Lose Weight In A Week

Changing up your weight loss routine can be key to encourage the changes you're hoping to see, and you can transform your body with this body makeover plan. Learn a new tip each day and apply it to your diet and beyond to give you the edge you've been looking for.

1. Today you MUST set some goals

Even the lovely Beyoncé couldn’t achieve her svelte figure if she didn’t set some realistic goals. You might have read that you need to set some solid targets if you want to lose weight in the past, but have you actually ever set some? Most people skip this stage of losing weight and never manage to stick to their diets as a result, but aiming and working towards set goals can keep you on the straight and narrow for weight loss. 

To move onto the first stages of weight loss you must set at least one goal. How much do you want to weigh in six months time? What piece of clothing are you hoping to fit into? Think about what you want to achieve and give yourself that aim as the focus of your weight loss regime. How much weight do you want to lose? Do you want to be able to run 10k in under an hour? Do you want to drop a dress size?

To move onto the first stages of weight loss you must set at least one goal.

Once you have chosen a goal it’s time to get creative. Create a chart where you can monitor your progress visibly on a week-by-week basis. You should also set smaller goals that help you work towards achieving your main goal and add these to the chart.

Setting up a reward system is also good. For example, with every mini goal met; treat yourself to a new book, a trip to the cinema or a new piece of kit. Try to do some basic research as to the best methods tailored to your aim. Whether it's getting a food diary to keep calories under control, or working out an exercise plan to get into shape, reading some books, blogs or articles is a great way to get clued up on some weight loss tips. 

2. Tailor a healthy diet plan

The last thing you should do is cut your calories drastically, as restricting too many calories and cutting out food groups may help you shed the pounds at first, but is essentially extremely unhealthy. Cutting your calories too drastically can slow your metabolism down, decrease your muscles and put your body into starvation mode. This means that, your rate of burning calories will decrease and even cause you to gain weight as your body will begin storing food. 

So, how much should you be eating? 

There is no exact number of calories you should be consuming if you want to lose weight because everyone requires different amounts. However, the general proportion of calories that should be provided by each of the major nutrients, stays roughly the same for most people:

• 20 to 30 per cent fat
• 50 to 65 per cent  carbohydrate
• 12 to 17 per cent protein

However, according to research done in 2000, when you are dieting and trying to lose fat you should try to adapt to these amounts:

• 20 to 25 per cent fat intake
• 50 to 60 per cent carbohydrate intake
• Remainder from protein (usually meaning protein intake will be a little higher)

Put this into practice

To cut your fat intake by roughly five per cent, limit the amount of fat-heavy sauces and processed meats you eat. Exclude fatty foods that you would typically perceive as unhealthy such as fast food and sugary treats.

Some people when trying to cut fat will exclude dairy products but it is advised against this. Instead It is thought that calcium can promote weight loss, this is not an excuse to eat an entire block of cheese, but instead do not exclude it entirely from your diet. When trying to ensure that there is enough protein in your diet; eat lean meat, eggs, fish and nuts, and eat whole grain foods like brown rice and wheat bread to get your daily fix of carbohydrates.

3. Overhaul your exercise regime

Sweating it out on a treadmill every evening isn’t much fun, and alone is not the most efficient way to makeover your body. Rest is the key ingredient in any training programme and you need to let your body recover after a training session. Ideally you should rest after exercising a particular body area; focus your gym routine by days, legs one day, back another day and so on.

It is important on some days to take a break completely from exercise as burning yourself out will do nobody any good.

Breaking up your gym routine this way provides for adequate rest and recovery of the muscles. It is important on some days to take a break completely from exercise as burning yourself out will do nobody any good. 

To make sure you have the best exercise regime for you, create your own training plan so that you can schedule your sessions around your busy week. Aim to do around four sessions per week, doing a mix of cardio and weight training exercises to fully maximise your weight loss potential.  

Finding something you love to do is the key to success when it comes to exercise. Try new sports, such as rock climbing, skipping or roller derby, try attending some new fitness classes and experiment with your exercise regime to fully expand your workout repertoire. Trust us, you’ll reap the benefits if you try a few new things, even if you consider yourself to be an exercise pro.

4. Beautify your body

No makeover plan would be complete without a beauty section, because no matter how toned your body becomes and no matter how much weight you shed, if you don’t give your body a little TLC you will never feel body-confident, and as they say confidence is key.  Cellulite affects many women (as many as 80 per cent). Although it’s difficult to completely rid skin of that orange-peel look, you can help reduce the appearance of cellulite.

You can body brush, drink more water and eat foods containing essential fatty acids, such as flaxseed oil and oily fish, to banish cellulite from your body. Even just topping up your holiday tan can give skin a healthier and slimmer look, as no one likes being pale and pasty. 

Another tip that can help you to feel body-beautiful is to tackle any spots or acne you have. Applying an ice cube to a spot can help reduce the swelling and redness of the odd annoying spot, but if you suffer from acne research suggests that spearmint tea could reduce acne and hormone imbalances in women and might help you reduce the amount of spots you have. Applying a face-mask or a little sudocrem before bed can also do your skin wonders, helping you wake up fresh and clear-faced. 

Today you should target certain areas of your body, whether it’s your skin or your hair, giving them their much needed attention and restoration, helping you feel renewed and beautiful.

5. Learn how to improve your posture

Poor posture can lead to health problems and can make you look less attractive or larger, simply by how you may be standing. If you think you might be a sloucher, regularly realign your spine with this simple exercises, easily done through the day; for example stand with your back against a wall, keep your feet flat and tuck in your chin. Then walk away from the wall and see how long you can maintain this posture for. 

You can help to improve your posture through exercise too. Strengthening your thigh muscles and your abdominal muscles which accompany an array of exercises, will help you to maintain a good posture throughout the day. It may also be beneficial to take up yoga or pilates, strengthening your core and back muscles to keep your body upright, whilst aiding your fitness, strength and flexibility. 

6. Try something different in your plan.

Whether it's creating a new playlist for the gym, buying some new clothes, experimenting with some new recipes or even including a friend in your plan, any positive changes to your makeover plan will benefit you, both physically and mentally. Doing the same routine over and over again can become monotonous and boring, discouraging your body transformation.  If you enjoy doing something you are far more likely to dedicate time to it and so exploring new ways to makeover your body will encourage you to continue these behaviours into your lifestyle.  

Doing the same routine over and over again can become monotonous and boring, discouraging your body transformation.

How you enjoy your makeover plan is down to who you are. If you love music then create lots of great playlists to accompany your exercise sessions, or if you love a gossip find a makeover buddy who also wants to change the way they look and who can follow the plan alongside you. If you’re a creative soul starting a blog might help you get the most out of your plan. 

Only when you start to enjoy the elements of losing weight will it actually start to pay off, if you resent the gym or hate eating certain healthy foods, find a way to change them so that your motivation isn't hindered by boredom or apathy.

7. Pull everything together

Your week of exploring and learning new daily weight tasks should culminate into a realistic and feasible plan which you can continue until you've reached your ideal aims. Reaching the health and weight you want will be longer a single week, but approaching it week by week to keep your routine fresh and new is the key to keeping up any diet. 

You need to think about your diet and exercise, your beauty regime and posture. Setting achievable goals and including exciting and fun ways to stick to these goals. Your makeover plan should be a lot easier to create once you have something to aim towards, but remember to keep healthy and try and enjoy your weekly plans.