Trying to lose as much weight as possible in 7 days. 2 days done, been swimming, what more should I do?
So I wanna lose as much weight as possible in a week's time. I've been swimming 50 laps per day (1 lap = 25m). Is that enough? Or could I do something more? I am currently 5'8", and weight 87 kg (191 lbs.) at 16 years of age.
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I'm going to answer this based on some of the clarifications in the comments. Also, I'm going to throw in a few asides because I know the OP is only 16, and well, I'm sure we all wish we could go back to 16 again knowing what we know now.
For starters, you are 5'8" and 87 kg (191 pounds) and 16 years old. Your resting metabolic rate based on this calculator, using a "slightly active" selection under daily exercise is approximately 1875 kcal/day. That means, your body uses 1875kcal to stay alive. By doing minimal amounts of exercise (taking the dog for a walk, traversing the hallways in school, etc...), you burn about 2578 kcal a day.
If we can accept a general rule of thumb that a pound of fat equals roughly 3600 calories (it doesn't as pointed out in the comments, but isn't a bad rule of thumb), and you perform no extra exercise, then you need to eat about 2000 kcal a day to begin losing weight. This will put you at a modest loss of approximately 1-2 pounds per week.
Really quickly, I want to point something out. I know you're 16, and most of your life you've been exposed to results that come nearly instantaneously. It's just the generation you've grown up in, through no fault of your own, but this is really important: Don't go out and try to drop all this weight in a matter of a week or even a few weeks. For one, being 16, your body is probably capable of dropping the weight in a few weeks. More importantly, though, is that rapid weight loss (more than 2 pounds a week) can have negative effects on your metabolism. For that matter, it can possibly be permanent, making it extremely difficult for future you to lose weight and keep the weight off.
What I would recommend for you is to "clean up" what you're eating. Lay off the sugary foods: no sodas, donuts, snack crackers, cookies, etc... Try to eat a few more vegetables, some lean meats, and nuts (if you're not allergic). Also pay attention to your calorie intake and try to stay under that 2500 calorie threshold in a day. All you really need to do at this point, is just eat better.
Couple that with continuing to swim, and also get into the weight room. I know weights can be scary, and they should be to some extent (you should respect the weights), but what the weights will do for you will change a lot. I would recommend spending 0 on the Athlean-X program and following it along under his guidance while also watching his videos. Perhaps the biggest danger in the weight room for someone your age is not setting your ego aside and trying to lift a lot heavier than what you're capable of lifting. Remember this: You don't see "gym fail" videos on YouTube because people are lifting light weights. You see those videos on YouTube because people are using crappy form in a dangerous way. Anybody who knows anything in the weight room won't think twice about the size of the weight you're lifting, but they might gawk at your horrible and dangerous form. So, if you can only lift 5 lbs. without compromising your form, then so be it, but no one will even notice. I assure you of that.
If you're still hesitant about the weight room, then at least do the following:
Push-ups
Pull-ups
Dips
Air Squats
Core exercises (you can look these up)
Try to do that several times a week and really try to apply yourself. Although you can still get injured with body weight exercises, it's a lot harder to manage that than with weights. As always, try to "own" the exercise by mastering the movements. If you can only do one push-up correctly then that one push-up trumps ten done incorrectly. Think to yourself, "How do I make this perfect?" rather than "How many of these can I do?"
I suggest you apply the same principle to every exercise you do. As someone who swims about 6-7k a week, I can tell you that technique and form in swimming is everything. Look on YouTube (I like "Effortless Swimming") for proper swimming technique and drills and try to master the swim.
Some final parting advice: Try to make fitness a focal point for the rest of your life. You don't need to be Michael Phelps, or a star bodybuilder, or a pro at any of it. However, when you're in your 30's, 40's, and beyond, you'll start to notice changes in your body that'll make you wish that you had done a little more. It's hard to impress that upon someone who's 16 because it probably seems so far away to you.
Focus on making your form perfect in everything you do, workout hard but don't kill yourself, eat clean, stay away from the toxic things, and you'll really reap a lot of rewards from it. If you can do that, then in 6 months to a year, I promise you that you'll love what's staring back at you in the mirror. Don't focus on immediate results, man, just stay on the path, and you'll be so much better off.
I wish you the best of luck and hope that I've answered your question, if not lectured a little more. I've gone on at length because I regret not having done something even sooner than I did.
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