Many people think weight management is about counting calories. But it's more effective to focus on healthy habits in food, fitness, mental health, and physical activity. When you prioritize health and wellness, it's about what your body needs to thrive, not just calories.
Expert Suggestions for Healthier Weight Loss
Whether you're starting your weight loss journey, trying to avoid overeating, or stuck on a plateau, here are expert suggestions for losing your next 10 pounds in a healthier way.
Listening to Your Body's Hunger Cues
"Listening to your hunger works much better than relying on willpower," says registered dietitian Kayla Kopp, RD, LD. When tempted to overeat, ask yourself if you're hungry, bored, or emotional. Will eating now help you reach your goal?
Kopp suggests picturing a "hunger scale" from 1 to 10, where 1 is hungry and 10 is stuffed. "You never want to be at either extreme," she says. "Aim for somewhere between a 4, 5, or 6." Even when you can't make perfect food choices, listening to your hunger can passively aid weight loss.
Practicing Mindful Eating Habits
"Being mindful of what you eat makes you more conscious of your choices, eliminating the ‘oops-did-I-eat-that-whole-bowl?’ behaviors," says psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD. Instead of pouring cereal straight from the box, measure out one serving at a time. Check the nutrition label for serving sizes.
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"It sounds simple, but taking a minute to read the label will make a huge difference in your choices," says Dr. Albers.
Another tactic is front-loading your calories. "Try to eat most of your daily calories before sitting down to relax for the night," advises Kopp. Many people overeat without thinking while watching TV after dinner, forgetting how much they've had.
Prioritizing Water Over Sugary Drinks
It's easy to overlook calories from beverages. "Think about food as fuel for your body, and then look at the places where you don’t really need extra calories," recommends Kopp. Consider cutting back on sugary drinks and alcohol.
Reducing or eliminating high-calorie sodas, juices, sweet tea, and milkshakes can significantly impact your weight. Water helps you lose weight and stay hydrated, which is key to weight management.
"Sometimes we respond to thirst signals by eating - when actually what our bodies want is water," explains Dr. Albers. "It’s easy to confuse our thirst and hunger signals, or to override thirst signals." Try drinking water before eating. It helps you feel fuller and changes your satiety cues.
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"Studies have shown that when people drink water before they eat, they eat less during a meal," shares Dr. Albers. "Being fully hydrated helps with digestion, nutrient absorption, regulating your appetite hormones and reduces inflammation. All of these are key to being able to hear your hunger and eat in a mindful way."
Choosing Foods That Promote Fullness
Reducing or eliminating processed foods (like cookies, baked goods, junk food) and high-fat foods (like cheese, anything fried) will move you closer to your goal weight.
"Processed and fast foods contain enhanced ingredients that hit the dopamine center in your brain and make you want more," explains Dr. Albers. "They are designed to be addictive to the brain."
Focus on nutrient-dense foods rich in protein and fiber. They keep your digestive tract active, provide energy, and boost your mood. Whole foods taste better and are processed more efficiently by your body.
"You can increase your protein intake with poultry, lean cuts of red meat/pork, dairy products, and/or beans," Kopp says. "To increase your fiber content, which is good for your digestive system and will help you feel fuller, add non-starchy vegetables and/or a small salad to lunch or dinner, or both."
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Incorporating Exercise to Burn Calories
When it comes to exercise guidelines for weight loss, the idea is that you want to try and burn off more calories than you consume on a regular basis. If you’re not exercising and want to lose 30-plus pounds, increasing your activity will help.
"Working up to 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise at least five days a week is generally a good starting place because it’s good for your heart," says exercise physiologist Katie Lawton, MEd. "But it won’t always produce weight loss. Sometimes, you need to exercise more."
If your current routine focuses on cardio, incorporating a strength routine can help you lose body fat. Weight training builds muscle, which increases your metabolism and burns fat more efficiently. Another benefit of resistance training is that it can burn calories up to 24 to 36 hours after the workout.
