How to lose weight fast in a week | Tips for a healthy body

Table of contents:

• Are you born overweight?

• What should be the normal weight of an individual?

• Does obesity increase your age?

• What are the disadvantages of being overweight?

• 15 ways to lose weight quickly

• In how much time can you lose weight?

• Does prolonged sitting cause obesity?

• Summary

One of the most significant challenges faced by our community is weight loss. It’s not just about being physically fit, and having an aesthetic presence, instead, a healthy body leads to a healthy mindset. Furthermore, your body has a significant impact on your society and surrounding. What do people think of you? Are you a role model for someone in sense of health? Should you keep living life being an obese person? Live life in such a way that you don’t have to worry about all these questions. Start following the tips mentioned on this website to lose weight fast.

Are you born overweight?

This question may arise in your mind if you are overthinking due to weight. Well, the answer is yes, and perhaps, no. There are 3 different types of the human body, and each of us is having a body that falls into one of these 3 categories. Obese individuals fall into the endomorph category. The mechanism of the body of these individuals is set to default by birth in such a way that they tend to gain weight easily even if they consume a very little number of calories. The reason behind this thing is the slow metabolism, which means that more fat is accumulated in the body, instead of being digested. The reason behind becoming an endomorph by birth lies here.

What should be the normal weight of an individual?

According to the World health organization, the weight of an individual is normal if his/her BMI (body mass index) falls between 18.5-24.9 kgm-2. [1] If you are under this value, then you are considered underweight, and vice versa. If your BMI is more than 30, you are considered obese. For an individual who is 5’9, the normal weight must be 125-168 lbs. or 56.6-76.2 kg. [2][3]

Does obesity increase your age?

The obesity paradox i.e., obesity improves survival and decreases mortality, is seen among patients with wasting conditions such as AIDS, Renal failure, Heart failure, etc. But this conclusion contradicts evidence from various epidemiological studies, which conclude that increased adiposity (accumulation of excess fat in the body) is related to increased mortality rate and less age in people suffering from cancers. Some of these cancers are listed below:

• Colon
• gallbladder
• Kidney
• Pancreas
• liver
• Female breast
• Endometrium

Furthermore, reduced physical activity that results in increased body fat has also been seen to increase the mortality rate. Hence, the ideal would be to maintain a healthy body i.e., Neither less nor overweight. 

What are the disadvantages of being overweight?

Accumulation of excess fat in the body proves very dangerous for health. It can promote the following disease & disorders:

• Atherosclerosis
• Tumorigenesis
• Inflammation
• Insulin resistance
• Aging & Neurodegeneration
• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Furthermore, the increased BMI associated with an unhealthy diet has been seen to cause cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer. Fat gained in early adulthood can cause cholelithiasis. An obese person suffers through visceral adiposity, macrophage infiltration, excess production of adipokines (a hormone released by adipose tissue), dysfunctional enlarged adipocytes, and deposition of ectopic fat in the liver, pancreas, kidney, and skeletal muscles, all resulting in the weight gain.[1]

16 ways to lose weight quickly

Nowadays, losing weight is a very easy task due to social media awareness and expanded boundaries of knowledge. Following are some of the ways to lose weight as soon as possible:

1: Eat a healthy breakfast & never skip it

Breakfast is the 1st meal of the day that breaks the fast after the longest period of sleep. It is the most important meal of the day, and it deserves special attention. Many researchers have concluded that it has numerous benefits including weight loss and enhancing cardio-metabolic functions. According to research, it was found breakfast skippers had lower intakes of dietary fibers and micronutrients, and higher intakes of saturated fatty acids. While those who consumed breakfast on regular basis had lower intakes of fat and sodium, and higher intakes of dietary fiber, micronutrients, and vitamins B12, C, and D. [4]

2: Chew food properly

An effective strategy to avoid being overweight is to chew food slowly. It simulates diet-induced thermogenesis or thermic effect which increases the energy expenditure above the basal fasting level which enhances digestion, absorption, and transport thus making the metabolism fast.[5]

3: Increase fruit & vegetable consumption

Fruits and vegetables not only prevent weight gain but also induces weight loss. They also help to lower the risk of cardiovascular disorders and enhance blood pressure. Apples and pears are among the top fruits to reduce weight.[6]

4: Do heavy exercise daily

Doing exercise regularly has proved to be very beneficial. It has the following advantages:

• Helps in weight loss
• Increases lifespan
• Delays onset of 40 chronic disorders [7]
• Keeps you fit & energetic
• Increases cardiac output
• Enhances blood flow to vital organs
• Strengthens bones & muscles 
• Improves metabolism

5: Don’t sleep immediately after eating

Imagine something remains in your stomach for a very long time without even being digested properly. Nighttime eating is very harmful to your health. It can cause several cardiometabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes. According to some research, avoiding nighttime eating helps in weight loss.[8]

6: Drink plenty of water

Water comprises about 75% of adults and 55% elder’s bodies. Water not only keeps extra calories away but also lacks calories. This helps in weight reduction. If you don’t want to drink more water, then eat fruits that are rich in water content. 

7: Make diet plans

You make maps before constructing the building. Similarly, you make prototype blueprints before launching a car or machine. The same thing applies to the body with which you work and live. Hence you have to make a diet plan that will tell you what to eat and when to eat.

8: Avoid alcohol and quit smoking

Alcohol is very rich in calories and can cause weight gain if consumed excessively. Drinking calorie-rich drinks can cause excess belly fat. Fat is distributed to the whole body but more in the abdominal area which gives you an awkward look.

