Losing 10 lbs. is an easily attainable goal if you follow the right steps. Whether you are overweight or in fairly good shape, there is no short cut or substitute for exercise and getting the proper amount of high-quality, nutrient-rich foods. You might also need to change a few of your habits. Either way, you can lose 10 lbs. by following a diet plan, exercising and cutting bad habits.
Step 1
Eat less. When you go out to eat, ask your server to box half your food before he even brings it out to the table. According to a 2007 issue of the "Obesity Research Journal," a plate of food at a restaurant is about two to four times larger than the serving sizes recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A study conducted by Penn State found that people who were given much smaller sandwiches than other people in the study felt just as full as the people who received very large sandwiches.
Step 2
Avoid condiments. Use half the butter, salad dressing and mayonnaise that you normally put on your sandwiches and meals. Just 1 tbsp. butter contains more than 100 calories. Eliminating the fatty extras is a fast and easy way to lose weight. If you cannot live without your condiments, replace creamy salad dressings with oil and vinegar, or reach for the fat-free mayonnaise.
Step 3
Do not drink alcohol. Alcoholic drinks contain hundreds of empty calories. Beer, wine and hard liquor also increase your appetite and reduce your willpower. Many times, this forces you to eat more than you planned. A 12-oz. serving of beer contains about 150 calories. By eliminating just one beer a day, you can lose about 1 lb. in just a month.
Step 4
Cut out pop and soda. Replace all fizzy and sugary drinks with water. A 12-oz. soda contains about 120 calories. According to "The Washington Post," a 2004 study of more than 50,000 nurses found those who drank one serving of soda a day gained more weight than those who drank one serving per month. You can burn up to 200 additional calories per day by drinking eight 8-oz. glasses of water during the day. Drinking water also boosts your metabolism and helps you lose weight faster.
Step 5
Get more sleep. If you do not get enough sleep per day, you tend to consume more sugary foods and more calories during the day. Aim for eight hours of quality sleep each night.
Step 6
Exercise. The Mayo Clinic suggests that your exercise goals be "smart." The word "smart" stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and trackable. If you do not normally exercise, the Mayo Clinic recommends walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week. To lose about 1 to 2 lbs. a week, you have to burn about 500 to 1,000 calories more than you eat during the day.
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