Increasing the intensity of cardiovascular exercise, including doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can burn calories in a shorter amount of time and also has the benefit of burning calories long after the workout is over.
"HIIT and resistance training are not for everyone, though, especially beginners," Lawton cautions. "Consult your healthcare provider or an exercise physiologist before trying them, especially if you have any underlying heart conditions."
Remember, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Pair your physical activity with a nutritional plan that healthily fuels your body.
Managing Stress and Prioritizing Sleep
Getting enough sleep is key to weight loss. Fatigue increases your appetite as hunger hormone levels rise.
"No one can make mindful food choices when they’re tired. Even missing an hour of sleep can increase your appetite because your body is craving that energy and food is fuel for your body," says Dr. Albers. "You need a clear, focused head to make healthier food choices."
Your stress level is also important. Dr. Albers notes that 75% of eating is triggered by emotions rather than by hunger.
"Many people have lost weight simply by reducing their stress levels and finding ways to soothe themselves without food," she adds. "If someone’s stress level is high, stress management techniques are key and a necessary first step before they change anything in their diet."
Try yoga or other meditative practices to reduce stress.
Seeking Expert Guidance
"When you get on the treadmill every day and your body becomes more efficient, the exercise becomes easier to do and you need to take it up a notch. This efficiency argument applies to your diet as well," says Kopp.
A registered dietitian, physician, or exercise physiologist can help you figure out next steps, how to scale up the difficulty of your exercises, and ways you can continue to push yourself beyond where you are right now.
"We all hit a plateau when we need to do something more aggressive beyond just cutting more calories," says Kopp. "A professional may have some other ideas and can help you level up along the way."
Realistic Timeframe for Losing 10 Pounds
On average, it’s safe to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week with the help of a healthy diet and consistent, physical activity. Losing 10 pounds in one week can actually be harmful in the long run. So, if you find yourself losing weight more quickly and/or during shorter periods, you should make an appointment with a healthcare provider who can help figure out how best to meet your weight management goals. And that’s true even if you’re not losing any of your intended weight.
"Transforming your relationship with food and your body can be a challenging process because it’s intertwined with various factors like genetics, personality, learning history and societal messages about food and weight," recognizes Dr. Albers. "But with the support of a multidisciplinary team, you can navigate these complexities."
A registered dietitian can assist you in crafting a personalized food plan, while a therapist can delve into the influence your habits, stress, and self-image have on your food choices. Consulting with a physician can also provide valuable insight into your overall health and help determine if modifying your eating habits is necessary for your well-being.
"Overall, you want to reduce the pressure and reframe your thoughts to focus on health rather than weight," advises Dr. Albers.
Make a list of the non-weight-related benefits you want that are linked to healthy habits, such as feeling more comfortable in your clothing, playing with your kids and being more active - and then, work toward those goals.
"Remember, weight doesn’t define health," encourages Dr. Albers. "You can be healthy and happy at any weight, and the number on the scale doesn’t define your worth or success.
Real-Life Example: Cam Jones's Fitness Journey
In a recent video on the Goal Guys YouTube channel, Cam Jones documents the progress he has been making in his fitness journey. After learning that he has 36.5 percent body fat (according to a DEXA scan), he sets himself the target of losing as much body fat as possible in a 50-day period.
Already a pretty active person, Jones ups his exercise routine to five times per week, consisting of two jump rope sessions and three weight training workouts. He does each workout first thing in the morning, hoping that this will make it easier to stay consistent. He also tries to improve his jump rope performance each time, inching his way towards 2,000 skips per workout. "I'm pushing myself each time," he says. "It feels good, honestly. Hard, but good."
