How do I lose 5 pounds in 7 days?

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Merithyn
Merithyn Posts: 284 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Next week, I'm scheduled to have a new job physical. This physical will set my health insurance rates, so it's kind of a big one for me. The problem is that I am five pounds too heavy to qualify for the better rates. It doesn't matter that I'm a fairly solid girl, or that my body fat isn't as high as my weight would have you believe. What matters is that on the BMI scale, I am obese.

Because they only allow you to update these numbers once every six months, if I do not lose five pounds by next Thursday, I will be stuck paying a 10% "penalty" for six months. I'm infuriated by this, but it's company policy, so there's not a damn thing I can do about it. Funnily enough, I work for a health insurance company. *rolls eyes*

So how do I do this and not derail my entire diet/exercise plan? Or worse, make myself sick? Am I going to have to cut my calories drastically for the next week to make this happen? And what affect will that have on me once I go back to eating normally?
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Replies

  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    What a stinker.

    I don't think radical calorie drop will get you to lose that much that fast. And it will make you sick. Otherwise we'd all by really thin.

    Water balance is probably your best bet. Drop your sodium as low as you can this week. It is almost impossible to get a sodium depletion if you are biologically typical. Walk a lot to make sure you aren't retaining water and that your circulation is moving it out of the cells, into the blood, and then out of your body.

    I wouldn't use a diuretic, but that's your choice.

    And I'd wear really really light clothes, no shoes, and make sure you have empty bowels.

    Good luck.
  • kittyr77
    kittyr77 Posts: 419 Member
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    That sucks!
    Sorry but you cant lose that much fat in that time. You could lose that much water for example by sweating it out in a sauna, a quick and temporary fix, but dehydrating yourself is not healthy :/
    Also, make sure you have had some decent bowel movements lol!
    Good luck!
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Reduce your calories to low but safe levels, do NOT exercise too much (this will encourage water retention), and switch full bore to a ZERO carb diet for the weak. Low carb diets see huge losses in the first couple weeks due to intense water loss (which is why they regain a ton of weight when they up carbs).

    This won't lose you any weight in fat, but could shed a few pounds of water long enough to make the goal for your insurance.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    Sauna?
    Sounds unhealthy what you are trying to do so best advice is to work with what you have.
  • Merithyn
    Merithyn Posts: 284 Member
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    I don't really care if it's fat or water, or if I gain it back the next day. I just need to get through the physical!

    Ugh! I hate that they wouldn't even consider doing a body fat read instead. Nope, has to be the BMI scale to make it fair for everyone. WTF?? How does that make it fair for everyone??
  • HamsterNut
    HamsterNut Posts: 78 Member
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    Its not healthy but id eat crazy low cals for a week, with no carbs and then drink much or eat anything the day before my medical if I had to. Id empty my bowls with laxatives also. I think you could temporarily drop 5lb easy enough :-)

    Im doing low carb and dropped 8lbs in the first 2 weeks so thats close and I wasnt even below 1500 cals and was still drinking and eating some carsb!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    I don't really care if it's fat or water, or if I gain it back the next day. I just need to get through the physical!

    Ugh! I hate that they wouldn't even consider doing a body fat read instead. Nope, has to be the BMI scale to make it fair for everyone. WTF?? How does that make it fair for everyone??

    Adjust your MFP to 20% carbs for the week.
    Dont work out.

    High fats and protein.
    Maybe only a 20% drop from TDEE.
    Youll do fine.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,604 Member
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    Reduce your sodium, drink a lot of water ( like a gallon a day) up until 3 days prior to actual weigh date. Then reduce water intake to about half that. The next day to 1/4. The day of just sip on water till the weigh in is done. Wear a little as possible. And like Helloitsdan said, reduce your carbs and don't workout.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Move to the UK and enjoy the free NHS healthcare?

    That's truly a sucky situation to be in. Nothing I say here would be what I'd recommend to anyone, especially a friend.

    I'd go super high-fibre and nearly veggie for the next few days, and cut right back on anything that lingers in your system - meat, ripe bananas, etc - over the next few days. If there's one meal that guarantees you a toilet visit - chilli, curry, whatever - have it two days before.

    Those last couple of days - and I'm washing my mouth out for even saying this - eat no solid food but make home-made low-carb vegetable soups (skip adding potatoes and the like). That way you won't be weighing any food in your gut. The night before, have a large glass of red wine. For me it guarantees a bowel movement and dehydration! Just have a sip of two of water on weigh-in day until you're home and dry.

    Have a snack in your bag to eat as you step out of the surgery, and a big, healthy meal ready for when you get home. Don't drive in case you feel giddy.

    Don't hit diuretics or laxatives, the effects just aren't worth it.

