Once you decide to lose 10 pounds, you want to peel the weight off quickly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions, however, that losing weight gradually and steadily--one or two pounds a week--is the best way to ensure that it will stay off. With that in mind, you can lose those 10 pounds in just a month or two--and keep it off long-term--by revising your lifestyle.
Reduce Calories
Losing one pound of weight requires eating 3,500 calories less than you burn. Cut back about 500 calories per day, and you can lose one pound in a week. The best strategy for reducing calories is to find a diet that works with your preferences and lifestyle. The February 26, 2009, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine published a Harvard study, "Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates" that looked at diets with various nutritional prescriptions. The researchers concluded that, regardless of the diet formula, people lost weight when calories were reduced. Try eating 20 percent less at each meal, cutting discretionary calories such as alcohol and soda, and skipping a second helping. In your efforts to lose weight, be careful to consume a minimum of 1,200 calories a day if you are a woman, 1,500 if you are a man, notes the National Institutes of Health.
Choose the Right Foods
When restricting calories, eat highly nutritious foods to maintain energy and ensure satisfaction. Avoid processed foods and sugary treats; instead, choose fresh produce, lean proteins, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and monounsaturated fats. To ward off hunger and the urge to snack, go for high volume foods that are low in calories: carrot and celery sticks, grapes, air-popped popcorn and apple slices. Studies, like one by Curtin University in Australia in October 2009, show that including five servings of low-fat dairy while controlling overall calories can help with weight loss. Upping your protein intake to the highest amount recommended by the Institute of Medicine--about 35 percent of daily calories--may help you feel more satisfied and lessen cravings, notes a 2005 editorial by food industry expert Arne Astrup in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Move
Burning an extra 250 to 500 calories a day, in addition to reducing calorie consumption, can increase your rate of weight loss. Formal exercise, such as jogging, cycling, aerobics classes and strength training, contributes to this calorie burn. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you include at least 60 minutes of moderate cardiovascular exercise five days a week in order to stimulate weight loss. If you feel you do not have time to exercise, or simply abhor organized athletic endeavors, remember that daily activities can contribute to your calorie burn. Take your dog for two walks instead of one, clean your own house or meet friends for a dance class instead of dinner. Be creative in finding excuses to move--every calorie burned helps you reach your 10-pound goal.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Losing Weight
- New England Journal of Medicine: Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates
- National Institutes of Health: Tips for Losing Weight
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: The Satiating Power of Protein
- Curtin News: Higher Dairy Intake Can Help Fight Obesity
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