Nutrition & Diet
4 Easy Steps to Losing a Quick 10 Pounds
Want to lose a quick 10 pounds without even trying? No jumping jacks, no push-ups, in fact, no sweating at all. It’s pretty easy to do with just a few changes in your diet. And unlike some of those quick-weight-loss-diets where most of the lost pounds are due to water loss, the best part is that this weight loss is permanent.
I stumbled upon this formula while making some improvements to my own dietary habits. Within 2 and a half weeks, I had lost 10 pounds without having to do single push-up. Here’s exactly what I did:
1. Reduce the amount of MEAT in your diet – especially RED meat. This does NOT mean you need to go all vegetarian (although that’s not altogether a bad thing). Just quit going to the local Sizzler Steak House and getting the 12 oz T-bone with the “loaded” baked potato and thinking you’re eating healthy – you’re not.
“Reduce” does not mean I eliminated all meat from my diet. I still eat chicken and fish. HOWEVER, these meats are NOT the biggest portion on my plate. If you do continue to eat meat, make sure it’s a side dish, not the main course – and eat a big salad with every meal you can.
You see, when you reduce the amount of meat you eat, you automatically increase the amount of vegetables. As a result, your overall diet naturally becomes higher in fiber and lower in fat.
2. Reduce the amount of WHEAT products in your diet – especially PROCESSED wheat. Again, this does not mean totally eliminate them, although the more you take out, the better. Reducing the amount of processed wheat products in your diet will take out most of the cakes, white breads, cookies, cupcakes, and so on – none of which are good for you. Remember to also take it easy on any wheat-containing gravies or stuffings.
3. Reduce the amount of DIARY in your diet. I know what you’re going to say: “Where am I going to get my calcium?” You’ll get plenty of calcium from eating dark green and leafy vegetables, a natural byproduct of eating less meat in Step 1. Reducing the amount of dairy in your diet will force you to cut down on whole milk, cream filling, ice cream, and cheese. Again, you don’t have to totally eliminate it – just take it easy. Quit thinking of milk as a beverage. It’s a food with calories and fat content, just like any other food.
Now use some common sense with this one. Diary can be an important part of your diet if you’re nursing or are making changes to your kid’s diet. I didn’t say eliminate, I said reduce.
4. Reduce the amount of SUGAR in your diet – especially PROCESSED sugar and HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. In fact, even if you skipped the other 3 steps and only did this one, you’d probably still 7 or 8 pounds easy. Obviously, this one is the most important. In order to lose weight, you’ve got to significantly reduce the amount of processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup in your diet. This means no soft drinks, no fruit juice drinks (100% juice is OK), no cookies or cakes with frosting or creamy centers, no candy, no fudge, none of that stuff.
If you’ll make these 4 changes to your diet, I guarantee that you’ll lose anywhere from 6 to 12 pounds pretty much automatically, with no physical effort at all. Better yet, as you reduce the amount of processed wheat and sugar in your diet, you’ll find that food begins to taste differently – more flavorful and filling.
Give it a try and see for yourself. What have you got to lose except a couple of ugly pounds?
