Losing 10 lbs. in eight weeks isn't an unreasonable weight-loss goal. If you were to lose 1 to 2 lbs. a week, which is the amount recommended by the Mayo Clinic, you should realistically hit your target in the allotted time. One of the most effective methods to do this is through a combination of diet and exercise.
Step 1
Establish the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Each of our bodies has a caloric need based on our age as well as our height, weight and activity level.
Step 2
Eliminate 3,500 calories from your weekly diet. To lose 1 lb., you need to eliminate this amount of calories from your diet each week, according to the National Institutes of Health. Broken out over time, that's only 500 calories you need to reduce from your diet each day.
Step 3
Incorporate more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your eating regimen. These types of foods generally have far fewer calories than meat, dairy and fat. If your diet contains more fruit, vegetables and whole grains, you're naturally cutting calories from your diet.
Step 4
Walk, swim, bike, jog or take part in any other athletic pursuit four to five times a week. The amount of calories you burn is dependent on your weight, activity and exertion level, so amounts will vary from person to person.
To give you an idea of the potential calories burned through exercise, someone who weighs 165 lbs. and walks at 2 mile per hour (mph) for 30 minutes can burn more than 100 calories. Increase the exertion level to 3 mph to burn approximately 160 calories. And if this same person were to spend 15 minutes walking stairs, he could burn more than 150 calories in this short amount of time. Do this five times a week and burn anywhere between 4,000 and 6,400 additional calories. As you can see, walking alone can help you burn enough calories to almost hit your weight-loss goals. Simply adjust your exercise accordingly.
Step 5
Keep a weight loss journal. Though this won't cause you to lose actual weight, it can help you track your caloric intake as well as calories burned during exercise to meet your weight-loss goals.
Step 6
Consider enlisting a friend. Sometimes, it can be helpful to have another person losing weight at the same time, so talk to your friends and family members about joining your weight-loss regimen. The added support may just give you the push to succeed.
Tips and Warnings
- Talk to your doctor about your weight-loss goals before starting any diet or exercise.
- Women should not reduce their caloric intake to below 1,200 calories, and men should not go below 1,500, according to the National Institutes of Health. It may do more harm to your health than good.
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