How to Lose Weight in Just Four Weeks Without Drugs

Anyone who has started a weight loss program knows the self-control and sacrifice it requires. If you are a perpetually hungry dieter, you may have been tempted to enlist the aid of pharmaceutical appetite suppressants in the past, but decided otherwise after considering their potentially dangerous side effects. To lose weight, the basic formula remains the same. You must take in fewer calories than you expend. Of course, there are innumerable variables to that principle, but doing the simple math can help you lose about eight pounds in four weeks.

Things You'll Need

• Food journal

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Instructions

• 1

  Calculate how many calories you eat in a day. Honestly assess your daily intake by keeping a journal for a week and jotting down everything caloric that enters your mouth. Consult a calorie guide or the USDA nutrient database website to determine the number of calories each item contains. Record the daily total for all seven days.

• 2

  Calculate how many calories you burn in a day. The figure won't be exact, but your activity level will provide a rough idea of your daily expenditure. From the home page of My Weight Loss Calculator, select the link "Measure your metabolism" and answer the four questions to receive your results.

• 3

  Set up a realistic diet and exercise schedule after determining how much weight you want to lose per week. Keep in mind that one pound equals 3,500 calories. In other words, to lose one pound per week, you must achieve a deficit of 3,500 calories. If you are eating 3,000 calories per day, but only expending 2,500 calories, you will accumulate a surplus of 500 calories per day and gain one pound every seven days, or 52 pounds in a year. The reverse is also true. To lose one pound every seven days, you must attain a deficit of 500 calories per day, either by eating less or exercising more. If you want to lose two pounds per week, or eight pounds in four weeks, you need to reach a daily deficit of 1,000 calories.

• 4

  Cut calories from your diet. Review your journal and completely eliminate unhealthy foods like soda and sugary baked goods. Cut portion sizes in half, and switch out snack foods like chips and popcorn with seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. Plan a daily diet that contains 500 calories less than your metabolism measurement from Step 2.

• 5

  Burn 500 calories per day through some form of exercise. Use the activity calculator at the Now Loss website to help you determine how to accomplish the expenditure. An hour walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour burns nearly 500 calories, while 45 minutes on an elliptical machine accomplishes the same thing. Aim for a weekly deficit of 7,000 calories through a combination of calorie restriction and activity to lose eight pounds in four weeks.