So, you want to take off 20 pounds quick, right? Here is an extreme weight loss formula, but you are not alone. Perhaps you have tried to do this on your own by starving yourself for a week or going on some fad diet. Sure, you’ll take off 5 pounds right away, but then you find that you reach a plateau and cannot seem to lose the last 5 pounds.

Perhaps you have seen ads for “magic pills” that cost a fortune and promise to melt off your excess pounds without any effort on your part. Save you money. There is only one way to lose weight and keep it off and that is to cut your calorie intake and increase your level of activity.

You should understand that the methods I am recommending to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks are meant to be for short term weight loss or to jump start a diet. They are not meant to be used on a long-term basis.

Metabolism

Before you can lose any weight, you have to understand how weight loss works. Your metabolism a fancy word for your energy level. This is what keeps you going and also burns off calories. Your metabolism continues to work all day long, even when you are sleeping, although it slows down. Think of your metabolism as a motor in your body that has a function of keeping you active and burning off calories.

As you get older, your metabolism slows down. This is why it is much easier to lose weight when you are younger than when you get older. It is the reason why I found it difficult to lose weight in my 40s when I had no problem at all losing baby weight when I was in my 20s. Your metabolism relies on fuel to keep it going. And the earlier in the day you get your metabolism going, the more calories you burn off during the course of the day. This is why we are often told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

When you cut your calorie intake and increase your metabolism through a variety of different methods, you will lose weight. People who are successful at losing quite a bit of weight understand how this works and follow this method.

The purpose of eating is to sustain your body and provide it with the nutrients it needs to function. You never want to consume less than 1200 calories a day or else your metabolism will shut down. You will not feel well, you will be hungry all of the time and just plain uncomfortable.

The number of calories that you need to take in each day depends upon your height, your gender, your body type and your activity level. There are hundreds of different calorie consumption guides online that will teach you how many calories you should be consuming each day based upon these factors.

There are usually three choices when it comes to activity level – sedentary (which means that you do not exercise much at all), semi-active and very active. You are going to want to use the calories for the sedentary lifestyle, no matter how active you are.

Foods to avoid at all costs

Fast foods

A Big Mac has over 500 calories. A medium order of fries has about 400 calories and a coke has 200 calories. Do the math – that is 1100 calories for lunch. Think it’s a good idea to super size it?

Fast foods such as fried chicken, pizza and especially fries, should be avoided at all costs when you are trying to lose weight. Most fast foods are not only loaded with fat, but with sodium as well, which allows your body to retail water. They are no good for you. And this includes the Sub sandwiches as well, that are made with processed meats. Pack a lunch from home. If you do eat out, grab a salad. Not a salad that is laced with fried chicken, either. One that is vegetables and perhaps broiled chicken. Use a low fat or no fat dressing.

Above all, skip the fries. These are probably the most devastating to any diet. They offer very little nutritional value, do not really fill you up and are loaded with calories, sodium and fat. For the three weeks that you are on this diet to lose 20 pounds, make a pact with yourself to eat at home or at least bring meals from home. Remember that you are watching your calories and cannot go over your limit. Splurging on fast food may very well put you at the limit for the entire day.

Processed Foods

This includes sausage, lunchmeat and hot dogs, all of which are processed meats. You should also exclude processed cheeses from this diet. Processed foods are simply not good for you – period. They are also high in calories and can ruin your diet. Skip the lunchmeat and replace it with chicken or meat that you make yourself. For example, you can make a meatloaf and slice it very thin for a sandwich instead of having processed meats. It is healthier for you and lower in calories.

Cheese is loaded with fat, but it is also loaded with vitamins that are essential for your health. Real cheese is good for you – processed cheese offers very little by way of nutrition. You want to have a certain amount of dairy in your diet, so real cheese is a better choice than processed cheese. Remember to count your calories.

Frozen Foods

All of those pre-packaged frozen entrees that are made with the diet conscious person in mind should be avoided. They are loaded with sodium. Make your own food – it won’t kill you to do this for two weeks. Broil up some chicken breasts and fish on Sunday and make them part of your meals for the week. Boil some hard boiled eggs and use them. Skip the frozen foods as they may promise lower calories, but have a high sodium content.

