To lose any amount of weight, you must create a calorie deficit--or burn more calories than you consume. You can create enough of a deficit to lose 10 lbs. by making small, easy changes over the course of several weeks. This approach may take longer than a focused effort that involves weighing and measuring every morsel and spending hours at the gym, but it will pay off in the long term. One pound equals 3,500 calories, so you must create a deficit of 35,000 calories over time to lose your 10 lbs.
Step 1
Pay attention to how much food you are eating. Serve yourself just 2 to 3 oz. protein at meals and ½ cup grains or one slice of bread says Joanne Larsen, R.D. on Ask the Dietitian. Fill up on non-starchy vegetables flavored with herbs, spices, citrus, vinegar or broth, rather than butter or dressings.
Step 2
Avoid liquid calories. Choose water, unsweetened tea or diet sodas instead of sugar-sweetened drinks to save about 150 calories per 12 oz.
Step 3
Stop consuming mindless calories. Pass up the samples at the grocery store, chew gum while preparing dinner to prevent "tasting," and do not finish the food your child or partner leaves on his plate. Eliminate 200 of these sneaky calories and lose 10 lbs. in fewer than six months without even trying.
Step 4
Cook at home more often. Avoid high-calorie restaurant fare and broil, steam or grill at home. Make a homemade burger at home with 4 oz. of extra lean beef and a whole grain bun with a baked potato for 510 calories versus 920 calories in a Big Mac and medium fries. Lose your 10 lbs. in seven and one-half months if you save this 410 calories three times per week.
Step 5
Add in more easy physical activity. Walk in the evenings instead of watching television to burn 277 calories in an hour, if you weigh 160 lbs., and lose 10 lbs. in 18 weeks. Become more fidgety--pace while you are on the phone, gesture more and tap your foot to burn up to 350 more calories daily, says the "New York Times" in a May 24, 2005, article.
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