Diet in a Week: How to Lose Weight If You Really Need to Lose Weight but Don't Have the Time

Weekly dieting is a reasonable compromise between exhausting fasting days and a long-term dieting lifestyle. Of course, the last option is the most effective in the long run, but what if you need to lose weight in the moment - for example, for a holiday, a party or a date? We tell you how to create a balanced and satisfying meal menu for the week, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.If you need quick results, a one-week diet is a great solution. Knowing what rules to follow will not only help you lose weight, but also solidify your success.

A week's diet: a brief introduction to the main contents

period:One week.result:Starting from minus three kilograms.rule:Limit the caloric content of your daily diet and exclude certain foods.Features:A crash diet not intended for regular use.Authorized products:Vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meats, dairy products.Prohibited products:Fatty meats, lard, baked goods, foods with added sugar, soda and store-bought juices.Contraindications:They can be any gastrointestinal disease and endocrine disorders. Before starting a diet, be sure to consult a doctor and get the necessary tests.What should your weekly diet look like? Would it make sense to suddenly stop eating all fatty foods, or remove carbs from the menu entirely? We won’t surprise you, but the truth is that it’s best to stick to a balanced diet and healthy eating principles. Most scientists hold the same view, and there’s no need to disbelieve them—their statements are based on a wealth of research.For example, expert Deirdre Tobias, associate professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School, talks about this based on data from 53 dietary studies involving more than 68, 000 people. People who follow a balanced diet show the best results.The week is a good period for dieting because you can get through it on motivation alone, and you won't have time to get bored with a limited list of products. However, the effects of a one-week diet will be just as short-lived as the restriction period. If you immediately resume eating normally, the weight will return. Below we’ll tell you how to exit a diet correctly so this doesn’t happen.Of course, there are many types of weekly meals. Although not all of these work according to the above principles, some are very effective over short distances. We will also tell you about some original diets, but we still recommend the following rules as the basis for a week of classic meals.

Healthy eating rules for the week

Of course, a week of dieting won't help you get rid of the long-term accumulation. But she will be able to instill good eating habits and motivate with a still-tangible "plumb line. "

Diverse diet

Healthy eating principles that should be followed throughout the week include a varied diet. Fill your table with meats, grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, dairy products, mushrooms and herbs. Caloric restriction does not cause any harm if the body receives a comprehensive supply of essential substances, trace elements, vitamins, minerals, amino acids.

Count calories

This is the main pitfall of the weekly diet. No matter how you look at it, if you want to lose weight you have to eat less. We won't tell you the exact calorie count because it's very individual, but it's easy to find dedicated calculators on the Internet. Calculate your basal metabolic rate and subtract 20-30%. This should be your daily calorie intake. But in no case should intake fall below 1, 000 calories per day – such a strict limit is not popular with nutritionists.

Eat five times a day

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks – eat less and more often so you don’t have time to feel hungry at the next meal. For snacks during the week of your diet, you should also choose something healthy - maybe a tomato with salt, but definitely not a sandwich. Even though scientists have been saying lately that the importance of breakfast is overrated and that you should eat when you're hungry, breakfast is important in this food system. If you don't feel like eating early in the morning, eat breakfast when your body is wide awake.

Choose fresh foods over processed foods

You'll definitely have to give up chicken nuggets, burgers, rolls, and pizza takeout for a week. These foods often contain a variety of flavor enhancers that only temporarily satisfy your hunger, and soon you'll want to eat again. Well, let’s not even say they’re extremely high in calories, but the quality of those calories leaves a lot to be desired.

Plan your menu ahead of time

All the above rules should make you aware that such a diet requires planning in advance. If you're hungry and the designated meal only has sausage in the fridge, you'll eat it, convincing yourself that nothing will happen if you just eat one meal. You know how it ends. But if you prepare all your vegetables and meats and plan your menu the day before, the chances of a breakdown are minimized.

One Week of Diet Results: What to Expect and How to Maintain It

If you follow all the rules, the results can be impressive. You can count on losing three to five kilograms. But if you resume your usual diet immediately after your weight loss event, or even start to get rid of those hard days, the weight will come back on. Therefore, you need to gradually stop eating during the week - you do not have to pay so close attention to the caloric content of the diet, but continue to choose vegetables and lean meat as the basis of the menu. Then at least some of the weight lost may not come back.