Condiments

Mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salt, barbeque sauce, salad dressing – all of these have calories that are not taken into account when you are dieting. If you must use condiments in your meals, make sure they are low in fat. Ketchup and mustard are not too bad when used in moderation, but mayonnaise is a killer. It’s loaded with fat. If you use any of these condiments, be aware of the calories contained and use them by the teaspoon. Skip the salt entirely.

Sweets

Cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, candy – all empty calories. No nutritional value and will leave you feeling hungry. They are a total waste of time and can wreck your diet. If you need to have something sweet to top off your meal, as some people do, then have something like a mint or a small piece of hard candy. A square of dark chocolate will do as well. Be sure to count this in with your calorie intake.

All of these foods are part of the family of “simple carbohydrates.” You have probably heard about the no carbohydrate diets (Atkins is one, the South Beach Diet is another). They are correct in advising people not to eat sweets as they do not stay in your system long enough to offer any nutritional value, are hard on your digestive tract and are quickly absorbed as fat. Where the no carbohydrate diets get it wrong is to lump in all carbohydrates, such as vegetables and fruits, that do have nutritional value.

Fruits can easily be substituted for cake when you want something sweet. Try eating an apple instead of candy after dinner and you will see that this will satisfy your craving for dessert. On top of that, the apple is loaded with nutrients.

Drinks to avoid

Alcoholic drinks (these are loaded with sugars)
Soda of any kind, including diet
Health drinks like Pomegranate Juice
Smoothies
Milk Shakes (this should be obvious)
Milk
Fruit juices of any kind

Drinks that you can have

Water (what a concept)
Green tea (unsweetened and made by you, not bottled)
Coffee (one cup a day without cream or sugar)

How do you give your metabolism the boost that it needs? One way is by eating foods that are high in proteins, eating them early in the day and drinking plenty of water. All three will boost your metabolism. Then, of course, there is the “E” word. This is the one word that people who are trying to lose weight never want to hear. It is also very misunderstood. The word, of course, is exercise.

Cardio for Extreme Weight Loss Formula

One form of cardiovascular exercise that will help you lose weight, give you a burst of energy and also alleviate stress (which is a big factor in why many people are overweight) is brisk walking. Taking a brisk walk around the block in the morning before you go to work will get your metabolism working right away and help you burn fat throughout the day. If you are not a morning person and find it difficult to get up a half an hour earlier in the morning to do this quick walk around your block, you can do this when you get home from work. A brisk walk is one of the best ways to perform cardiovascular exercising and is low impact.

Mind over Body

The bottom line is that if you want to lose 20 pounds in 3 weeks, practice the diet and exercises, but do not become consumed with food or weight loss. Do not wait until you have lost weight to begin living your life, start doing it right away. You will find that the less you focus on food and the more you focus on other aspects of your life, the easier it is to lose weight.

Some Diet Ideas

Breakfast

Remember that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is actually where you want to consume the most calorie. Breakfast ideas for a diet include cereal that is unsweetened such as Special K and Cheerios. Measure the cereal into a bowl and watch your calorie intake. Use skim milk for your cereal and, if possible, add fresh fruit. Blueberries are not only low in calories when compared to other fruits, but they are also very nutritious and high in antioxidants.

Eggs are often criticized for being high in cholesterol, but they are an excellent source of protein. You can have an egg for breakfast as long as you cook it properly. Soft boiled eggs are good as are hard boiled eggs. You will not want to eat fried eggs or use butter in any way.

If you like toast, you can eat a slice of whole grain wheat toast with fruit preserves. Use a teaspoon to measure the preserves so that you do indulge too much. You can also spread the toast with low fat peanut butter. Again, use a teaspoon and measure the calories. You will want to keep your calorie intake to about 300 calories for breakfast.

Oatmeal is very good and can be sweetened with honey, which is low in fat, or even maple syrup. Pure maple syrup should be used and not corn syrup, which is high in calories. Oatmeal is very good for maintaining good cholesterol, if filling and works well to get your morning started off on the right foot.

Skip the breakfast bars. They are high in calories, preservatives and fat. If you truly do not want to take time to make breakfast and eat it at home, then take a banana with you on your way to work. A nutrition bar has about 250 calories, a banana has about 70.

