5 Ways to Quickly Lose 10 Pounds
With warm temperatures and trips to the pool, summer can be one of the best times to replenish your motivation to lose weight. Here are the experts’ top five tips to quickly lose 10 pounds.
1. Eat Healthy
Healthy eating is one of the best ways to aid weight loss. This means staying away from packaged and processed foods, and instead focusing on eating fresh foods. “I recommend pairing lean proteins with fiber rich foods,” says Kristen DeAngelis, a Registered Dietician; at the TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion and TriHealth Women's Center. She suggests pairing lean proteins such as chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, and beans with fiber-rich vegetables, fruits, and whole grains for all meals and snacks.
For example, a breakfast might look like a veggie-egg scramble with one piece of fresh fruit, followed by an afternoon snack of apple slices with one to two tablespoons of peanut butter. This combination utilizes fresh, whole foods to help promote satiety, blood sugar regulation, and weight loss.
It is important to eat breakfast each morning and have small meals every three to four hours to help boost your metabolism and aid in weight loss goals.
2. Control Your Portion Size
Paying attention to the portion of your meals is a great way to start your weight loss journey. “Initially, you want to measure out your portions for the first 7-14 days. When you start to measure typical foods for a consistent period of time in the initial phase of your weight loss journey, you will get used to what it looks like and be more comfortable with what an adequate portion looks like on your plate,” Kristen mentions.
Additionally, it is helpful to plan one to two hours out of your week for meal preparation. “I recommend prepping lean proteins, whole grains, and vegetables,” says Kristen. She suggests trying roasted vegetables, cooked brown rice, and quinoa because they are easy to create healthy meals with throughout the busy week.
Find recipes for meals that you love, and make a lot of it; prepare five to six servings for maximum convenience.
Try some of our healthy recipes:3. Track your Meals
One of the most successful methods for losing weight is to be consistent in tracking the foods you eat. Not only does this remind you of what you’re eating, but it helps you realize how much you’re eating. “Tracking what you eat is one of the best ways to be accountable for what you’re putting into your body, ” Kristen adds.
4. Stay Hydrated
One important thing that people often forget about is that water helps fill you up. At times you may seem hungry, when you are actually just thirsty. “Water is a component we need in order to absorb the nutrients in our food; it helps flush out what we don’t need, and helps absorb what we do need in order for our metabolism to work most efficiently,” Kristen says.
A good rule of thumb for determining the amount of water to drink on a daily basis is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, you need to drink 100 ounces of water.
5. Be Active
Increasing your physical activity is one of the easiest ways to generate results on your weight loss journey. Try to schedule a time each day dedicated to getting your heart rate up. Kristen states, “I recommend using the ‘Talk test’ to gauge intensity. For example, if you’re walking with a friend and you can have a regular conversation, you’ll know that you need to pick up the pace.”
Group fitness is another great way to stay active. “Find a partner and pick a class to attend before or after work. Having a partner that will hold you accountable for going is one of the best ways to lose weight,” Kristen mentions.
For those that may suffer from joint issues, there are plenty of non-weight bearing exercise classes that are great for staying active. “Riding a bicycle and water aerobics are great,” she adds.
If you don’t have much time throughout your day, there are still small things you can do that will make a difference in the results you see, including:
- Park far away from work, your apartment, or the grocery store
- Take the stairs, instead of the elevator
- Get off the bus one stop earlier and walk the rest of the way
- Make it a point to get in any extra movement throughout the day that you can
- Walk over to your co-worker instead of sending them an e-mail
- Take a few laps around the office