Sample meal menu for the week

The convenience of a one-week diet is also that the menu for the entire period can be written in great detail.When following the diet for a week, try not to skip meals to avoid feeling hungry. Food is best stewed, boiled or baked. For drinks, choose unsweetened coffee or tea. If you feel like the portions are too small for you, try drinking a glass of warm water before your meal. We offer a week's worth of sample menus, adapted to your calorie intake.

on Monday

• Breakfast: boiled eggs, cereal bread, 100 grams of low-fat cheese, half a grapefruit.
• Lunch: Lean borscht, 100 g of boiled veal, beet salad with plums.
• Dinner: 150 grams of lean steamed fish, 1 boiled potato.
• Snacks: apples, tomatoes.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Unsweetened oatmeal, carrots and celery.
• Lunch: 100 grams of boiled beef, cucumber, tomato and radish salad.
• Dinner: White yogurt without fillers, bran, 100 g low-fat cottage cheese.
• Snacks: half avocado, grain bread.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: chicken soup, 100 grams of boiled chicken tenders, two rye breads.
• Lunch: cabbage soup, 100 grams of boiled lean meat, spinach.
• Dinner: 200 g low-fat cottage cheese and grated apple.
• Snacks: a few oranges and cucumbers.

Thursday

• Breakfast: buckwheat porridge, a cup of low-fat kefir, fresh tomato salad.
• Lunch: grilled fish, rice, cucumber.
• Dinner: 200 g low-fat cottage cheese with dried apricots or prunes.
• Snacks: kiwi, grapefruit.

Friday

• Breakfast: Two boiled eggs, tomato, cucumber and green pepper salad.
• Lunch: boiled chicken fillet, buckwheat, vegetable slices.
• Dinner: Tuna, boiled green beans.
• Snacks: apples, pears.

Saturday

• Breakfast: porridge with dried apricots.
• Lunch: low-fat fish soup, rice, cereal bread, beet and carrot salad.
• Dinner: vegetable stew.
• Snack: Low-fat cottage cheese and prunes.

Sunday

• Breakfast: two eggs, omelette, tofu.
• Lunch: 100 g of boiled beef, lentils, cucumber and tomato salad.
• Dinner: 100 grams of roasted turkey, grain bread, green peppers.
• Snacks: plain yogurt, 30 grams of almonds.

One week of paleo eating

We discussed the most balanced eating options for the week, but here's what you need to pay attention to: You need to monitor your calories and pay attention to your cooking routine. There are other diet options where the food list is significantly smaller, but these diets promise better results. The downside is that these diets are not suitable for everyone, so under no circumstances should you try them without consulting a doctor.

Japanese food

The Japanese seven-day diet can be used as a one-week diet. The basic principles are low calories, maximum protein and fiber, and minimum carbohydrates. The diet is based on fish dishes, seafood, seaweed and soy cheese, and vegetables, with some fruit included. You should cook with simple, often seasonal ingredients. According to experts, the main advantage of this diet is that it is rich in fish, which contains healthy omega-3 fats. Avoiding foods with added sugar is also good for your health. However, this diet comes with its own risks. It is very strict and therefore may lead to stress due to hunger. Doctors do not recommend long-term use.

Kefir and buckwheat diet

It's a diet everyone is familiar with, one that's budget-friendly but frightening in its severity. If we are talking about fasting days, then only buckwheat and kefir sound normal; if we are talking about a longer period of time, then they are a test of willpower. As a weekly diet, we recommend slightly modifying the approach and adding fresh vegetables and dried fruits to the diet. Even with such relaxation, you can expect impressive results - a weight loss of three kilograms per week.The advantage of following the buckwheat diet for a week is that despite the meager diet, you will not feel hungry. The carbohydrate content in cereals is complex, so the feeling of fullness lasts longer. In addition, buckwheat is rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains fiber, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, folic acid, B vitamins and 18 amino acids. Kefir contains beneficial lactobacilli that aid in digestion. The prebiotic lactic acid bacteria not only aid in the digestion of kefir itself, but also in the digestion of other foods. Additionally, kefir is a source of protein and calcium.

egg diet

Another dietary approach that provides quick results. But as in the previous case, we recommend modifying the egg diet and adding at least vegetables and grapefruit to the egg diet. A week's egg diet shows the best results - you can lose 5 kilograms in 7 days, but, of course, the final figure depends on your starting weight and personal metabolic characteristics. This effect is achieved thanks to the biotin content that is abundant in eggs. It accelerates carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Planning a menu is easy - include eggs at every meal, maybe have grapefruit for breakfast, supplement eggs with fresh or stewed dishes at other meals.