How can I lose 10 pounds safely?

Question

I have been trying to lose 10 pounds before my wedding and I can't, and it is really bothering so does anyone have any ideas ?


Details:
-I am 24
-5'8 and 129 pounds(Tall and thin)
-I would really feel alot better if I lost 10 pounds, so please don't say I don't need to lose 10 pounds


Thank you for your help :)

Answer 1

Lenna, you don’t say when your wedding is, so it’s difficult to know whether 10 pounds is a realistic goal. Generally, you can safely lose up to two pounds of fat a week and not negatively impact lean muscle mass (remember, fat loss is your goal, not weight loss.) Anything greater than two pounds, and you’ll start to lose lean muscle, which is what gives you that toned, tight, look. If you try to exceed losing more than two pounds a week, you’ll just end up a “skinny fat person” -- meaning you’ll be lighter, but flabbier.

The first thing you need to do is EAT. Starvation diets do not work. Drastically cutting back on your food intake won't help you lose fat -- instead you'll lose some water weight and then your metabolism will grind to a halt and you’ll lose energy. The human body is very smart and resilient from thousands of years of evolution -- when you drastically cut back on calories, your body will think you are starving (which you are) and it will actually slow your metabolism and stop the fat burning process. This is counterproductive. You'll also be very hungry, very miserable and not a very happy bride.

So how WILL you do it? Barring any weird metabolism issues, it’s pretty simple: figure out how many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight and then reduce that by around 1000 calories per day (to lose 2 pounds a week.). That means by the end of seven days, you will have reduced your total caloric intake for the week by 7000 calories -- which is how many calories is in 2 lbs of fat. Do this for five weeks, and you should lose around ten pounds of fat, while minimizing the loss of lean muscle.

So let’s do a little math to figure out how many calories you should be taking in each day.:

Without knowing your actual body fat percentages and activity level, I’m going to have make some estimates here. Based on your height, weight and age, you sound pretty lean already, so losing 10 pounds might be a little aggressive. I would aim for six or seven pounds. I’m also assuming you engage in light activity (work in an office, do light housework/shopping, driving, etc., but primarily sit during the day -- if you are more active, you need to give yourself a few more calories each day) Based on these assumptions you need to consume around 1700 calories a day to maintain your current weight. If you are more active, you will be closer to 1800 per day.

So if you want to lose 1.5 pounds of (primarily) fat a week, you need to reduce your total daily calories to around 950 per day. Now before you freak out, realize that you’ll be doing this by eating a little less food (about 375 calories less) and burning the remaining 375 per day with a combination of cardio and weight training. So you’ll actually be eating around 1325 calories a day, and burning the remaining 375 through exercise. Cutting out 375 calories from food is actually not as tough as you think, and sure beats the starvation diet crap other people are advocating. Burning an extra 300-400 calories a day in exercise means around 60 minutes of cardio on an elliptical trainer, or a 40 minute weight training circuit with around 20 minutes on the treadmill at a brisk pace. Try to do full-body resistance training three times a week, and 60-90 minutes of cardio on the days in between. The big benefit of this approach over starvation and do-nothing diet pills is that you’ll actually improve your overall physique and toning and it will boost your energy and mood.

In terms of your diet, I would focus on eating 4-6 small meals a day around 250 calories. Make a lean protein like chicken breast, fish or lean beef/pork the center of the meal (around 3 oz) and eat lots of veggies (but skip the butter and cheese.) If you like oatmeal, eat it every morning since it is very filling and is a slow-burning, but high energy carb. Learn to love egg white omelets -- use one yolk and four egg whites and load them up with veggies. Make sure you are drinking a lot of water (no soda -- not even diet -- or alcohol). If you get bored with water, drink iced green or black tea without sugar or Perrier water with lemon. If you like beans, eat them. Nuts are also good snacks, but don’t overdo it. Again, always strive to include a good source of protein at every meal. If you are pressed for time, make a simple whey protein shake (I like Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein powder in Double Chocolate -- mix a scoop with a cup of skim milk and you have tasty, chocolate milk at less than 300 calories -- you can get this at GNC.) Give yourself a cheat day (Maybe a Saturday night) when you can have a glass of wine if you like and eat a few extra calories. In some cases, this actually will help re-invigorate your metabolism after a few days of being in a calorie-reduced state.

If possible, I would recommend keeping track of your calories. There is an online tool at http://www.calorieking.com that is great for this. I’ve used it for years, and it definitely helps you keep those calories in check and track your progress. Eventually, you’ll get a feel for the calorie content of your meals and won’t have to monitor it so closely.

Finally, go to the library and get some back issues of Muscle and Fitness Hers or pick up a current issue at the newsstand. They have great meal plans/recipes in nearly every issue, as well as useful cardio and weight training programs. You can get some of their content for free on their website at:

http://www.muscleandfitnesshers.com

Best of luck and congrats!

Answer 2

I've tried many diets and couldn't make anything work. Since having my first child, I've been carrying around an extra 30 pounds. This diet just made sense and showed me that everything I was doing before was wrong and a waste of my time.

The plan was so refreshing and so simple to follow. I did everything plan said and lost 23 pounds in the first three weeks. I'm now starting the diet again to lose 7 more pounds. This plan has changed my life.

Get started today!

Answer 3

snack on a small handful of nuts

Answer 4

Drink water, and walk. Diet pills do not work.. and even if they did, you will gain all the weight back after you stop taking them.
The thing that worked best for me was just walking or speed walking and drinking lots and lots of water.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Do 45 minutes cardio workouts a few times a week

Answer 6

so you want to loose weight, hmmm well first dont starve yourself or waste money on tablets or shakes they are a waste of money just excersise and have healthy meals like steamed fish chicken and vegies, you could get some gr8 recipes off web but dont eat well n sit on bum it is hard to start but do a little walking . healthy food and excersise mean weight loss and a healthy you

Answer 7

Exercise is the only safe way and watch what you eat.

There is no pill that will help you. They all have side effects.

Answer 8

Drink plenty of water daily

Answer 9

Not eating or skipping meals is not dieting If you do you may get more weight

Answer 10

eat 90 percent of your meals at home