Losing 5kg in weight is a challenging task that requires a strict diet and exercise regimen. While it is possible to lose this amount of weight in a short period of time, it is not always healthy to do so, and it is not sustainable in the long term.

To lose weight healthily and sustainably, it is recommended to aim for a slower pace of weight loss, typically around 0.5-1kg per week. This can be achieved through a combination of dietary changes, increased physical activity, and lifestyle adjustments.

A healthy diet for weight loss should focus on nutritious whole foods, such as lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats. It is important to avoid heavily processed items, sugary drinks, and empty calorie beverages. In addition to dietary changes, regular exercise is crucial, with a mix of cardiovascular workouts, strength training, and flexibility training being ideal.

While it is possible to lose 5kg in a short period through extreme diet and exercise changes, it is important to prioritise health and sustainability over quick fixes.

How to Lose 5 Kilos Diet Plan Characteristics and Values

Drink more water

Water is an essential part of any diet plan, and drinking more of it can help you lose weight. Here are some reasons why you should drink more water to lose 5 kilos:

Reduces Over-eating and Controls Calorie Intake

Drinking a glass of water before meals can help curb your appetite. Water has been shown to reduce the likelihood of overeating during the day, helping to control your calorie intake. This is because water is a calorie-free beverage, and choosing it over sugary drinks can help lower your overall calorie and sugar intake.

Aids Digestion and Waste Elimination

Water plays a vital role in digestion and waste elimination. Proper hydration supports smooth digestion, ensuring your body functions normally and can support your weight loss goals. Water helps your body efficiently process nutrients and convert them into energy, supporting normal metabolism, which is beneficial for weight loss.

Facilitates Exercise

Staying well-hydrated is essential for physical performance and recovery after exercise. Water helps lubricate joints, regulate body temperature, and transport nutrients throughout your body, promoting more effective workouts and contributing to weight loss. Dehydration can slow down the process of building muscle and make your workouts less effective.

Detoxification and Weight Loss

Water is crucial for detoxification and weight loss. Your body detoxifies and loses a lot of water weight when you are adequately hydrated. Drinking water helps your kidneys manage the amount of water and sodium in your system.

Boosts Metabolism

Drinking water may help increase your metabolic rate and the number of calories you burn. Water consumption is linked to increased sympathetic activity, which includes heart rate and metabolism. Some studies suggest that drinking water can lead to a temporary metabolic boost as the body expends energy to warm the fluid to body temperature.

To summarise, drinking more water is an essential component of a healthy diet and weight loss plan. It can help curb your appetite, improve digestion, facilitate exercise, aid in detoxification, and boost your metabolism. However, it is important to note that water should be paired with other healthy habits, such as exercise and a nutrient-dense diet, for sustainable weight loss.

Exercise portion control

Portion control is a key component of a healthy diet and can help you lose weight. Here are some tips to exercise portion control:

• Use smaller dinnerware: Research suggests that using large plates can make food appear smaller, often leading to overeating. Opting for smaller plates and bowls can help reduce the amount of food you serve yourself and prevent overeating.
• Use your plate as a portion guide: Divide your plate into sections: fill half your plate with vegetables, and divide the remaining half into two sections, one for lean protein and one for whole grains. This ensures a well-balanced meal and can help with weight loss.
• Use your hands as a guide: Another way to gauge portion size is by using your hands. A rough guide is a palm-sized serving of protein for women and two palm-sized portions for men; a cupped-hand portion for fruits or vegetables; a fist-sized portion of carbs for women and two for men; and a thumb-sized portion of high-fat foods for women and two for men.
• Ask for smaller portions when eating out: Restaurant portions tend to be larger than regular portions. Ask for a half portion, order a starter or a kid's meal, or share a meal with someone to prevent overeating.
• Drink water before meals: Drinking a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal can make you feel less hungry and help prevent overeating. It also helps you distinguish between hunger and thirst.
• Slow down while you eat: Eating slowly gives your stomach time to signal to your brain that you're full, which takes about 20 minutes. It also allows you to savour your food and makes you less likely to rush.
• Be mindful of suitable serving sizes: Learn to read food labels to understand recommended serving sizes. Use measuring cups or a food scale to get an accurate idea of how much you're eating.
• Use portion-control plates: If you want extra help, you can buy plates that are designed to help with portion control, usually by dividing the plate into sections of different sizes for different food groups.

