a long way towards improving your overall health, and helping you to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks. Along with the tips listed above, you should also make sure you get enough sleep each night.
While we don’t usually think about sleep when it comes to losing weight, yet, these two things are very related. Poor sleep drives insulin resistance and affects your appetite hormones. In fact, poor sleep has proven to be one of the strongest risk factors for weight gain and obesity. Who knew a great night’s sleep was so important? If you are going to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks, you need to make sure you get enough sleep!
Get started today with these diet, exercise, and lifestyle tips to see a huge change in your life!
Trying to lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks might be hard, but with a set regime of healthy eating, dieting, working out, you will lose 20 pounds very fast!
Read Next: The Best Home Remedies for Weight Loss
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