7 Ways to Lose Weight in 7 Days

You might have a big event coming up and want to fit into your little black dress, or maybe you have a vacation coming up and you want to look good in your bikini. It's hard to lose weight and there are always so many steps and plans to even consider before you can start losing weight. Here are a few quick ways that you can start losing weight in just a week!

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1. Drink water. Energy drinks and even smoothies can be about 100 calories each. Water has no calories or carbs and even little to no sodium. Cosmopolitan calls it the perfect slim-down drink because it helps to flush out extra water weight and helps to jump start your metabolism. If you hate the taste of water you can add a lemon wedge or some mint leaves!

2. Form a diet. 

• No sugars or starches: These foods are more likely to allow your body to stimulate the secretion of insulin. Insulin is the hormone that helps to maintain fat storage. When your insulin levels go down your body will start to burn fat instead of carbs. Lowering your insulin also helps your kidneys to shed excess sodium and water out of your body. This reduces bloating and water weight. Authority Nutrition even says if you start eating this way it's not uncommon to lose 10 pounds in the first week.
• Instead, eat protein, fat and veggies: For each of your three meals you should have a protein, fat and low-carb vegetable source. This should bring your carbs to about 20 to 50 grams per day which is the recommended range. A few ideas for protein sources are beef, chicken, pork, bacon, salmon, trout, lobster, shrimp and eggs. Ideal low-carb veggies are broccoli, spinach, kale, cauliflower, lettuce, cucumber and celery. You can eat a ton of these low-carb vegetables without going over your 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day! For the best cooking fat use coconut oil because the fats in it are more fulfilling than others and can boost your metabolism.

3. Exercise 3 to 4 times a week. Ideally, you should try to exercise up to 3 or 4 times a week. Cardio is a great way to lose weight because it keeps your heart rate up to lose calories. You can try spinning, running or jogging, swimming or even just walking. Another option is lifting weights; this allows your body to burn a few calories and stops your metabolism from slowing down. (via Nutrition Authority)

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4. Drink coffee an hour before exercising. Coffee helps to energize your workout without you even knowing that you're pushing yourself harder! It even helps to raise your metabolism a little. (via Cosmopolitan)

5. Add 30 minutes of sleep. Not getting enough sleep or sleeping badly is connected with weight gain and obesity, so it's important that you get enough sleep in every night. This added half hour will refresh you enough that you make better food choices. It might even make you less tired, so this time you won't feel like skipping the gym. Pushing for eight hours of sleep will boost your metabolism and add more muscle tone! (via Cosmopolitan)

6. Reduce stress. When you're stressed, you raise your cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause fat accumulation in your belly. The more stressed you are, the more likely you are to gain weight. With more sleep and less stress you can even prevent cravings. (via Nutrition Authority)

7. Use smaller plates. This may sound strange but using a smaller plate will help you lose weight! Studies have shown that people tend to eat less when they use smaller plates. A normal portion will look bigger on a smaller plate, so you feel like you're eating more than you should which will make you eat less. (via Nutrition Authority)

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