Weight Loss Strategies

What are simple steps I can take to lose 10 pounds?

A Answers (3)

  • AMehmet Oz, MD, Cardiology, answered
    2 003 02 just 10

    Dr. Oz asks experts their number-one rules for losing 10 pounds. Learn simple tips for how to lose weight without changing one's diet in this video.

  • Losing weight can be challenge, but keeping it off is even harder (and more important). There is really only one way to lose weight: Burn more calories than you take in. There are two ways of doing this: You can burn more calories (exercise more) or take in fewer calories (eat less). In reality, the best plan is to do both -- exercise more and eat less. Some things that can help you burn more calories include not just "exercise" (going to the gym, track or athletic field), but also doing simple things like parking farther away from the store or office and walking more, getting up and walking around at work, going for a walk once or twice a day, and doing more housework or yardwork, etc. Some tricks to help you consume fewer calories include eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting back on fatty foods, cutting back on snacking and not eating seconds at mealtime.
  • AMirabai Holland, Physiology, answered

    First, weigh in. You don't need to tell anybody how much you weigh, but you need to know.

    One pound = 3500 calories. So, to lose a pound you have to either not eat, or exercise off 3500 calories. The right way is to do a combination of both. But start slowly and build up at your own pace. 

    You need to break your goals up into small chewable bites. You want to lose 10 pounds. Break that up into 5-pound increments. And don't try to lose 5 pounds in a week or two. The first 5 pounds is the hardest; so give yourself a full six weeks to lose it, while easing into a fitness program. After that you can safely lose about 1 pound a week. Here's how it works.
    Get a notebook and write down everything you put in your mouth for the first week. Get a calorie book and look up everything you ate every day. If you're like most people, you'll be shocked by how much food that is.
    Aerobic exercise carries tremendous health benefits. It also burns calories, boosts your metabolism and keeps you in a positive frame of mind. So, that first week, make it your business to do 10 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, like brisk walking, every single day.
    The second week, eat everything you normally eat, but cut your portions in half.
    Then try to exercise 15 minutes a day. The week you first cut your portions down is usually the toughest. But have faith; it gets easier.
    Gradually build up your aerobic exercise until you're doing a half hour every day.
    After six weeks you will be on a fitness program you can stick with and you'll probably have lost your first five pounds.
    You'll be eating smarter, feel and look better, be healthier and more equipped to stick with it for the next 5 pounds. 

    Of course, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning this or any fitness program.

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