Healthy weight loss is a gradual process, that much is true. But incorporating small changes in your lifestyle can show really fast results, in as less as 10 days.
Table of Contents
Tips:
- Eat More Fiber
- Reduce The Intake Of Carbohydrates
- Eat Healthier Fats
- Incorporate A Workout Regimen Into Your Schedule
- Cut Out Empty Calories
- Choose Better Snacks
- Get Rid Of Junk
- Eat Smaller Portions
- Cook Your Own Meals
- Drink More Water
- Don’t Give Up
Tips
1. Eat More Fiber:
The best way to reduce calorie intake is by incorporating more fiber into your diet. The recommended amount is about 30 grams a day, but most people don’t consume enough fiber.
How Is It Helpful?
Fiber is of two types, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water and transforms into a gel during digestion. Insoluble fiber remains undigested as it passes through your system. Both types of fiber slow down the process of digestion, and helps you feel fuller for longer.
2. Reduce The Intake Of Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are a staple in the diet of many. In fact, of all the food groups, the amount of carbs consumed is the highest. This poses a problem because every gram of carbohydrate contains four calories. And most foods that are rich in carbs barely possess any other nutrients.
How Is It Helpful?
Filling yourself up with carbs adds a lot of calories to your diet, which is why cutting back on carbs can be a great step towards weight loss.
3. Eat Healthier Fats:
There is this prevalent misconception that fats are bad for you. That isn’t entirely true. There are healthy fats and there are the unhealthy ones. You need to make sure that the fats you eat are good for your health.
How Is It Helpful?
Most junk foods contain unhealthy or saturated fats. They are the ones responsible for an array of diseases. But unsaturated fats, which is found in avocado, olive oil, and nuts, can help lower cholesterol and the risk for heart diseases when had in moderation.
4. Incorporate A Workout Regimen Into Your Schedule
Exercise and weight loss go hand in hand. While it might not be possible to start working out an hour a day overnight, you can start by doing small things at a time. A 15 minutes walk, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator are good ways to start.
How Is It Helpful?
Even if you don’t end up working out a lot, a little exercise is better than no exercise. Regular exercise helps burn calories and boosts your metabolism. It also helps in maintaining your muscle mass, and since muscles need more calories than fat, you end up burning a substantial amount of calories every day
5. Cut Out Empty Calories
It is easy to lose track of everything you eat. Some of us even eat without registering it. How many times have you given a thought to your morning cappuccino, and the fact that it can contain over 120 calories?
How Is It Helpful?
We tend to consume a lot of things that are high in calories, but don’t even count as food. Carbonated drinks, coffee, and junk like chips are some examples. So it is important to register what you are eating, and keep track. You can cut back on a lot of calories just by avoiding foods that don’t fill you up
6. Choose Better Snacks
Three meals a day can leave you feeling hungry in between. And that’s where most of us slip up. Even if we try eating meals that are healthy, we end up binging on snacks that are anything but. And this has a huge impact on our weight, so we should opt for better snack options.
How Is It Helpful?
The biggest culprit that causes weight gain is our habit of unhealthy snacking. Fries and chips and cookies do nothing to fill us up, but add a lot of carbs, sugar, and fat. It is also difficult to stop at one or two because we still feel so hungry. So opt for snacks that have a high fiber content.
7. Get Rid Of Junk
Most of us find it difficult to let go of our favorite foods. Chips and cookies might be fattening and unhealthy, but we still end up having them. Which is why not buying junk food is a good step towards losing weight.
How Is It Helpful?
The reason we eat so much junk is because we buy it, and keep it available and accessible. You know the saying, ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Purging your pantry and fridge of high-in-calories and low-in-nutrients food can help you cut back on unhealthy snacking.
8. Eat Smaller Portions
One of the main reasons we break from our diet plans is the fact that it is really difficult to resist temptation. A few days of green smoothies and salads, and you find yourself gorging on every kind of junk imaginable. Most of us don’t have the willpower to keep eating something we despise for a long period of time. Which is why deprivation doesn’t work. The best way to have want we want, and not gain weight is by eating smaller portions.
How Is It Helpful?
The idea behind smaller portions comes from the fact that it takes your brain about 20 minutes to process what you eat. So, you may not even realize that your stomach is full and keep eating. It is necessary that you take breaks between servings to actually gauze whether you are hungry anymore.
When you see more food on your plate, you tend to eat more . So it makes sense to serve yourself smaller portions. This way, you know you’re not overeating. And it can help you lose weight, and without you having to give up your favorite foods.
9. Cook Your Own Meals
With work and miscellaneous other tasks demanding our attention, cooking your own meals can seem like too much of a chore. But if you are looking to lose weight, this is a great step you can take.
How Is It Helpful?
The best way to determine if the meal you are eating is healthy for you is by making it yourself. That way, you get to experiment with what you like and what you don’t. You also get to try out low calorie alternatives of your favorite dishes. This helps you control to your portions.
10. Drink Enough Water
Drinking enough water is really important for your health. Insufficient water intake could actually be impacting how much you weigh.
How Is It Helpful?
Sometimes, thirst can be misinterpreted as hunger pangs by your brain. So, to gauze whether you are really hungry or not, try drinking a glass of water before eating anything.
11. Don’t Give Up
There are times when temptation gets the better out of us, and we end up binging on junk. Or we go to a party and end up eating way more than what we had planned.
There will always be instances where we fall off the wagon. And it can seem all too easy to give up on the whole notion of losing weight. But even if you slip once or twice (or a hundred times), go back to sticking to your diet.