You will find, after you have eaten a breakfast, that you will be hungrier for lunch than you would be if you skip breakfast altogether. This is good – it means your metabolism has kicked in and that you are burning calories. Your body is looking for fuel.

Snack

Have a mid morning snack. You can have a number of different things, but they should be measured and the calories counted. An apple is a good source of vitamins, takes a few minutes to eat and can be filling. Be sure to drink plenty of water throughout the morning to continue to keep your metabolism going.

Raisins are also a very good healthy snack, but be mindful of the sugar content. Many so called healthy snack packs like trail mixes are actually very high in calories. Sunflower seeds, unsalted, are a good source of protein. A mid morning snack will take the edge off of your hunger and help you so that you do not overindulge in your lunch.

Lunch

Salads are good for lunch. By this time, you have probably consumed about 400 calories. Your lunch should be something that you brought from home or a salad at a local restaurant. Use a vinegar salad dressing instead of ranch as it is lower in calories. If you can, try eating a salad with just vinegar. I did this once for a week and lost 5 pounds without doing anything else. Vinegar has hardly any calories at all. Salad dressing, on the other hand, can totally wreck your diet.

Oranges are a good source of nutrition and can be good for after lunch. The sweet flavor of the orange will top off the meal and give you a feeling of satisfaction and because they take a while to peel, this will also keep you from being tempted into eating more. Again, you will want to continue drinking water throughout the day, especially with your meals.

Low fat cottage cheese or, better yet, Ricotta cheese, is an excellent source of protein and can be eaten for lunch. The same with low fat yogurt. You have a variety of choices when it comes to you lunch and you can have up to 400 calories. At the end of lunch, you should not still feel hungry.

Snack

Although people scoff at “rabbit food” diets, raw celery and carrots are not only good for you, but they have hardly any calories at all. You do not even have to worry about the calorie intake of celery raw as you burn more calories chewing it than it contains.

When you are snacking after lunch, be sure to stay away from salty snacks such as crackers, as they can cause you to retain water. You will notice the weight starting to come off in the first two days of the diet, although much of this will be water weight. You will also notice that you will be making more trips to the bathroom. This is good as you are flushing the fat (and toxins) out of your system.

Dinner

You want to keep your calories down during dinner and it should be your last meal of the day. You will find that the more you eat in the morning, the less you will feel you need to eat for dinner. You can have a normal dinner with the family, just watch the portions. Keep your calorie intake to the limit and skip dessert. Be mindful of how the meal is cooked. Substitute olive oil for other fats and broil instead of other fats.

One way that you can enjoy dinner without feeling as though you are depriving the entire family as well as yourself is to simply cut your portions in half. Drink a glass of water before the meal to make yourself feel the need to eat less. Eat slowly and chew your food more instead of wolfing it down. This will take you longer to eat and will allow you to feel content in a shorter period of time.

You should, after each meal or snack, feel satisfied and not full. Many people feel that in order to be satisfied with a meal, they have to feel full. You do not want to feel full, you simply do not want to feel hungry. The secret to successful dieting, especially when you are seeking to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time, is to eat until you are no longer hungry but not until you are full.

By understanding how many calories you are consuming as compared to how many you need, you have a leg up on losing weight. The more you are aware of the calories in the foods that you are eating and the foods that you need to avoid, the easier dieting will become.

I did not want to write a book that gives you details on exactly how much to eat and what on which day as this rarely works. Not everyone has the same tastes when it comes to food and not everyone needs the same amount of calories. The trick is to eat foods that are good for you and will provide you with the nutrition that you need to maintain your body. If the foods that I have listed do not appeal to you, then eat the foods that you normally eat and simply cut the portions in half. Eat breakfast, drink plenty of water and exercise. You will lose the weight if you follow this outline.

Simple Diet Blueprint

Find out how many calories you need to sustain yourself based on your body type, height, activity level and gender
Use the sedentary scale for calories you need and cut it by 200
Eat breakfast
Increase your exercise level by performing cardiovascular exercises such as speed walking for at least 10 minutes each day
Eliminate fast foods, fried foods, processed foods, sweets, and frozen foods from your diet
Drink water or unsweetened green tea instead of any other drink and avoid alcohol
Drink 6-8 glasses of water or green tea each day
Consume steady calories throughout the day instead of all in one meal

Extreme Weight Loss Formula