A Plan To Lose 13 Pounds In 10 Weeks

A 13 lb. weight loss can have a significant effect your appearance and health. Losing this weight within a 10-week time frame is healthy and reasonable, as most experts recommend no more than a 1 to 2 lb. weight loss per week. The key is to alter your dietary habits and engage in regular exercise without succumbing to diet fads or pills.

Calories

Burn approximately 750 calories more than you consume daily to result in a 1.5 pound weight loss per week. You can do this through a combination of diet and exercise. Try cutting 250 calories out of your diet and burning 500 calories each day through exercise.

Aerobic Exercise

Participate in 60 to 90 minutes of aerobic exercise, three to five days a week for weight loss, states the American College of Sports Medicine. You can complete in one session, or you can break up the workouts into multiple 20 to 30 minute sessions throughout the day. Try running, bicycling, swimming or jumping rope.

Strength Training

Obtain muscle strength and a more efficient metabolism, with two to three days of total body resistance training per week. Muscles burn more calories that fat, give you a leaner appearance and improves resting metabolism so you can burn calories while you sleep. Work all of your major muscles with free weights, pin weights, calisthenics, resistance bands or your own body weight.

Interval Training

Incorporate interval training into your cardio workout, strength training workout, or both. This is where you alternate between low and high intensity through the session to enhance calorie burning power. Try jogging 1/4 of a mile then walk 1/4 of a mile over and over until you have completed 2 miles. Sprint upstairs then walk downstairs several times, for a total of 15 minutes.

Diet

Get rid of all foods that contain few essential vitamins and minerals, and replace with low calorie nutrient dense foods. Examples of food and beverages containing empty calories include cookies, potato chips, fruit juices, sodas and alcohol. Try lean proteins, fresh fruits and veggies, low fat dairy and water instead.