    Here are some ideas on how boxers do it relatively healthily:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/186536-how-to-lose-weight-for-a-weigh-in/

    Good luck, and I'm so sorry you have to do this :frown:
  • Ahluvly
    Ahluvly Posts: 389 Member
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    Jesus, you've got a challenge and a half on your hands! My advice to you is right from this very second, eat clean and cut your carbs from your lunch and evening meal. Do not add salt or sugar to your meals, cut out all of the cr*p.........so no refined sugars at all like cakes, soft drinks, alcohol, crisps, chocolate, sweets, ice cream, frapaccinos, you name it! It'll be water weight you lose, not fat! If you decide to do any exercise, weight bearing will benefit you but remember it's probably going to take 48 hours for your muscles to recover from the repair they need (you gain). Cut out all stimulants too but please bear in mind, you're going to feel extremely tired and ratty for a few days!!!!!!!!!!!! Get more water down you too! Let us know how you get on :)
    Next week, I'm scheduled to have a new job physical. This physical will set my health insurance rates, so it's kind of a big one for me. The problem is that I am five pounds too heavy to qualify for the better rates. It doesn't matter that I'm a fairly solid girl, or that my body fat isn't as high as my weight would have you believe. What matters is that on the BMI scale, I am obese.

    Because they only allow you to update these numbers once every six months, if I do not lose five pounds by next Thursday, I will be stuck paying a 10% "penalty" for six months. I'm infuriated by this, but it's company policy, so there's not a damn thing I can do about it. Funnily enough, I work for a health insurance company. *rolls eyes*

    So how do I do this and not derail my entire diet/exercise plan? Or worse, make myself sick? Am I going to have to cut my calories drastically for the next week to make this happen? And what affect will that have on me once I go back to eating normally?
  • sriraw
    sriraw Posts: 31 Member
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    Oh my goodness - what pressure! Good luck with whatever you choose to do and let us know how it goes.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
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    I find that magnesium supplements have a diuretic/laxative effect, but it's not extreme like taking an actual laxative. It just gets things moving faster. I would probably start taking them 1-2 days before the test because my body got accustomed to them really quickly, so the effect only lasted for the first couple of days.
  • Bridget0927
    Bridget0927 Posts: 438 Member
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    Reduce your calories to low but safe levels, do NOT exercise too much (this will encourage water retention), and switch full bore to a ZERO carb diet for the weak. Low carb diets see huge losses in the first couple weeks due to intense water loss (which is why they regain a ton of weight when they up carbs).

    This won't lose you any weight in fat, but could shed a few pounds of water long enough to make the goal for your insurance.

    This!!! go no carb you'll drop water in no time I wouldnt not work out tho i just wouldnt do strength training, I would do light cardio
  • rukcus
    rukcus Posts: 58
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    This may not be the best choice but watch the episode of Kenny vs Spenny: who can lose the most weight competition. You will see all kinds of ideas.
  • ichigo007
    ichigo007 Posts: 97
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    Sauna?
    Sounds unhealthy what you are trying to do so best advice is to work with what you have.
    little water like with 24 hours of test and Sauna like 3 or 4 times with in like 3 hours of test to drop water weight. A lot of fighters do that the night before weigh ins to hit there weight before a fight
  • lacewitch
    lacewitch Posts: 766 Member
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    i wouldn't recommend starbving/ making yourself sick
    accidentally
    i lost 5lb in a week as a combination of cutting out all added or processed sugar and salt ( = nothing in a packet) just lots of meat and veges ( 2 portion with every meal) i didn't have much / any bread pasta etc.
    at the same time (TMI i'm sorry) going ff the pill and upping my strength and cardio

    i wasn't doing any of these things to lose weight and i don't know which had most effect but the scales said what they did.
    my meals were generally
    protein pancakes + 2 vege portions for breakfast
    meat and 2-3 veges for lunch (turkey + oriental slaw ( olive oil / lime adn chilli dressing with sesame oil)
    meat and 2-3 veges for dinner (lamb with aasparagus spinache and radish salad in a vinager and mustart dressing)
    plus oatcakes with wafer thin chicken and cream cheese
    mint and or green tea
    coffee in the morning with whole milk

    EDIT
    oh and good luck let us know how you get on
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,143 Member
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    This may sound like a dumb question but do you weigh clothed or unclothed? If unclothed, you are going to add more weight with whatever you wear. And if they don't let you take your shoes off, that's even more weight.
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
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    I know it's short-term and for a good cause, so I would suggest going zero-carb for a week. That really sucks!
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    Try to eat only fresh foods (meat/eggs, vegetables and fruits) with no added salt. I was 4.2 pounds heavier 6 days ago and some of that was water retention from the salt in the food I had eaten. The last two days was home cooked food with very little added salt and the water weight is gone. You might not enjoy what your eating, but that would be totally worth it for lower insurance rates. It might not be enough, but it'd definitely worth the effort.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    My friend just had to lose a really quick 8 lbs to make weight for a tae kwon do match. She did REALLY low carbs. About 20 grams per day, and drank a lot of water and eased up on strength training. She lost the 8 lbs in a week.

    I have also done short term low carb diets and it definitely works. Last time I lost 6lbs in 4 days of 20g of carbs per day. I can't sustain this because I feel really tired and have no energy, but I think it's ok for a short term thing.

    After your physical, gradually add carbs back in and go back to your normal exercising/dieting routine. You'll probably see the scale go up a little after adding carbs back, but it'll even out.

    Good luck!

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