Often people are not really overweight but instead are just looking at how to lose those 10 pounds that have been hanging around for a few weeks or even a few years that they do not know how to get rid of. Well I have a few ideas on how you can get rid of 10 pounds now and fast that should get you on the right track.
1. When trying to lose weight it comes down to energy in and energy out. There is no real way around this. To lose 10 pounds you need to burn 35000 calories more than you take in. The math doesn’t lie and you can’t lie to a scale either.
2. Most of our body is water and because of this there is water retention. Your body combats what is throwing off electrolytes or stress or other factors and it will naturally retain water.
3. Fat is high in calories. High water foods are low in calories. In order to change that input output ratio you need to raise the amount of low calorie density foods and lower the amount of high caloric density foods. so eat less red meat and fatty deep fried food and eat more fruits and veggies which are high in water content and nutrients.
4. All weight loss comes with a reason. What is the reason that you want to lose the weight? When you are hungry and drive by a McDonalds or KFC and just want to do drive thru what is going to stop you? Certainly not losing weight.
So how do you pull all of this together? How do you lose 10 pounds? When you want to know how to lose weight it comes down to planning. Plan to drink a lot more water, it will make you pee more often but will also clean you out and give you move energy. You also have to get more exercise and by exercise I mean try to get one hour of exercise of any kind in a day. This needs to be exercise that you like and not exercise that just feels like work as that will not be sustainable.
As far as eating goes you will need to get back to those core eating habits of eating fruit and vegetables and reducing the amount of heavy carbs like rice and potatoes and make sure to eat often. Eating smaller meals more often will keep that metabolism up for you.
Finally you need to worry about why you are trying to lose weight. If you want to know how to lose 10 pounds then you need to really know why you want to lose the weight. Is it going to make you more healthy, losing 10 pounds will make you a lot healthier. Or do you want to fit into smaller clothes? Or is it a goal to prove that you are in control of yourself? All of these reasons and more are important. Write you reasons down and post them up everywhere. Make sure that you never forget the WHY of losing those last 10 pounds.
Weight Loss 101
An important step in your weight loss journey is setting a realistic goal for your end weight and/or BMI (Body Mass Index).
Your Goal Weight
It's just not sensible to start a weight loss plan without first considering an important question: Is the weight I want to achieve realistic for my body? Answering this question truthfully will go a long way in preventing frustration down the road.
Hopefully, you have already talked to your doctor about your weight, you should have a healthy weight goal in mind based on what she told you.
If you haven't seen a doctor yet, you can find reliable height and weight charts at your doctor's office or a local hospital wellness center. You can also access some, like the one the USDA provides, online.
Rather than setting a "magic number" as your goal weight, give yourself a range within about five pounds of your healthy weight.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, consider making mini-goals of five or 10 pounds every six weeks to two months rather than focusing on your end weight.
As a rule of thumb, you should weigh yourself once a week as you diet. You should try to weigh yourself at the same time each day to get consistent readings as your weight can vary throughout the day.
Your BMI
Your doctor may also assess your BMI. BMI is the most widely-used form of weight-tracking today. It helps health care providers measure your risk for weight-related health issues.
You can find out your own BMI with a simple formula:
Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Multiply by 705.
For example, consider a woman who is 5'6" and weighs 190 pounds:
Height of 5'6" = 66 inches
66 squared (66 x 66) = 4,356
190 divided by 4,356 = 0.0436
0.0436 x 705 = 30.75
This individual's BMI would be rounded up to 31.
BMI is categorized as follows:
Less than 18.5--underweight
18.5 to 24.9--normal weight
25 to 29.9--overweight (Individuals who fall into the BMI range of 25 to 34.9 begin having some health risk concerns.)
30 or more--obese
40 or more--morbidly obese
Your Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Last, but not least, your doctor may also mention your waist-to-hip ratio.
Waist-to-hip ratio is calculated by taking your waist circumference and dividing it by your hip circumference.
Those who are considered "apple-shaped" (fat accumulates around the belly) are at a much higher risk for heart disease and hypertension than those who tend to carry their weight in the hips or thighs.
What is the 90/10 diet?
