Losing 10 lb. in 6 weeks is a reasonable goal that falls within the recommended weight loss of 1 to 2 lb. per week. To accomplish this goal, you will need to be highly motivated and focused on both diet and exercise. To lose 1 lb., you need to eliminate 3,500 calories beyond what you need to maintain your weight. To lose the 10 lb. in 6 weeks, you need to lose a little over a pound and a half per week, or 5,833 calories. This translates to a reduction of about 833 calories per day.
Step 1
Weigh yourself on a scale that you can use consistently though out your 6 weeks of weight loss. This will give you a baseline weight and establish your exact goal. Keeping the scale, as well as the time of day, consistent will insure that you are accurately assessing your weight-loss progress.
Step 2
Determine your caloric needs by using an online caloric need calculator, such as the one found The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.com. You can also determine a proper caloric goal by taking your current body weight and multiplying it by 10. (e.g., 150 lb. * 10 = 1,500). This will give you your basal metabolic rate (BMR), the amount of calories your body needs just to stay alive.
Step 3
Find out approximately how many calories you actually burn per day by multiplying this number by your activity level:
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) = BMR * 1.2
Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1 to 3 days per week) = BMR * 1.375
Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3 to 5 days per week) = BMR * 1.55
Very active (hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days per week) = BMR * 1.725
Extra active (hard daily exercise/sports and physical job or twice-daily training, e.g., marathon, contest) = BMR * 1.9
For the sedentary person, take the BMR of 1,500 and multiply it by 1.2. This gives a caloric goal to maintain weight of 1,800 calories per day.
Step 4
Set your calorie reduction and exercise goals to lose just over 1.5 lb. per week, or 833 calories per day. To do this, decide how many calories will come from calorie reduction and how many will come from exercise. In general, it is not recommended to reduce your calories below 1,200 calories for women and 1,500 calories for men.
Step 5
Determine how many calories you will burn through exercise. Estimate how much time per week you have to exercise. Remember to take at least 1 day off per week to recover. Use an application such as The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.com to determine how many calories you are consuming per day and how many calories you have burned while exercising.
Step 6
Exercise most days of the week for at least half an hour. It is best to do both cardiovascular exercise (walking, running, biking, swimming, etc.) and strength training for optimal results. To save time, you can combine both cardiovascular exercise and strength training by doing circuit training, where you move from one strength exercise to another with little to no rest. You can exercise in a gym, at home or even outside. Where you exercise matters less than squeezing it in. For ideas on different types of workouts, visit the American Council on Exercise (ACE) website, linked to in Resources.
Step 7
Divide your daily calories into three to five meals or snacks. Start with breakfast, as that will help to get your metabolism started. Concentrate on eating lean proteins, such as white-meat chicken, fish and lean pork or beef; lots of fruits and vegetables; and whole grains.
Step 8
Check in weekly to make sure you are on track. Weigh yourself at approximately the same time every week to be consistent. Adjust your calories and exercise as need to achieve your goal.
Tips and Warnings
- Approach each day as a new opportunity to meet your goal. If you have missed a workout or eaten a bit too much, just start fresh the next day. Do not give up because of one lapse. Do not skip meals. This will cause you to overeat the next time you do eat. It will also slow down your metabolism. Be consistent. Weight loss happens when you make lifestyle changes that you can live with for the long run.
- Check with your doctor before starting any weight-loss program. Exercise and dietary needs are dependent on your health, and you may require your doctor's permission and guidelines before starting an exercise program and/or diet.
Things You'll Need
- Scale
- Caloric need calculator
- Calorie count book or website
- Calories burned calculator
- Gym or exercise equipment
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