Jones also logs all of his meals, and eats no more than 1,900 calories per day. "As I work my way through the first two weeks of this goal, I really start to make progress in being consistent with my workouts and my nutrition," he says. "And soon enough, it honestly starts to pay off." However, in the fifth week of the challenge, Jones realizes that he has not been accounting for all of his eating habits in his daily calorie count: his favorite snack of a small amount of dark chocolate and popcorn with a single glass of red wine comes to 660 calories.
"I was having those four times a week, That's an extra 2,400 calories per week. That's more than I'm going to eat today! No wonder I was gaining weight," he says. "What I've been realizing through this challenge is just how much effort has to go into burning calories versus how easy it can be to eat them all back. Even with a generally balanced diet, I was allowing a bunch of tiny slips that were adding up to thousands of calories."
On the 50th day, Jones undergoes another DEXA body scan, and finds that he has lost 9.3 pounds of body fat, and gained 1.8 pounds of lean muscle, bringing his total body fat percentage down from 36.5 to 32.4 percent: a "world of difference" given the relatively small changes to his routine.
"I have learned to be more consistent, and to focus in on the little details that I was so often missing before," says Jones. "I feel like this challenge has really set me up to have this as a habit going forward, which has been a huge struggle for me in the past."
The Dangers of Rapid Weight Loss
It’s easy to understand why rapid weight loss is an appealing goal. Whether you have an upcoming event, like a wedding or a reunion, or you simply want to fit into a favorite outfit, quickly trimming down - such as by losing 10 pounds in three weeks - can sound like a winning strategy. But even though quick-fix diets may promise weight loss of over 3 pounds per week, experts say this isn’t usually safe or sustainable.
“Losing 10 pounds in three weeks is generally not recommended, as it is considered to be excessively rapid weight loss,” says Melissa Mitri, RDN, of Milford, Connecticut. Instead, health authorities like the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend a slower, steadier rate of about 1 to 2 pounds per week. Plus, weight loss is a highly individualized process that depends on a variety of factors (like age, health conditions, and your unique metabolism), so a safe and achievable rate of weight loss may look different for you than someone else.
Calorie Deficit for Safe Weight Loss
The key to safe, successful weight loss is setting (and maintaining) an appropriate calorie deficit. That means burning more calories than you take in, through a combination of diet and exercise.
“To calculate the right amount for your needs, you need to first know your daily maintenance calorie needs,” says Mitri. She suggests using a simple formula like the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to determine that number.
Once you have the number, you can decide how many calories to cut. To hit the 1-to-2 pound-per-week weight loss mark, a deficit of at least 500 calories per day is generally necessary. “Some research shows a deficit of up to 700 calories per day may be needed to achieve weight loss, but a 500-calorie deficit is a solid starting point,” Mitri says. Since 1 pound of weight loss equates to 3,500 calories, dialing back by 500 per day could achieve this much in seven days.
With this in mind, the extremely challenging nature of losing 10 pounds in three weeks becomes much clearer. Losing 3.3 pounds per week would require a calorie deficit of about 1,600 calories per day.
That’s not safely attainable for many people. Unless you’re starting at a very high calorie intake, cutting out this many calories will likely reduce your food intake beyond a safe limit. A low-calorie diet typically allows for an intake of 1,200 to 1,500 calories for women and 1,500 to 1,800 calories for men.
Harvard Health Publishing strongly advises against consuming fewer than 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 calories for men without the supervision of a healthcare professional.
Risks of Losing 10 Pounds Rapidly
Although losing 10 pounds in three weeks might seem like it can usher in the cosmetic results you’re after, it comes with significant risks. For starters, when you lose weight quickly, you’re more likely to regain it. You can only keep up a restrictive diet for so long before hunger overcomes willpower, says Lainey Younkin, RD, weight loss dietitian at Lainey Younkin Nutrition in Boston.
Under-eating for too long can backfire in several ways. “Cutting out too many calories leads to less energy, increased hunger, and muscle loss, which slows your metabolism,” Younkin says. A significant portion of the 10 pounds you may lose in three weeks could also be water, not fat, she adds.