The 90/10 diet can be found in a book written by nutritionist Joy Bauer called The 90/10 Weight-Loss Plan: A Scientifically Designed Balance of Healthy Foods and Fun Foods.
How much does this diet cost?
The book can be purchased for approximately $18 online or at other book retailers. There are no required foods or expensive recipes necessary to follow this plan.
What is the diet like?
The basic premise of the 90/10 plan is that you eat a healthful diet 90 percent of the time, and enjoy what Bauer calls “fun foods” 10 percent of the time. Bauer’s theory is that by allowing yourself your favorite foods some of the time, you will feel less deprived and more able to stick with the healthy changes the rest of the time. The book outlines diets for three different daily calorie levels -- 1,200, 1,400, and 1,600.
What is the food like?
There are two weeks worth of meals outlined in this plan. Once you are accustomed to practicing portion control, monitoring your calories, and planning your fun foods, you will also be able to customize your meals to your own preferences as long as you stay within your caloric allowance.
During my trial of the diet, a typical day’s menu was oatmeal with fruit for breakfast, a tuna melt with low-fat cheese for lunch, an apple for snack, chicken and vegetables with brown rice for dinner, and chocolate chip cookies as my fun food.
What is the best part of this diet?
What I liked about this diet was being able to continue to allow myself a controlled portion of nearly any food as long as I followed the guidelines the rest of the time. I was able to enjoy “old favorites” that other diets forbid. (So many other diets ask you to go "cold turkey" on favorite foods, especially during the first week or so, or during the first “phases” of the plan. I often find those diets too difficult to stick to for any period of time, but did not have that problem with this plan.)
What is the most challenging part of this diet?
The only "catch" to this plan is that you have to work the fun foods into your daily calorie allotment; I was on the 1,600 calorie plan, so those 260 calories from my cookies left me 1,340 calories to utilize for the rest of the day. Since my calorie allotment was on the higher end, I did not often have a problem working in everything I needed to round out my day’s food intake.
However, I can see that this may be challenging to someone on the lower end of the spectrum, at 1,200 calories, especially if you are not accustomed to monitoring your food or calorie intake. For example, let’s say you plan tomorrow morning for a 300 calorie treat as your "fun food" and then you decide to have a soda with it, too. If you only have 750 calories remaining for your entire day after your treat, you have used too many calories and did not allow sufficient calories for other more nutritious, filling choices. That’s why planning is so important so you “spend” your calories the best way possible.
What are the long-term effects of this diet?
During my 30-day trial of this plan, I lost just under eight pounds. I found this plan to be effective and reasonably easy to follow.
You can easily track your daily calories and search for foods’ caloric content at a free Web site such as Calorie Count Plus. I searched their food database on a daily basis to find out the calorie counts of foods that I did not have a nutrition label for.
In my opinion, the inclusion of “fun foods” makes this diet ideal for people who have found other diets to be too restrictive. I think most people would be able to stick to this plan. If you are allowed 1,600 or 1,800 calories you will undoubtedly have enough calories to eat plenty of the healthy foods recommended on the plan and still have your “fun foods”.
Maintenance may be a little more challenging for some after following this plan; you will need to continue being conscious of your food choices and caloric intake. Once you’re at your goal weight, you will need fewer calories than you were previously accustomed to eating before you lost weight, so it is important that you continue monitoring you caloric intake (You can do so easily by tracking your food intake with Calorie Count Plus.). Remember, if you return to consuming more calories than you need -- after this or any other diet -- you will begin to gain weight again.
The Best Life Diet
What You Need to Know About the Best Life Diet:
The Best Life Diet author Bob Greene is best known as Oprah's personal trainer. This diet emphasizes swapping unhealthy foods for healthier ones and making positive behavior changes. Here's what you need to know about the Best Life diet.
Cost of the Best Life Diet:
The book is available for approximately $16. The web site, bestlife.com, requires a monthly membership fee of around $20. While you do not need to join the Web site in order to follow the diet, the Web site does offer additional content not found in the book.
The only additional cost is grocery store items you choose to purchase in order to follow recommended meal or snack plans, or for preparing recipes.
