You see these articles all the time: how to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, 14 pounds in 2 weeks, how to lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks, lose 15 pounds in 2 weeks, and YES, even how to lose 20 pounds 2 weeks! The answer by these authors are overpoweringly: Juice diet! Why? Because it flushes out your system while you are still getting enough carbohydrates and so forth...

But, it is deceptively exciting to see a weight loss of 5 or 6 pounds in a week, especially if you do not realize that most of the weight lost is not body fat but simply muscle glycogen and water, and with a juice detox 5-7 pounds is fecal matter from the colon (depending on how long you stay on the diet), which you will put back on when starting to eat solid foods again.

The only intelligent reason to go on a juice detox, should be to cleanse your body, and to get rid of unhealthy eating habits. There is no sense in going on such a diet to lose weight fast, and then simply going back to your old eating habits.

Firstly, juice, and especially juice that is extracted with a dedicated juice extractor (which separates the juice and the pulp) does not contain near the amount of natural carbohydrates and fiber, as do whole fruits and vegetables.

By going on such a diet for too long, you will be void of sufficient carbohydrates. And in the absence of sufficient dietary carbohydrate, your body will turn to its reserve store of carbohydrates (glycogen), located in the liver and the muscles, in order to provide fuel for any activity.

On average, a person's muscle tissue contains 500-700 grams of glycogen, but every gram of muscle glycogen is stored with 3 - 4 times its weight in water, so the total loss of weight which is seemingly substantial, consists of only muscle and water. For example, if you burn 500 grams of glycogen then at the same time you lose up to 2000 grams of water: a total of 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of body weight, but you have lost absolutely no body fat.

There are more effective ways, and ways from which you can emerge with an eating plan for life. In the above case you will lose weight fast, but when you are done, it will all come back without exception if you keep on eating as you used to. You can lose a substantial amount of weight in 2 weeks, if you have to, but do it the right way, and know what you are doing, so that you will have the knowledge to come out of those 2 weeks victorious and on your way to the body that you want!

In order to lose the maximum amount of fat in 2 weeks, or in any time period for that matter, you need to consume less calories than your body burns. You must however ensure that those calories come from the right sources, and that you do not deny your body the valuable nutrients that it needs in order to burn fat. You need protein, you need carbohydrates, and you need fats.

Getting into a decent exercise regime will support your efforts even further. You will go beyond thinking in terms of losing weight in 2 weeks, and you will become lean and good looking for life.

You are not the only one to wonder if it is actually possible to lose weight in 2 weeks or less. There are already thousands of diets, pills and other weight loss products that claim to give you some secret key to unlock the mystery of weight loss.

The big question is whether or not this type of streamlined diet plan is a true fact or just a flight of fantasy.
Truthfully it is possible to lose weight in just 2 weeks, and you can even accomplish this goal naturally without having to resort to expensive and ineffective diet aids. With a good understanding of how weight loss works and a reliable program to follow you will be able to shed some of that excess fat.

Please remember that in order to lose weight in 2 weeks you will have to remain disciplined and commit to a diet and exercise program. Determine how much weight you want to lose and then create a plan that will allow you to lose weight steadily and gradually.

Do not allow yourself to fall for those misleading ads that show air-brushed and Photo-shopped models. This is a sure recipe for disaster because you will feel that there is no use trying if you do not accomplish the same results that some of those advertisers claim.

Losing weight is a process that takes time and effort, which means that there are no miracle formulas that you can buy which will remove 20 pounds from your body in 24-48 hours.

The fundamental steps of any weight loss program include restricting the number of calories you consume and revving up your activity level to burn off calories and fat. If you continue to consume more calories than your body can use in a 24 hour period then these excess calories are going to be transformed into fat that is then stored for future use.

In order to lose weight in 2 weeks you have to create a program that will trim some of the calories from your meals. This program also needs to include daily exercise routines that will burn fat from your body and boost your natural metabolism.

Instead of trying to starve yourself on a 'rabbit food' diet of celery, lettuce and spinach you should try to reduce your daily caloric intake by 10-20%. This means that most people will only have to eliminate 200-300 calories from their daily eating plan.

Do not neglect breakfast because this is really your most important meal. You should try to eat a small meal or snack every 3- 4 hours. This type of regulated eating will keep you from getting food cravings and hunger pains. When you keep your body supplied with healthy calories and good nutrition you will be able to burn calories more effectively and that weight loss will be easier to accomplish.

Avoid high amounts of simple carbs in your meals and try to use more of the complex carbs instead. Whole grains, fresh fruits and fresh veggies will be the mainstay of your diet. You can complement these foods with some dairy products, healthy essential fats and lean proteins.

You are going to have to get your body in gear and start exercising. Every move you make will help you burn off a few extra calories. Walk while you talk on the telephone and you will burn many more calories than if you remain seated during the conversation. Practice deep breathing and stretches whenever possible. These may seem like small steps but when your goal is to lose weight in 2 weeks the more you move about the better the final results will be. Movements are challenging to your body, and the more you can keep moving the more calories will be burned.

Exercising should be done in 30 minute sessions if at all possible. If you are in good condition then you can exercise for 30-90 minutes at a time, but some people will only be able to tackle exercise in 10-15 minute segments. Just do what you can and as you get in better shape then you can increase the length of time for your daily exercise routines.

Combine aerobic exercises (such as walking, stair-stepping, jumping rope or running) with abdominal workouts and weight training sessions. If you walk or run for 15 minutes prior to your scheduled workouts you can put your body into 'fat burning mode' which means you will be using the fat cells to fuel your exercise routines.

Replace that caffeinated coffee, the sugary sodas and other calorie laden beverages with water for even better results with your 2 week weight loss program. The water will keep you hydrated, help curb food cravings and flush toxins from your body.

In most instances you can expect to lose about 2-3 pounds per week but some people can lose even more weight. A weight loss of 10-15 pounds can be accomplished but this is really the maximum amount that most individuals should strive for. If you are determined to lose weight in 2 weeks you should use a sensible program of diet and exercise that does not harm your body. Slow and steady progress is really the secret to any weight loss program regardless of the length of time that will be involved.