How to Lose 20 Pounds Really Fast

You may want to shed weight quickly for a host of reasons: a need to fit into your wedding dress, anticipation of swimsuit-appropriate weather in the coming weeks or just general melancholy over your physical state. Losing 20 lbs. really fast is doable, but very challenging, so be prepared to work at it. However, if you are willing to follow a diet and exercise plan religiously, you have a chance to pull it off.

Instructions

1

Perform three sessions of cardio and strength or resistance workouts per week for the first month. Begin with 20 minutes of cardio, such as a jog or a bike ride, and then do strength or resistance exercises for your biceps, triceps, back, chest, shoulders and legs for one set of 10 reps. Work with weights that are heavy enough to make you fail by the 10th rep. Bump that up to a 25-minute cardio and two sets of 10 reps for the strength training in the second month. For the third month, increase it to 30 minutes of cardio and three sets of 10 reps for strength training.

2

Follow a very strict diet. Avoid white carbohydrates such as white bread, rice, cereal and pasta. Keep away from fried foods. Load up your diet with lean proteins such as egg whites and chicken breast, legumes such as lentils and black beans, and vegetables such as spinach, asparagus and peas.

3

Drink lots of water, unsweetened tea and diet sodas. Don't drink liquids that carry a lot of calories, such as soft drinks, fruit juice and milk.

4

Eat four times a day about three or four hours apart, so you don't get hungry. Spread out your meals so you aren't binging twice a day on high-calorie snacks.

5

Take one day a week off from both dieting and working out. Don't burn yourself out. Let your muscles rest for a day and eat whatever you want, which may actually help promote fat loss by keeping your metabolism from dropping due to the limited amount of calories you've been eating.