Want to Lose 10 Pounds in a Week? The Truth Behind Rapid Weight Loss

You’ve got an important event in a week’s time. A vacation, a photoshoot, a big meeting. You want to look your best, so you decide you’d like to try and slim down.

The question is: can you really lose 10 pounds in a week?

And even if you could feasibly make it happen — should you?  

Is it safe to lose 10 pounds in a week?

The controversy that surrounds crash diets and rapid weight loss is no joke. People get up in arms about this stuff, and it’s easy to see why.

So, we’re going to break things down by the numbers today and talk about the science behind rapid weight loss.

Can I Lose 10 Pounds in a Week?

So, you want to know how to lose 10 pounds fast. Real fast. As in —  a single week fast. 

Is it possible to lose 10 pounds in a week?

Short answer: yes.

But before you rush off to subsist on lemon, honey, and cayenne water for the next three days, there’s something you should know.

Week-long rapid weight loss typically doesn’t consist of much fat.

In fact, most of the weight you’re losing will be water weight.

Here’s how it works:

Eating a caloric deficit (which is what you’d need to do to lose 10 pounds in a week), results in lowered insulin levels. These low insulin levels encourage the body to burn glycogen, which can store three times its weight in water. 

Low insulin also encourages the kidneys to purge excess sodium, which reduces overall water retention in the body.

Can you lose 10 pounds in a week? Yes. But a good portion of that weight will be water. 

And such rapid weight loss isn’t likely to stick unless you plan on overhauling your eating habits long-term.

Is it possible to lose 10 pounds in 3 days?

Not only is it nearly impossible to lose 10 pounds in 3 days, but it’s also just plain irresponsible. 

This holds true for those seeking any form of rapid weight loss solution.

Doctors hold that it’s not necessarily the rapid weight loss that’s dangerous. It’s the methods people use to get themselves there.

Trying to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time typically has people reaching for dangerous diet products. We go to extreme measures in the pursuit of miraculous weight loss solutions.

And this can wreak havoc on our bodies.

What we need aren’t slimming teas or three-day crash diets. We need to reexamine our relationship with food.

“The entire diet industry is a scam,” explains Eric Edmeades, Author of Mindvalley’s WildFit Program. 

“The food and marketing industry is spending millions of dollars hiring psychologists and marketing experts to get you to eat food that boosts their profitability and destroys your body. We need to undo that.”

How Much Weight Can I Safely Lose in a Week?

So, you’re bound and determined to lose 10 pounds in a week? Well, there’s nothing wrong with being fired up to make some lifestyle changes.

But maybe this is a good opportunity to take a step back and ask yourself why you’d like to lose weight.

What’s the motivation behind your weight loss goal? 

Do you want to look good? Feel better? Build muscle? Shred fat?

Are you prepared to take an active step toward changing your life, not just over the course of a week, but long term? 

How much weight you can safely lose in a week is really up to you. Because as long as you’re pursuing safe and healthy methods of weight loss, your progress is entirely in your hands.

What is a healthy weight loss per week?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that losing 1 to 2 pounds per week is a healthy rate that can be safely maintained.

You can strive for more. You can strive for less. But aiming for a couple of pounds per week is pretty reasonable. 

In fact, several studies show that slow and steady wins the race: if that race involves permanently slimming down.

Losing weight at a slower, more reasonable pace increases your chances of keeping the weight off for good.

And those who embark on crash diets and experience rapid weight loss? They’re more likely to gain it back.

Is it realistic to lose 10 pounds in a month?

It’s quite possible to lose 10 pounds in a month. 

That’s a rate of approximately 2.5 pounds per week, which is both reasonable and safe.

But the question is: how do you go about it?

How many calories to lose a pound?

So, you want to learn how to lose 10 pounds fast. 

Well, it might help to understand what exactly needs to happen in your body in order to lose a pound.

Mayo Clinic suggests that you need to burn approximately 3,500 calories to lose one pound of fat. 

So, if you aim for long term weight loss of 1 to 2 pounds weekly, you should aim to cut between 500 to 1,000 calories from your daily diet.

The Truth Behind Rapid Weight Loss

Making a change isn’t easy. And there are plenty of reasons for wanting to lose weight. 

But before you embark on your weight loss journey, ask yourself what you want to do and why.

There are so many dangerous weight loss “solutions” out there that the truth behind rapid weight loss is often an ugly one. 

Quick fixes aren’t what we need. And resorting to extreme measures all for the sake of losing weight isn’t healthy — or safe.

What we need is a shift in the way we perceive food and nutrition. 

“‘Diet’ does not mean ‘temporary alteration of your life for short-term gain,’” explains Eric Edmeades. “It means, ‘way of life.’”

Pursuing a healthy diet filled with whole foods that provide proper nutrition? That’s what we should all aim for. 

We don’t need a temporary fix. We need a nutritional overhaul.

It’s never too late to start making changes. 

We experience true food freedom when we make food choices that support, nourish, and uplift the body.