How to Lose Six Pounds a Week
Losing six pounds in a week is a difficult task, but one that may be necessary for athletes who participate in sports that require weigh-ins prior to competition such as wrestling, boxing or martial arts. The process of losing weight quickly for a competition is known as cutting weight; this process should not be used to promote long-term weight loss, as cutting weight involves losing water weight along with some body fat and waste.
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Instructions
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Reduce your calorie intake and only eat when hungry. Losing weight, especially losing a lot of weight quickly, requires limiting how much you eat. Avoid eating large meals that leave you feeling full. Instead try to eat many small meals, taking in just enough food to curb hunger and give you energy but nothing more. This will allow you to burn more fat and will reduce the amount of waste in your system, which can also reduce weight.
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Perform cardiovascular exercise every day of the week. If you have sports practice, that may be enough exercise to keep calories burning and sweat out some water weight. Otherwise jog or use a stationary bicycle for 30 minutes to an hour each day.
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Weigh yourself several times a day. When you are trying to lose a specific amount of weight in a specific amount of time, it is important to know what your weight is at all times to make adjustments to your diet, fluid intake and exercise regimen. If you lose six pounds ahead of schedule, lighten up on your physical activity to save strength for competition.
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Drink a normal amount of fluids for the first five days of the week, but reduce fluid intake during the last two days as weigh-ins approach. The body needs fluids to operate effectively, so drinking plenty of fluids will help you exercise early in the week and burn calories. As the weigh-in approaches, you should be lighter on hydration to lose extra pounds if necessary.
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Increase exercise during the last couple days of the week to lose the last few pounds if necessary. Some may find that limiting food intake and working out each day will be enough to drop six pounds by the end of a week without additional effort. Others may have to do extra cardio to sweat off the extra weight by the end of the week.
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Tips & Warnings
Cutting six pounds in a week will be more difficult for people that weigh less. If you have to sweat off some water weight to lose the full six pounds, rehydrate by drinking water and sports drinks after weigh-ins. If you are no longer able to sweat during physical activity drink water immediately and abort your attempt to cut weight. Cutting too much weight can lead to fatigue, which can cause poor athletic performance. Those looking to lose weight permanently should aim to lose pure body fat gradually by limiting calorie intake and increasing aerobic activity. It would take a tremendous physical effort on the level of running a marathon every day for a week to lose six pounds of pure body fat in a week.
Attempting to cut too much weight too quickly can lead to severe dehydration. Saunas and rubber suits should be avoided when cutting weight as they can cause very rapid and potentially dangerous water loss.
