Lose Ten Pounds Quickly

If you have a class reunion, wedding, or other special event coming up, you may be looking to lose up to ten pounds fast. Losing ten pounds fast can be done and you can do it safely. This means not trying to lose ten pounds in one week. Losing more than 2 pounds a week can put your body in a dangerous situation that could compromise your health and well-being. So, you should allow yourself at least 5 weeks to lose ten pounds.

You already have a goal of losing ten pounds, so now where do you go? First of all, start with your eating habits. You will not lose any weight if the amount of calories taken in is more than the amount of calories you burn. In order to figure out the number of calories you should consume in a day, use the following formula: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years). Then take you BMR and multiply it by 1.2 for sedentary lifestyle, 1.375 for moderately active, and 1.725 for an active lifestyle. There are online calculators that do this for you if you do not want to perform the math. Whatever your caloric intake number is, you need to consume less than that number in order to lose weight. Do not try and consume less than 1200 calories. Your body needs calories to survive otherwise it will start to shut down and you could be looking at the long, hard, difficult road of recovering from an eating disorder.

Eating less does not mean eating only carrot sticks and celery. There are numerous books on low-calorie and low-fat eating, not to mention the number of websites that offer healthy recipes. Also, start looking at the labels on your food. If something is high in fat, then skip it or eat it in moderation. Be on the look out for serving sizes and the amount of sugar in a product. Many companies claim to have a low-fat or low-calorie product, when in truth they lowered the serving size. In terms of low-fat foods, many companies substitute sugar to cover up the taste of the missing fat.

Better eating habits will help you lose weight, but you need to add exercise to your routine also. If you were looking for long term weight loss, you should really look to aerobic and resistance training because the more muscle tone you have the more calories you will burn. However, if you are looking to lose a few pounds in a relative short amount of time your focus should be on the aerobic aspects of exercise. Anything to get your heart pumping is recommended, but popular exercises include walking on or off of the treadmill and the elliptical machine. If you choose to walk, always make sure you are using a heel to toe stride and as your weight is distributed on your toes, tighten your butt muscles. Following this model for walking will get you substantial results in a small amount of time. If you cannot walk outside and must use a treadmill, pump up the incline as high as you can go. The higher the incline the more calories you will burn, and the harder your muscles will work (remember, the more muscles the more calories burnt).

The elliptical machine is also terrific for your muscles and gets your heart rate up quickly. This machine is extremely low-impact on your joints, but is a high calorie burner and provides the resistance you need to work your muscles. While the forward motion is easier and great, also try the backwards motion to get more out of your exercise. Another maneuver on the elliptical is to pedal forward, but do so in an almost sitting position. This will increase your heart rate almost immediately and really work your thigh muscles. In the end, there are three things you need to lose weight quickly: common sense, lower caloric intake, and more exercise. Combining these three things will get you to your goal in no time.

Watching what you eat and developing a daily exercise routine will guarantee that you drop at least ten pounds in a short amount of time.