How do I lose 5 pounds in 7 days?

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.

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.

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.

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:

Oh my goodness - what pressure! Good luck with whatever you choose to do and let us know how it goes.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Actually the low carb for a week is a really good idea. Then go back to normal next week.

I know that 10% may seem like allot but... is saving that 10% for 6 months worth the damage you can do to your body and emotional state worth it? Most people do not realize how much harm they can do to their bodies in just a few days, some damage can last months, years and even a lifetime. Even if you lose the weight, you may end up paying a much higher price, emotionally and financially than you would have by just accepting the 10% increase for those 6 months, you might also end up gaining weight from the stress and the sudden change in your diet and exercise routine. Money is tight these days for most people, I understand that, and as a diabetic who has to pay her own health insurance premiums that are outrageous to say the least, I can empathize but I have to say that I would rather pay a higher premium for 6 months than to stress myself out over 5lbs and a 10% increase in premiums and cause myself physical and emotional harm that I may or may not be able to handle later on.

I know that 10% may seem like allot but... is saving that 10% for 6 months worth the damage you can do to your body and emotional state worth it? Most people do not realize how much harm they can do to their bodies in just a few days, some damage can last months, years and even a lifetime. Even if you lose the weight, you may end up paying a much higher price, emotionally and financially than you would have by just accepting the 10% increase for those 6 months, you might also end up gaining weight from the stress and the sudden change in your diet and exercise routine. Money is tight these days for most people, I understand that, and as a diabetic who has to pay her own health insurance premiums that are outrageous to say the least, I can empathize but I have to say that I would rather pay a higher premium for 6 months than to stress myself out over 5lbs and a 10% increase in premiums and cause myself physical and emotional harm that I may or may not be able to handle later on.

Most of the suggestions here are to go low-carb and get rid of any excess water weight. Do you really feel that is harmful?

Cut water.

Lower your carbs (a lot).
Lighten your workouts (nothing intense, just for the week)
Drink water
Keep sodium low

Personally, I would forget about it. You can of course take laxatives, workout in a sweatsuit to dehydrate, and do all that other stuff that people are recommending, but they are not healthy and have side effects. For instance, someone said fighters cut water weight all the time which is true, but they do it under supervision. One bout of heat stroke from spending too much time in a sauna or exercising in a dehydrate state and not only could you have potentially life long complications, but any work you have already done and money you could have saved is down the drains. You have to weigh your risk versus the savings and I personally wouldn't do it and I don't think people should be recommending methods on this website like that which are probably violations of the unhealthy diet rules.