You’ve got just two weeks to shrink your belly and hips before swimsuit season or that high school reunion. You can certainly jumpstart a weight-loss plan and see some results in two weeks, but how much depends on your starting weight and commitment. You can’t target just your belly and hips for weight loss, but a low-calorie plan that focuses on whole foods along with dedicated exercise will help you look — and feel — better for your big event.
Understand Your Hip and Stomach Fat
If, however, your stomach is larger than 35 inches around as a woman, or 40 inches around as a man, you have an abundance of visceral fat. This fat is particularly insidious as it weaves around internal organs and secretes compounds that increase your risk of health problems, such as heart disease. Because visceral fat is more metabolically active, it is also more responsive to exercise. When you first drop weight through diet and exercise, you can lose visceral fat from deep in your belly sooner than you can drop the subcutaneous fat.
Skip the Two-Week Fad Diets
Two weeks gives you time to start instilling good habits that support a healthy body weight. Aim for a safe, reasonable 1- to 2-pound-per-week rate of weight loss by creating a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories a day. You’ll eat fewer calories and move more. The good news is that when you reduce your portion sizes, curb your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates, limit sodium and exercise more, you’ll lose significant water weight in the first two weeks. You’ll likely drop more than 1 to 2 pounds those first two weeks and significantly reduce water retention, so you can still look slimmer at your event.
Commit to Comprehensive Weight Loss
Eat mostly whole, natural foods such as lean proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy and whole grains. For an easy way to control calories and eyeball portions, fill half your plate with watery, fibrous vegetables — such as lettuce, broccoli, kale, cauliflower and peppers. Then, reserve a quarter for whole grains, such as brown rice or 100-percent whole-wheat bread.
Fill the last quarter with a protein low in saturated fat, including fish, chicken breast, tofu and lean ground beef. Aim to consume at least 0.6 gram of protein per pound of your body weight per day. For a 150-pound person, that’s 90 grams of protein a day. This amount helps preserve lean muscle mass as you cut calories, keeps you feeling full and supports weight loss beyond the two weeks. Since you have such a short deadline for weight loss, avoid sugary treats, alcohol and refined white-flour products completely.
Kick Up Your Fitness
If you aren’t currently exercising, use the two weeks to become more active. Add a 15- to 20-minute brisk walk every morning and evening to achieve at least the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio recommended per week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Any additional physical activity you squeeze in helps burn calories, too. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, pace while on the phone or walk an extra loop of the mall when shopping.