It’s safe to say plenty of people care about their bodies in our society. Sometimes it’s for health reasons, and sometimes it’s for vainer reasons, but regardless it is something that’s on a lot of people’s minds. So, if you ever look in the mirror and think that it’s time to lose 10 pounds, then don’t feel alone.
Whether it’s through one week, three weeks, or three months, there are many diet plans that show people how to lose 10 pounds. However, you must be careful with how you approach losing weight as many diets are merely products of the newest fads or clever sales. So, to help you avoid falling for a misleading and even unhealthy diet, here’s a guide on how to lose 10 pounds safely to ensure that you are following a good regimen:
1. First thing’s first – set up a plan!
One of the most difficult challenges for people trying to lose weight is staying on course without giving up. Setting up a plan helps you maintain your discipline even after days when you just may not feel so motivated. An effective plan must have clear goals and intentions so you know what success is as well as an approximate timetable for when you want to get there. However, remember that your plan needs to be realistic so that you don’t set yourself up for imminent failure. So, for instance, don’t draw up a plan to lose 10 pounds in two weeks, as losing more than 1-2 pounds per week is ineffective and unhealthy. Do not overdo it as this is something you would actually like to achieve. Effective weight loss is a marathon.
2. Watch what you’re putting into your body – cleaning up your diet is essential.
Now, a diet is essential because you cannot lose weight without burning calories and creating a calorie deficit. After all, there’s a decent chance that the reason you need to lose 10 pounds is related to what you’ve been eating. The particular diet that helps a person lose 10 pounds will vary for each individual, but there are certainly tips that go a long way.
First, be smart with what you eat. An effective diet does not have to be crazy. Instead, just watch your snacking. Rather than eating a few hundred calories out of the chip bag, eat something a little more filling and a lot healthier, like fruit. Pay attention to sugary snacks because every gram of sugar is about 4 calories, so snacks with a lot of sugar can add over 50 calories to your snack for no reason. Smart snacking is especially important at night after dinner. Keep yourself entertained and remember that you really do not need a cup of ice cream in order to enjoy your favorite TV show. Also, if you are a soda drinker, then you need to cut out the sodas. Drinking 1-2 cans of soda add a completely unnecessary and unhealthy 150-400 calories every day.
Second, do not cut your calories too low. Avoid cutting more than 750 calories from your diet as calories are the main source of all your energy. Cutting down your caloric-intake too far will result in exhaustion, endless fatigue, and nagging hunger. Watching what you eat is already difficult, but having your body tell you that it’s being starved will not help. The key is to cut your calories while keeping it at a maintainable level that keeps you feeling lively and fed.
3. Get moving to speed up the process – exercising properly is crucial for effective weight loss.
Exercising is a very important element to any effective weight loss plan. By helping you burn calories, exercise helps you lose weight by burning calories without needing to starve yourself. Of course, you need energy to exercise, so you will also need to make sure your eating a healthy diet. Exercise does not need to be highly intensive workouts. Rather, 20-45 minutes of brisk cardio, like walking and light jogging, every day will help you burn an extra 200-400 calories. You can even add 2-3 days of light strength training to help you tone normally fatty areas into muscle. Like dieting, exercise can be difficult to stay disciplined to, unless you’re one of the few who absolutely love to work out. So, keep it interesting by changing up the activity, the location, the duration, the intensity, or who you exercise with. The most effective exercise plans are those that feel more like play time than they do work time. Of course, you must avoid overdoing it with exercise as well, or else you will put yourself at risk for burning out, which can compromise your entire plan.
4. Do a little soul searching – understanding bad habits can better ensure long term health.
This may seem dramatic, but seriously look within yourself for reasons as to why you might be where you are. Understanding why you have had trouble staying committed to eating healthy and being more active can help change your life for the long run. Whereas losing 10 pounds might be a single goal, the larger picture is to become healthier, and becoming healthier requires that you change your bad habits into good habits. You might be surprised how many things you do by habit, and focusing on those could really change your life.
Unfortunately, there is no magic wand to wave when you want to lose 10 pounds, and there’s no 3-day diet that can do it for you. Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint, so slow and steady will win the race. While there might not be a single perfect plan, following this simple guide will help you lose 10 pounds and bring you closer to your ideal weight.