Eat more fibre

Fibre is an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet and can be a great way to help you lose weight. Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that your gut cannot digest. It is important to note that not all fibres are the same, and some are better for weight loss than others. Soluble fibre, for example, has been linked to weight loss and improved health. It dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance that sits in your gut, slowing the emptying of your stomach and increasing digestion and absorption times. This keeps you feeling fuller for longer and naturally reduces your appetite and calorie intake.

Soluble fibre also has other health benefits. It feeds the good bacteria in your gut, turning into usable energy and promoting optimal health. It also helps fight inflammation in the body and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

To incorporate more fibre into your diet, opt for fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. When increasing your fibre intake, it is important to do so gradually to avoid any side effects such as stomach cramps, diarrhoea, and bloating. It is also recommended to increase your water intake, as fibre needs more water to digest properly.

• Flaxseeds
• Sweet potatoes
• Fruits like apricots, oranges, and berries
• Brussels sprouts
• Legumes
• Oats
• Chia seeds
• Cinnamon
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Greek yoghurt
• Nuts

Avoid refined carbs

Refined carbohydrates are carbs that have undergone processing. They are often referred to as empty carbs or empty calories as they are low in nutritional value. They are digested quickly and cause a person's blood sugar to spike.

Refined carbs are present in two main food groups: refined grains and refined sugars.

Refined Grains

The refining process involves removing the bran and germ from the grain. This improves the shelf life of the grain and gives it a finer texture. However, it also removes the B vitamins, iron, and dietary fibre.

Examples of refined grains include:

• Bread and tortillas containing white flour
• Waffles and pastries

Refined Sugars

Refined sugars are found in a wide range of sweet and savoury foods.

Examples of foods containing refined sugars include:

• Soda, fruit juice, and smoothies
• Condiments, such as ketchup or BBQ sauce

How to Avoid Refined Carbs

• Eat fruit if you have a sweet tooth.
• Opt for brown rice or whole grain bread instead of white rice or white bread.
• Avoid adding sugar to your food.
• Check food labels and ingredient lists to identify refined sugars. Manufacturers use many different names for refined sugars, so be sure to read the labels carefully.
• Choose whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and unprocessed foods.

Do cardio

To lose 5kg, it is important to incorporate cardio into your routine. Cardiovascular exercise, or aerobic exercise, is any activity that uses oxygen, increases your heart rate and keeps it in the aerobic zone for a sustained period.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends getting at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise each week. This can include walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, fitness classes, or using cardio machines such as a rower, elliptical trainer, stair climber or treadmill.

The amount of cardio you need to lose weight depends on factors like your current weight, diet, daily activity level and age. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit, which means burning more calories than you consume. The more calories you burn through exercise, the greater the deficit and the more weight you will lose.

Cardio exercises that burn the most calories in a short amount of time tend to be those that use the large muscles of the lower body at a moderate or vigorous intensity. For example, a 154-pound person can burn 295 calories in 30 minutes of running or cycling at a moderate intensity. Other examples include hiking (185 calories), dancing (165 calories) and swimming (255 calories).

To lose one pound a week, you need to create a 3,500-calorie deficit. If you want to lose 1-2 pounds a week, you need a daily deficit of 1,000 calories. This can be achieved through a combination of diet and exercise. For example, if your daily caloric requirement is 2,200 calories, you could reduce your intake by 500 and burn 500 calories through exercise.

To lose weight effectively, it is recommended that you create a workout plan that includes cardiovascular exercise most days of the week, with strength training at least twice a week, and daily stretching and flexibility exercises. It is also important to include rest days, which can include active recovery exercises such as yoga or light stretching.

To avoid a plateau, it is important to vary your workouts. This can be achieved by including both moderate-intensity and high-intensity cardiovascular exercises in your routine. For example, you could do 30-45 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio such as walking or swimming three days a week, and then increase the intensity for the remaining two days by doing vigorous workouts such as running or cycling.

Frequently asked questions