Two Week Diet Plan

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States has concluded that approximately 60 million people are obese in America. People that are either overweight or obese can successfully lose weight in two weeks with a carefully structured diet plan. The rate of weight loss that's considered safe is two pounds of weight loss per week. However, structured plans can help individuals safely lose up to four pounds in two weeks. The most successful weight loss plans combine dieting with daily exercise.

Create a Weight Loss Goal

Creating a weight loss goal is perhaps the most important part of any two-week weight loss plan. You need to decide how much weight you want to lose during the next two weeks. After you create a weight loss goal you'll be able to create a calorie deficit that will allow you to reach that goal. However, before you can do that you'll need to determine your resting metabolic rate.

Determine Your Metabolic Rate

The number of calories that a person's body burns in a day without exercising is their resting metabolic rate. People can breathe into devices such as BodyGem to determine their resting metabolic rate extremely accurately.

BodyGem tests are available at many fitness centers for about $30. BodyGem tests can help you calculate your resting metabolic rate by measuring your oxygen consumption. If you can't schedule a BodyGem test then you can use resting metabolic rate calculators found online. After you know what your resting metabolic rate is you'll be able to figure out how many calories and how much exercise you need to meet your weight-loss goal.

Cut Calories

The Harvard School of Public Health has concluded that eating a certain combination of carbohydrates, fats and proteins has no effect on weight loss. However, diets that are lower in calories will result in weight loss. An individual must burn 3500 calories to lose one pound of fat. If you want to lose two pounds of body fat in two weeks then you'll need to create a daily calorie deficit of 500. However, if you want to lose four pounds of body fat in two weeks then you'll need to create a daily calorie deficit of 1,000. You might want to consider creating half of your calorie deficit through exercise and half of your calorie deficit through dieting.

Exercise Vigorously Every Day

Dieting alone will help you lose weight, but it won't necessarily help you build muscle. If you want to lose weight and build muscle at the same time then you'll need to exercise. Exercises that elevate heart rate result in a reduction of body fat and an increase in lean muscle mass. Exercise isn't a must for weight loss, but exercising will certainly help you lose weight at a much faster rate.