How Is It Helpful?
Experts agree that going off your diet is bound to happen. But they also agree that you should go back to it if you want to keep off the weight that you had lost in the first place
.A Diet Plan
A low calorie diet doesn’t have to be the ordeal it is made out to be. If you stick to three meals and two snacks a day, you ought to stay full.
There are plenty of recipes that you can try for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that not just aid in weight loss, but are delicious to boot.
Breakfast
There are those who consider breakfast to be the most important meal of the day, and preach that it is something that should never be skipped. The logic was that if you missed breakfast, you would be hungrier at lunch, and you might even indulge in pre-lunch snacking. But recent research shows that how much you eat at lunch does not really depend on whether or not you’ve had breakfast.
But skipping meals is never a good idea, because it brings with it a plethora of health issues. So, when weight loss is on your mind, you can go for good old oatmeal or try out a high fiber, super-healthy smoothie.
1. Mixed Berries Smoothie
Ingredients Needed
- 1/3 cup blueberries
- 1/3 cup strawberries
- 1/3 cup raspberries
- 1 banana
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1/2 cup fat-free yogurt
- 3/4 cup skim milk
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
How To Make
- Add all of the ingredients in a blender, and blend until it is smooth.
2. Frappuccino Oats
Ingredients Needed
- ½ cup oats
- ½ cup skim milk
- ½ cup water
- ¼ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
How To Make
- Combine all the ingredients in a pot.
- Place over medium flame and bring it to boil.
- Wait for the oats to cool down a little before consuming.
Lunch And Dinner
Lunch is the most important meal of the day. What you have for lunch should get you through the day, all the way to dinner, with maybe a snack in between. Which is why it should be filling, but healthy and low in calories.
If you get your lunch on the go, make sure that you opt for options that don’t contain high-fat dressing or empty calories. Something along the lines of grilled chicken on whole grain bread is ideal.
Your dinner, while not too heavy, should be able to sustain you through the night. A stew, served without bread or rice, should work very well.
3. Chicken Stew
Ingredients Needed
- 2 cups cooked boneless chicken, cubed
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 cups sliced carrots
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 1 cup peas
- 5 cups chicken broth
How To Make
- In a large pot, combine all the ingredients.
- Stir together, and cook for half an hour or till the vegetables are tender.
4. Spiced Tofu
Ingredients Needed
- 1/2 kg reduced-fat tofu, cubed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
How To Make
- Heat the oils in a pan, and saute the tofu till it is golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the flame, and add the soy sauce and vinegar.
Snacks
When you stay hungry, all the junk you are trying to avoid can get too tempting to resist. To keep yourself from getting too hungry between meals, always keep something with you that you can munch on. It doesn’t always have to be celery or carrot sticks. You can always treat yourself to something delicious that isn’t completely terrible for your diet.
5. Peanut Butter And Apple Sandwich
Ingredients Needed
- 1 medium-sized apple
- 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
How To Make
- Core the apple, and cut it into slices. A medium sized apple should get you eight slices. If you’re not planning on eating them immediately, brush the slices with lemon juice so that they don’t turn brown.
- Spread peanut butter over each four of the slices. Cover them with the leftover slices.
6. Baked Chickpeas With Spices
Ingredients Needed
- 1/3 cup chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon mixed spices (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika)
- A pinch of salt
How To Make
- Wash and drain the chickpeas.
- Marinate it in the spices.
- Place in a preheated oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Crash Diet For Losing Weight In 10 Days
There is one important thing that you should keep in mind – that you may not end up losing as much weight as you want to. The initial few kilos/pounds will be easy to shed, but after that, it can get a little tougher. The weight loss won’t be as drastic as it was. But the thing is, you are making changes to your lifestyle and heading down a path of better health. Sustainable weight loss is better for you in the long term.
But if your are looking to lose weight real quick, maybe for an important function or to fit into a dress you haven’t worn in a while, you can lose a substantial amount of weight quickly by following a strict diet. But a word of caution before you dive deep, you may put back the weight you’ve lost once you go off the diet plan.
How To Lose Weight In 10 Days At Home (For Starters):
In case you are a starter, here is a 10 day routine for you. It demonstrates what you should be eating, at what time and in what quantities:
| DAYS | MORNING BEVERAGE | BREAKFAST (WITHIN 9 AM) | LUNCH (WITHIN 1.30 PM) | EVENING BEVERAGE | EVENING INTAKE( BY 5) | DINNER (WITHIN 9) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Hot lime juice with honey | Oats or protein meal* | Small cup of rice + 3 different steamed vegetables (avoid potatoes) + 1 or 2 chapattis | Green tea without sugar | Small cup of sprouts (or) fiber content fruits | 2 to 3 chapattis(numbers depend on your intake but not more than 3) |
| Day 2 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |
| Day 3 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |
| Day 4 | Hot lime juice with honey (or) green tea without sugar | Protein meal* | 1 medium cup of wheat rice + 1 chapati+Steamed veg or veg salad | ‘’ | A cup of veg salad +2 chapattis | A cup of veg salad+2 chapattis |
| Day 5 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |
| Day 6 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |
| Day 7 | Green tea | Protein meal* | 1 medium cup of wheat rice (or)2 chapattis + 1 cup of raw veg salad | ‘’ | A small cup of sprouts(or)A small cup of fiber containing fruits | Protein meal* |
| Day 8 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |
| Day 9 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |
| Day 10 | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ | ‘’ |