Hey everyone, I hope your week is going well. I know this post is different from a lot of posts on the blog, but sometimes change is good! I know it’s the new year and so many people have new years resolutions about weight loss. I myself went on a weight loss journey last year and lost 65 pounds in just under 7 months. With the holidays and all the good food that comes along with them, I gained a little bit of that back during the last few months of 2017, so I decided to drop the few pounds I had gained back, starting this January 1st! Today I’d like to share How To Lose 10 Pounds in One Month WITHOUT Strenuous Exercise, and some helpful tips and tricks I’ve picked up on my weight loss journey.
Water, Water, and More Water
This is probably my number one tip for losing weight, drink water! The rule of thumb that I tell people when they ask how much water they should drink in a day is that it’s ideal to drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day. So if I weigh 170 pounds, I should drink 85 ounces of water a day, which comes out to a little under 11 cups. If you can drink more than your recommended ounces, do it. A good habit to get into is purchasing a good quality water bottle and keeping one with you through the day when you go to school, work, etc. to help you remember to drink water more often.
Sugar Is Your Enemy
The first thing you need to cut out of your diet is sugar. There is no good that can come from it, and there are healthier alternatives to sugar if you can’t live without it. You would be surprised to see just how much sugar there is in the junk foods you eat every day. Even some fruits are chocked full of sugar like pineapple, cherries, and mangos. Now, the sugar you find in fruits are different than the sugar that’s in your favorite soda, but they all add up. If you’re a coffee drinker like me, or you just have to have sweetness added to your morning bowl of oatmeal, drop that sugar and try organic honey. Ideally, you should cut out all refined sugar, but if you must have it, try different and healthier options until you find one you like.
Never Count Calories
Counting calories is so overrated and to be honest if you’re trying to lose weight calories are not what you need to focus on. Some people swear by counting every calorie that enters their body, but I lost 65 pounds and didn’t count a single one. The fact is, if you restrict your caloric intake too much, it will actually slow your metabolism down, and take way longer to convert the food you eat into fuel for your body. You need to focus on the carbs. This isn’t just my opinion either, my doctor who was monitoring my weight loss recommended the low-carb diet before I began my journey, and now I swear by it. It’s recommended to eat a maximum of 100 grams of carbs a day if you’re trying to lose weight. Some may think that’s super easy, but carbs are in so many everyday foods. Make sure to check the nutrition facts before putting anything in your body. At first cutting carbs was hard, no rice, no potatoes, no bread, no junk food, no soda, no pasta, the list goes on. After a while though, it became a lot easier and I stopped craving what I couldn’t have, for the most part. You’d be surprised at how many low-carb substitutes there are nowadays for all the foods you can’t have. I also recommend consuming a majority of your carbs for breakfast. That’s a good way to start your day and keep you full as long as possible.
Only Weigh Once a Week
When you’re trying to lose weight, the scale is your “frenemy”. I honestly don’t recommend weighing very much at all. Measuring the key points of your body like your bust, waist, hips, thighs, etc. with a soft tape measure is the most effective way to really see your progress. There are lots of factors that can interfere with getting a precise weight on your scale, and if you’ve worked so hard to drop the weight and the scale shows you haven’t lost anything, you could become discouraged when in reality the mirror and your measurements definitely show progress. I measure myself, but I also weigh every Monday, just to track my progress. Some people don’t know when to weigh themselves, which is a big mistake that often leads to an unprecise weight. I’m not going to sugar coat anything, the ideal time to weigh yourself is in the morning before you’ve eaten, after you have used the bathroom (if you know what I mean), and without any clothes on. Doing it this way will really help you to get an accurate weight. Again, in my opinion, it’s better to measure, but if you want to weigh, only weigh once a week.
Should You Have a Cheat Day?
Okay, no matter what diet you’ve tried, everyone talks about a cheat day. Is a cheat day really worth it, and should you have one? The simple answer is, it depends on your body. Some lucky people can have 2 cheat days and not gain a single ounce, and others have a single cheat meal and gain three pounds, I know because I’m one of the unlucky ones. It just depends on how your body reacts to the food. One important thing to keep in mind is if you have a goal to reach, like if you want to lose 25 pounds before your 20th birthday, or you want to feel good in your old bikini before summer, then don’t have cheat days. If you see your finish line and want to lose all the pounds you set out to lose, wasting time on a cheat day is not a good idea.
Protein Isn’t Everything
Protein is great. It keeps you full, most of it is low carb, and if you know what you’re looking for you can find some really beneficial products high in protein to keep you fuller longer. While it is super good to have in your diet, protein isn’t everything. Did you know you can actually consume too much protein? Your body needs a certain amount every day, but once you eat so much more than your body needs, it has nowhere to store the excess and is forced to turn that extra protein into fat. Don’t be afraid of protein, because along with a low-carb diet, protein will really help you lose weight, just don’t go overboard with it. I eat lots of meats, nuts, and eggs, but one of my favorite ways to get my protein is a shake. They’re great in the mornings as a grab and go breakfast or to drink before your workout. I have tried several different kinds of powders and pre-maid shakes, but Premier Protein Chocolate shakes are my favorite. They have 30 grams of protein and only 5 grams of carbs per shake. If I drink one in the mornings I usually don’t get hungry for another 3-4 hours, which is great. So just remember protein is your friend, but it’s not everything.
How Exactly Do You Lose Weight?
Everyone knows you lose weight with diet and exercise, but how do we really lose weight? To put it simply, we lose weight when we burn more calories than we consume. If you don’t do any exercise at all, but still eat healthily, you won’t lose the weight because even though you’ll be eating great, you’re still not burning off the calories you consumed in order to drop those pounds. To properly lose weight, you need diet AND exercise. Surprisingly, weight loss is 80% Diet and 20% Exercise. It’s much easier to work off a salad and grilled chicken than a Big Mac and a large Coke. If you eat clean, you won’t have to spend hours working off what you ate.
Try The “Pick 5 Exercise”
I wish I could say there’s a way to safely lose weight without ANY exercise, but that’s just not true. I made up this routine because sometimes my mornings can be hectic, and I, like most people, don’t have time to go to the gym for hours a day. Every day pick 5 exercises you want to do, depending on what equipment you have available, and the areas of your body you want to focus on, and then add cardio. In my home, I have a treadmill and a weight bench and that’s all the equipment I use. You can mix up the exercises every day, but never forget to get on that treadmill and do your cardio. Cardio is the absolute best and most effective way to melt fat and burn calories fast. Depending on how hard I push myself on the treadmill, my whole routine takes about an hour, which is totally doable for me. Sometimes I get home in the evenings and feel like hopping back on the treadmill or doing some light weight training, which is great, but some evenings I don’t have any energy. That’s why I think getting that first real work out in before your day starts is the best idea.
Check Out These Fun Healthier Snacks That Kids and Adults Alike Will Enjoy!
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Losing weight doesn’t have to be a long and hard process where you’re starving all day and basically live in your gym clothes. Start out with simple diet changes and light exercises and build from that until you’re seeing results. Everyone loses weight differently, and you will have days where you want to quit. Set your goals and have people around you that are cheering you on, and support you through every pound you lose. Some people will disagree with some of the things in this post, and that’s fine. I am just sharing my personal experiences and knowledge, along with tips and tricks I use that hopefully will help people lose weight like I did!