9: Avoid outings with friends

It is obvious that you will eat fast food if you are going outside with your friends or colleagues. And at that moment you can’t deny eating junk food if your partner compels you to. So, either make vegetarian friends or avoid going outside with them.

10: Medicines & Surgery

Weight loss medications and bariatric surgery are recommended for some obese individuals. But taking medications and doing treatment passively must be avoided so, prefer the natural ways of reducing weight.[9]

11: Don’t hurry, hustle consistently

Empires are not built overnight, consider your body as an empire that needs to be renovated. It takes time but at least it is possible. Keep struggling until you achieve it. Read it again.

12: Weigh once weekly and make targets

As I mentioned before, make targets and plans, they’ll give you motivation not to leave the path of struggle. At least weigh once per week, and keep a specific number in your mind, the number you want to see on the weighing machine after a week.

13: Motivate yourself

Set an alarm, get up early in the morning, do breakfast, do exercise, take a cold shower, and stand in front of the mirror to ask yourself your aim. For achieving a big aim, you have to make small objectives. If your aim is to get leaner, make an objective of losing specific weight on specific days.

14: Read articles & journals

Reading articles can give you more knowledge regarding weight loss, plus you can also motivate yourself further by reading stories of people who lost weight. Also, read cooking articles, this will help you develop an interest in cooking and nutritious food.

15: DIY: Learn to cook new nutritious things

Cooking is also an exercise, an exercise of mind and soul in which you first enjoy and then eat your own nutritious food. Cooking is a kind of hobby that pursues you to like nutritious food. So, learn new things from YouTube and other social platforms to engage yourself in activities other than eating junk food. 

16: Ignore what people say

The best way is to leave the way for them and move on toward your way. People always make fun of you whenever you are going through a difficult phase. Just tighten your belt and never stop hustling. Try avoiding the people even if they make you angry and do annoying things.

In how much time can you lose weight?

It depends on your body fat if you have more than 30 BMI, which means you are obese, then it may take some time to lose weight, but you have to be consistent. Some researchers have proved with experiments that it may take up to 2 years if you completely want to transform from an obese individual into a normal-weight person. But it also depends on the body type. If you are endomorph then it may take some time to reduce weight, and if you are mesomorph then it may take very less time to lose weight. Generally, ectomorphs are those who don’t gain weight due to fast metabolism but if you are an ectomorph who gained excess weight due to extreme eating, then it is very easy for you to lose weight. [10] If you don’t know about these body types, please visit here.

Does prolonged sitting cause obesity?

It’s just a myth. Actually, the amount of fat is the same in your body but the reason for excess belly fat is the accumulation of that fat in your abdominal cavity that can cause uncomfortable feelings and swelling. Lowering the amount of prolonged sitting is not associated with a decline in glucose concentration and fat.[11]

Summary

• Weight gain is a serious health problem worldwide.
• Weight gain leads to several diseases.
• Weight gain is obvious if you are an endomorph.
• There are several ways to reduce weight, just be consistent.
• Prolonged sitting does not increase fat, instead accumulates the already existing fat in the belly. 

References

1. Fontana, L., & Hu, F. B. (2014). Optimal body weight for health and longevity: bridging basic, clinical, and population research. Aging cell, 13(3), 391–400. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.12207

2. Body mass index table: BMI Chart (nih.gov)

3. Adult BMI interpretation: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_BMI/english_bmi_calculator/bmi_calculator.html

4. Gibney, M. J., Barr, S. I., Bellisle, F., Drewnowski, A., Fagt, S., Livingstone, B., Masset, G., Varela Moreiras, G., Moreno, L. A., Smith, J., Vieux, F., Thielecke, F., & Hopkins, S. (2018). Breakfast in Human Nutrition: The International Breakfast Research Initiative. Nutrients, 10(5), 559. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10050559

5. Hamada, Y., & Hayashi, N. (2021). Chewing increases postprandial diet-induced thermogenesis. Scientific reports, 11(1), 23714. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-03109-x

6. Arnotti K, Bamber MD, Brewer V. Dietary interventions and blood pressure in overweight or obese individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. 2022 Apr;41(4):1001-1012. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.06.003. Epub 2021 Jun 11. PMID: 35031150.

7. Ruegsegger GN, Booth FW. Health Benefits of Exercise. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018 Jul 2;8(7):a029694. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a029694. PMID: 28507196; PMCID: PMC6027933.

8. Kinsey, A. W., & Ormsbee, M. J. (2015). The health impact of nighttime eating: old and new perspectives. Nutrients, 7(4), 2648–2662. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu7042648

9. Koliaki, C., Spinos, T., Spinou, Μ., Brinia, Μ. E., Mitsopoulou, D., & Katsilambros, N. (2018). Defining the Optimal Dietary Approach for Safe, Effective and Sustainable Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 6(3), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6030073

10. Institute of Medicine (US) Subcommittee on Military Weight Management. Weight Management: State of the Science and Opportunities for Military Programs. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2004. 4, Weight-Loss and Maintenance Strategies. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221839/

11. Bailey, D. P., Stringer, C. A., Maylor, B. D., & Zakrzewski-Fruer, J. K. (2022). Lower Amounts of Daily and Prolonged Sitting Do Not Lower Free-Living Continuously Monitored Glucose Concentrations in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Randomised Crossover Study. Nutrients, 14(3), 605. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030605