Required Changes on the Best Life Diet:
This diet relies on making permanent lifestyle changes, such as being more active and not eating late at night. There is a focus on portion control and controlling caloric intake. It is not a low carb diet, but it does require switching out "bad" carbohydrates, such as white bread, in favor of "good" carbs, such as whole-grain bread.
Best Life Diet Phase 1:
Greene refers to the first four weeks of this diet as phase 1. He says the purpose of this introductory phase is to lay the groundwork for adapting the program as a lifestyle rather than considering it a short-term diet. During this time, Greene recommends the following simple changes: Move more, stop eating late at night, eat three meals and one snack each day, and drink plenty of water.
You should not expect to lose a large amount of weight during this initial phase; depending on your current habits, you may not actually lose any weight.
Best Life Diet Phase 2:
Phase 2 of this diet lasts for at least four weeks, or much longer if you have a significant amount of weight to lose. During this phase, Greene builds on the guidelines of phase 1, adding a number of food "switches" that will allow you to lose weight, including the total elimination of six "unhealthy" foods (e.g. soda), for which he provides healthier alternatives.
Additionally, you will learn to use a hunger scale to help you eat only when your body needs fuel and stop eating before you feel full. Portion control is an important aspect of this phase. More exercise is recommended.
Best Life Diet Phase 3:
Phase 3 of the is considered the maintenance phase. You will continue to follow the guidelines set forth in the previous phases. You will continue to eat balanced meals and Greene encourages the addition of more vegetables to your diet. Certain foods, such as high-fat meat, are to be eliminated or signficantly reduced. You are allowed to incorporate what Greene refers to as "Anything Goes" calories, which allots a number of calories for special treats such as chocolate or popcorn. Lastly, daily exercise is required on phase 3.
Long-Term Effects of the Best Life Diet:
The purpose of The Best Life Diet is to teach you permanent lifestyle changes that will help you manage your weight. The principles of Greene's plan, such as portion control and hunger monitoring, are important skills for long-term success. The dietary changes are nutritionally sound and will almost certainly help you lose weight. If you continue to follow the principles Greene outlines, you most likely succeed; if you return to your old eating habits at any time, the weight you have lost is very likely to start coming back.
What is the 5-Factor Diet?
The 5-Factor Diet is found in a book by the same name which is written by fitness trainer Harley Pasternak with Myatt Murphy.
Who is Harley Pasternak?
Harley Pasternak is a fitness trainer whose clients have included John Mayer, Halle Berry, Mandy Moore, and many other celebrities. He has appeared on television as a nutrition and fitness expert on such shows as The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Tyra Banks Show.
How much does this diet cost?
The 5-Factor Diet book is available in hardcover for about $17. It is also available as an online membership at the diet's official Web site for around $20 a month. The only additional costs for following this diet are purchasing regular grocery store foods or ingredients for recipes, as well as fitness equipment such as a set of dumbbells and a stability ball, which can be found for about $15 each.
What is the 5-Factor Diet about?
The key principle of the 5-Factor Diet is to eat five meal each day that must be made up of five components: a lean protein, a complex carbohydrate, fiber, a "good" fat, and a sugar-free drink. The food choices Pasternak recommends are based on the Glycemic Index (GI), which rates foods according to their effect on blood sugar levels. (Eating foods with a low GI, as well as high-fiber foods, may help control cravings and prevent overeating by keeping your blood sugar stable.) Pasternak provides some additional key points behind the basis of his diet, including the importance of both protein and fiber as they relate to weight loss and good nutrition in general.
Pasternak says getting regular exercise is 50% of his plan. He says you must exercise five days a week to get the "full benefit" of the plan. He suggests five exercises, to be done five days each week, that take about five minutes each to do. Photos and step-by-step instructions for exercises are provided in the book.
What is the food like on the 5-Factor Diet?
Each of the five snacks or meals required six out of seven days on the 5-Factor Diet must include what Paternak refers to as "5-Factor Foods" (low-fat protein, low- to medium-GI carbs, fiber, a healthy fat, and water or another sugar-free beverage).
