Is it possible to lose 10 pounds in a week?
Although it might be possible to lose 10 pounds in a week, it is not recommended and is unsafe for most people.
Losing a pound requires a caloric deficit of 3500. This means a deficit of about 35000 to lose 10 pounds. In a week, this comes to about 5000 daily. It’s impossible and unrealistic for most people to achieve such a deficit, even with the combined efforts of diet and exercise.
In addition, most adults need to eat at least 2000 – 25000 calories to maintain their weight. It’s almost impossible to create such a high deficit with diet to lose 10 pounds in a week. Reduce your calories too low, and you risk damaging your health.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t burn as many calories exercising. This is why many lose weight programs will focus on changing your diet. Even the best cardio workouts such as cycling, running, or swimming burns a moderate amount of calories per session.
For example, a 185-pound person rowing vigorously burns only 440-calories in a 30-minute session. You would need to spend at least 5-hours exercising to burn enough calories to lose 10 pounds in a week. An unrealistic task that cannot be maintained long-term. As a result, you’re likely to gain back all the weight.
While it is understandable to want to lose 10 pounds as fast as possible, it is not worth risking your health to do it in a week. It’s best to have a more realistic timeframe in mind when trying to lose weight.
Is It Safe to Lose 10 Pounds in 1 Week?
It is not safe for most people to lose 10 pounds in a week outside medical supervision.
This is five times the amount most experts recommend you lose in a week. You would need to resort to extreme and problematic measures to achieve this goal. You might have to severely cut your calories or spend endless hours exercising to burn enough calories to lose 10 pounds in a week.
A safer and more realistic goal to have in mind is to lose 1 – 2 pounds in 1 week. This is what the CDC (center for disease control and prevention) recommends for healthy weight loss.
While it might seem like a slow and steady approach. It’s a safe and healthy rate for most people. Also, you don’t have to resort to extreme measures that will leave you feeling deprived.
Most experts recommend A moderate calorie reduction of 500 – 1000 calories. A small reduction is enough to jumpstart the weight loss process. Paired with exercise, this will help you lose weight in a week.
Most experts recommend that you aim to spend at least 200-minutes exercising. Combine cardio and weight training for best results. Also, choose exercises you enjoy doing to increase your willpower to work out.
Is it possible to lose 10 pounds in a week? Final thoughts
While you can lose 10 pounds in a week, it is not safe for most people. This type of rapid weight loss is best done under medical supervision.
Losing 10 pounds in a week requires a daily calorie deficit of 5000. An extreme amount for most people cannot be achieved without putting our health at risk. A more realistic timeframe to lose 10 pounds is anywhere between 1 1/2 months to 2 1/2 months.
