When you want to lose a specific amount of weight in a certain time frame, there is usually an event on the horizon, such as a wedding, a class reunion or an outing at the beach. Regardless of your motives, 12 pounds in 10 weeks is very realistic and achievable provided you are willing to follow the right steps and make the sacrifices necessary to achieve it.
Step 1
Find out your current daily caloric intake, Use an online resource, such as CalorieKing, or get a book such as "The Ultimate Calorie Counter" to figure out your daily intake of calories. Track liquid calories as well because they still count. After a week, add all your daily totals together and divide by seven to get an average.
Step 2
Create a caloric deficit. Take your current daily average and subtract 300 calories from it. For example, if you current intake is 2,300, then your new intake is 2,000 calories.
Step 3
Eat foods that are low in saturated fat, sodium and sugar, such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, seeds, nuts, low-fat dairy products, fish, whole grains and beans. Avoid fast food, deep fried foods, processed meats, commercial baked goods and refined grain products.
Step 4
Eat five to six small meals a day instead of two to three large ones. Have a meal every 2 to 3 hours and make sure it has a combination of protein and carbohydrates. Hummus on rye bread with lettuce and tomato is an midday meal example.
Step 5
Drink water in place of beverages that contain calories like soft drinks, milk shakes, alcohol, fruit drinks, lattes and teas sweetened with sugar. Aim for at least 10 cups of water a day.
Step 6
Burn at least 300 calories a day through exercise. Use an online resource such as CaloriesperHour.com that gives you the caloric costs of various exercises. Work out however long it takes to reach 300 calories. Do something you enjoy, such as weight lifting, running, walking, biking, hiking, swimming, elliptical training or stair climbing.
Tips and Warnings
- It takes 3,500 calories burned to lose a pound. If you follow the above steps, you will burn 600 calories a day, which comes out to 4,200 calories a week. After 10 weeks, you will lose 12 pounds.
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