Pasternak says consuming moderate-carbohydrate, high-protein meals will help you stay fuller longer, which diminishes between-meal hunger pangs. An example of a 5-Factor meal would be baked chicken, mixed vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, a half cup of lentils, and a glass of sparkling water.
There are some specific recommendations among the acceptable foods on the plan, such as choosing white meat poultry over dark and avoiding grapes because of their high ranking on the GI. So it is important that you read the eating guidelines carefully before you begin planning your meals.
Pasternak provides more than 100 recipes in the book, all of which require only five main ingredients and five minutes of preparation.
Each week, there is one day Pasternak calls a "cheat day" when you can eat absolutely anything you want.
Is the 5-Factor Diet a fad diet? Will it work?
The 5-Factor Diet would not be considered a fad diet because it provides healthful eating guidelines, recommends a variety of foods without excluding any food groups, and is adaptable to your own preferences. Additionally, it recommends regular exercise. All of these points are hallmarks of a sound diet plan.
On the other hand, all of the "five of everything" rules does make this diet seem rather "gimmicky." (And the name-dropping on Pasternak's part -- "Halle Berry loves my fajitas!" -- doesn't make it seem less so.)
There is not really any new or exclusive science behind the plan; it's actually just good, common-sense advice about making better eating choices and becoming more active. There is no "weight loss magic" to eating five meals a day, and always being required to eat all five of the "5-Factor Foods" together at one time isn't necessarily any more effective than eating them among different meals or snacks.
Weight loss comes down to calories in/calories out. Whether you eat five or three meals a day, if you burn more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight. If, for example, you completely remove high-calorie and high-sugar foods such as white bread and soda pop from your diet and replace them with whole grains and sugar-free beverages, and you work out most days a week, you are virtually guaranteed to lose weight.
How long does the 5-Factor diet last?
Pasternak presents the diet as a 5-week plan (again ... five!), but you will need to stay on it quite a bit longer if you have more than about 10 pounds to lose. It does not provide rapid results, which is actually a plus. You can expect an average loss of one to two pounds a week after the first week. This diet is safe and adaptable as a permanent lifestyle.
Snack Smart
You can help prevent overeating and maintain blood sugar levels by eating something about every three hours. Getting too hungry will backfire on your efforts to eat healthy and practice portion control. Aim for a healthful, satisfying snack, such as an apple and some reduced-fat cheddar cheese. Eating more may seem counterintuitive, but smart snacking will help you lose weight.
Eat More Grains and Produce
Whole grains and fruits and veggies do more than provide nutrients that improve your health and reduce disease-risk; they can also help you lose weight. They're naturally low in calories, so you can eat more of them and have less room in your diet for less-than-healthful foods. Plus, the fiber in whole-grain foods and produce will help you feel fuller longer (which helps you control portions and avoid overeating) and as a result, lose weight.
Eat Enough, Often Enough
One of the worst ways to lose weight? Meal skipping. Many people think skipping meals is a great way to cut calories, but in the end, they fail to lose weight. You'll be more likely to overeat or even binge (when you finally do eat) if you do not eat regular meals. Plus your body may go into "starvation mode" if don't eat enough, causing you to maintain (or even gain) rather than lose weight!
Drink Plenty of Water
Water helps you lose weight in several ways: If you tend to have a problem with "water weight," drinking more water can help alleviate bloating. Replacing high-cal drinks such as soda with water cuts hundreds of calories. You shouldn't wait until you're feeling thirsty to drink water; thirst can be mistaken for hunger, causing you to overeat. Proper hydration improves your sense of well-being, which will keep up your motivation to lose weight.
Get Moving
It is virtually impossible to lose weight and keep it off without exercising regularly. Start out today by taking a brisk walk or riding a bike. Work your way up from 10 minutes to 30-40 minutes a day, most days a week, and you could reap health benefits and weight loss results in a matter of weeks. Plus, exercise boosts your metabolism, making it even easier to lose weight.
Practice Portion Control
Measuring food may seem like a drudgery, but it will prove invaluable in your efforts to lose weight. Start out by comparing a measured standard serving of foods to your typical helping. You may find you usually consume two or even three times the recommended serving. In time you will reprogram your brain to eyeball portion sizes, a key skill for losing weight.
