If you’re wanting to lose weight I can assume that you want to lose weight now. Well, this post is for you because I like the “now”. I like to see action taken and seeing immediate results.
Just like the reason we work is to get paid we go to the gym and practice good nutritional habits to look good and feel great.
If we were to go to work but not get paid, then why would we work in the first place? Compare that to going to the gym but then not dialing in our nutrition so we don’t lose weight.
We’re not comfortable in our skin. So what’s the point of working out?
Get your nutrition in check and you’ll see the results from the work you’ve put in at the gym. Be results driven. Don’t just go through the motions.
You can’t just show up to the gym and expect your coach, your trainer or your Jesus to save you. There are support systems in place but you must be cognizant of your overall fitness.
For those of you who are ready to take action and drop some unneeded waistline now, let’s go. Below are 10 ways to lose 10 pounds in 30 days.
The information I’m about to share with you isn’t hard. It just requires effort. Do you have what it takes?
1. No Soda, No Sweets
I just said this wasn’t going to be hard. I just lied. A few years ago I had this bad habit. Diet Mountain Dew had a hold of me and I couldn’t get enough. There were days I drank 8-10 cans a day. What the heck?
I thought it was okay because of “Zero Calories”. Ridiculous. Sodas have so much garbage in them, diet or no diet. Artificial sweeteners, no nutritional value, linked to headaches (Yes, this is true. I used to get them all the time!) and increased risk of diabetes and other disease.
If you are a soda drinker, you’ve got to make it a point to stop. If you drink them a lot, stop. Make it a point over the next 30 days to wean yourself off of them. Reduce your intake by one can per day. If you drink one can per day, go every other day, and then every two days and so on, and so on.
As far as sweets, just say no. Seriously, we’re trying to lose weight quickly here. Sweets don’t help. I’m not telling you to give up sweets forever but don’t reward yourself because you think you’ve earned it. That’s just a sad excuse. You’ve earned it when you lose 10 pounds. Stay away from sweets.
2. Stop Eating Fried Foods
I’ve talked to many athletes over the years about nutrition and I typically receive the same answers when asked what their diet currently looks like.
Typically, I get the same responses about the healthy foods they do eat. If all this healthy food is true, then one of two things is happening when it comes to shedding those extra pounds.
Either the athlete is not telling me the whole picture or they’re eating an abundance of good food that’s keeping them from losing weight. It leaves me to think that they’re probably a mix in-between.
Where do we go wrong? It’s not at home. We have more control over what we put in our mouths at home then we do when we’re out and about.
So if we’re not eating at home then we’re eating out at restaurants. I love restaurants but temptation lurks in the menu. Fried foods are cheap, taste good and leave you feeling full. They will also leave you feeling and looking fat.
Next time you are at a restaurant, look for the healthy items. Ask the waitress how the food is prepared. Is it baked, fried, etc? Leave nothing to chance.
3. Eat More Vegetables
Seriously, I feel like an idiot for emphasizing things you can do that are really so simple. Veggies are key when it comes to eating and living healthy. They’re packed with all the right nutrients to keep your body strong and toned. If you hate vegetables, I have a solution for you.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Solution: Grow up. You’re an adult. Act like it.[/perfectpullquote]
I’ll tell you like I tell my kids. If you don’t like this one, try that one. All veggies aren’t the same. Try cooking them different ways. Simple recipes are plentiful on the internet. Go find one. Join our newsletter and receive weekly recipes straight to your inbox.
4. Drink a lot of Water
How much water should you be drinking per day? A lot. You should be drinking a minimum of half your body weight in ounces. If you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces.
If you’re working out and sweating a lot, like you should be, you need even more.
Water helps speed up your metabolism and can help curb your hunger momentarily. Here’a trick… Drink 8 oz. of water before each meal. This may just help you eat less.
Does coffee count? No. Sweet tea? Heck no, don’t even. Water, H2O…you know, the good stuff. This is what you need. Now drink up.
5. Plan
If you take anything away from what I’m pointing out here, take away this. You’ve got to plan. Anyone who tells you that you don’t have to, I’m certain has never attempted to lose weight before.
Eating clean is hard, it’s expensive and takes preparation. You can’t eat clean day-in and day-out without planning. How do you plan? Like this:
Plan: Take out a pen and paper or fire up a blank document on your computer. Make some rows labeled Monday through Sunday. Make 5 to 6 columns for each meal of the day.
Yes, you need to eat 5 to 6 times per day. We need to continually feed our bodies and keep our metabolism churning.
Come up with 3 big meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and 2-3 snacks. Don’t have time for breakfast? Bologna. Get up 30 minutes earlier. Now you have time.
Once you fill in the meals come up with specific times you will eat each day. It doesn’t have to be perfect but you want to space out your meals evenly.
Perfect. Now you have a plan.
We’ll continue with Part II tomorrow. Until next time….Stay Jacked, Stay Strong!