Over 75 percent of our body is comprised of water. That water is necessary to carry blood, lubricate muscles, carry electrical impulses through the brain, everything we do requires water. Our bodies retain, or store water for future needs — the result of millions of years of evolutionary wiring. The majority of people carry around 5-8 excess pounds of water weight. By simply drinking more water, we can lose this entire amount in just a week. If you take in a gallon of water daily, you’ll let your body know that you get plenty of water each day, and as a result it doesn’t need to store it as often.

Another way to lose weight in a week is to eat better; consume just fruits and vegetables, and nothing else. This is a very simple plan, but a rapid weight loss plan nonetheless.The calorie count for a large green salad is very low. Not only will you take in a far lower number of calories, your daily fiber intake will be significantly increased. Fiber helps to clean out the bowels and eliminate a substantial amount of excess waste that many people with bad diets carry around.

What’s the third plan? Still as simple as the first two, increasing the amount of water you drink and fruits & vegetables you eat. But this time, you add moderate amounts of lean meat, fish, poultry, and whole grains, because the human body is designed for good protein and complex carbohydrates as well as fiber and water. For successful weight loss, our bodies need carbohydrates, which convert to fuel that the body burns, added to a reduced caloric intake.

Weight loss will be a bit slower with this plan, but it does take a more healthy and balanced approach to dieting. It also allows you to take in the nutrients your body needs while ensuring your calorie intake is lower than the amount of calories you burn every day.

A good average weight loss for a single week is between 8 and 20 pounds following the balanced plan. Assuming, of course, that you have that much excess weight to lose. As most of us do, this is a very realistic weight loss goal.