Losing weight, unfortunately, isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition. What helps one person shed pounds may backfire on another. Because we’re all so different, from our food preferences to our body chemistry, the only successful way to reach and maintain a healthy weight is to find what works for you.
I’ve read the studies, the books, the reports, and the theories. I’ve been talking to experts and trying to keep ourselves trim for years. There probably are a million ways to gain 10 pounds, but here are 50 ways to lose them—pick a few that are easy to start today, stick to your guns and see yourself lose that 10 pounds in a week.
1. Load up on Water
Research shows that dieters who guzzle plenty of H2O lose more weight than those who don’t. Keep things interesting with these 25 slimming sassy water recipes.
2. Halve At It
Divide your normal portion by two and save the rest for later. You’re likely to feel full on less food than you think.
3. Be A Vegetarian For The Large Part of the Week
In general, vegetarians have lower body weights than their meat-eating peers. Follow their lead—at least until you drop a few pounds.
4. Take it a step further, be a Vegan
Vegetarianism not helping you lose? Take it to the next level by swearing off eggs and dairy, too. Cheese can be a diet killer.
5. Eat Fresh
Eliminate packaged foods and eat only fresh ingredients you’ve prepared. No bags, boxes, cans, or cartons allowed.
6. Diet 2 Days A Week
If you can’t stick to a program all the time, try slashing your calories to 650 a day just two days a week and eating normally the other days. One study suggests this offers protection from breast cancer as well as assistance with weight loss.
7. Get rid of Sugar
Everyone knows sugar isn’t healthy, but when you start reading labels, you find it in unexpected places, like pasta sauce and frozen entrées. Cutting the sugar out of your diet will mean healthier meals overall.
8. Cut the Flour
The short-term elimination of floury foods like white bread and pastries can efficiently kick-start your weight loss plan.
9. Avoid Alcohol
Alcoholic beverages are some of the emptiest calories out there. Replace them with water, and the weight comes off.
10. Get up and walk 2 minutes every 30 minutes
Short walking breaks add up to weight loss. Plain and simple.
11. Fidget More
Studies show that fidgety types burn significantly more calories than their stationary peers. So go ahead: Tap that foot, drum those fingers, and totally shake those knee.
12. Sleep it Off
Research shows that those who don’t get enough shut-eye eat more and reach for more fattening grub than people who get plenty of rest.
13. Have more sex, the longer the better
Thirty minutes of sex burns at least 60 calories for a 150-pound woman.
14. Eat at home
Meals eaten away from home have 134 more calories, on average.
15. Start a blog, be accountable
The weight loss blog is practically a literary genre. Start one, and you aren’t just losing for yourself. Your public needs you.
16. Tweet your weight and progress
Some call it the humiliation diet, but many credit the accountability for their weight loss success.
17. Find a friend to lose weight with
You know you’re more likely to show up at the gym if someone is waiting there for you.
18. Enter a weight loss competition
Bring a taste of “The Biggest Loser” to your own gym, work, family, or circle of friends for extra motivation.
19. Eat more vegetables
Fill two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, which are less calorie dense and more nutritious than any other type of food.
20. Eat more nuts
Fill two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, which are less calorie dense and more nutritious than any other type of food.
21. Try a grapefruit diet
Eating one grapefruit daily helped 58% of subjects to lose weight, according to research.
22. Leave your credit cards at home, pay cash for EVERYTHING
Shoppers who pay with plastic are more vulnerable to impulse buys, which tend to be the fattening snacks you know you shouldn’t have anyway.
23. Don’t be smelly
Scented cosmetics make us crave the foods they remind us of, which ultimately makes us eat more, according to recent reports.
24. Keep reminding yourself to eat better
One study found that people chose better-for-them foods when they were prompted to “consider the healthiness” before digging in.
25. Learn to knit or find a hobby that uses hands
Doing something—anything—with your hands can distract you from your cravings.
26. Train for a race (to win)
Many people find that having an athletic goal motivates them to exercise regularly in a way that nothing else can.
27. Join a sports league
Fitness can be fun, and if it is, you’re more likely to stick with it. Softball, anyone?
28. Stop with the sugary drinks
Some supersized sodas have 500-plus calories, and juice isn’t much better. Drink water instead.
29. Say “No, thank you” to desserts
Cut a slew of calories by ordering a skim cappuccino instead so you have something to do while your dining companions devour a cheesecake.
30. Join a weight loss program
US News recently rated Cruise Control Diet the best choice for weight loss.
31. Stand up to Work
Standing burns at least 30% more calories than sitting on your backside all day.
32. Get a treadmill desk if your boss allows it
Studies suggest you can burn an additional 800 calories during your workday—if you continually walk at a very slow pace.
33. Have soup for dinner
Soup’s high water content makes it a low-calorie and filling option. Just steer clear of the creamy kinds.
34. Stop going on and off diets
Yo-yo dieters don’t tend to get thinner—they get fatter. Instead, make a serious lifestyle change.
35. Stop snacking, throw them all out
The real reason the French don’t get fat is because it’s a cultural faux pas to eat between meals.
36. Go Gluten Free
It isn’t a miracle diet, but it can be a useful short-term experiment that often leads to weight loss and ultimately a less bread-heavy diet.
37. Spice up your meals
Cayenne pepper really can rev your metabolism, according to research.
38. Stop driving
Walk or bike to work for a slimming—not fattening—commute.
39. Remember to Eat Breakfast
Those who enjoy a morning meal have been shown over and over to be slimmer than breakfast skippers.
40. Drink More Milk
Low-fat dairy consumption seems to speed weight loss—scientists credit the calcium.
41. Eat more yogurt
A recent report revealed the foods most identified with maintaining a healthy weight, and yogurt ranked among the best.
42. Drop the potato chips
At the top of the list for foods that make you add pounds? Potato chips.
43. Ride your bicycle everywhere – be safe!
A long weekend bike ride around your hometown will help you see the sights in a new light, all while you torch a ton of calories.
44. Make it interesting
Go to Stickk.com to sign a contract with yourself to lose weight. If you don’t shed the pounds, your money will be donated to a charity that you hate.
45. Weigh in Daily
For some, the scale is a bummer and a distraction. Others like the daily feedback and accountability. Try it, and see if you lose weight.
46. Meditate
It’s no secret that stress-eating can sabotage the best diet intentions. A short daily meditation can help you keep binge-inducing anxieties in check.
47. Chill out
Drinking eight or more glasses of ice water a day may help your body burn fat, according to research.
48. Express yourself
A creative outlet is likely to boost your self-esteem and take your mind off food. You can’t eat and do crafts at the same time.
49. Brush and floss after every meal
Who wants to ruin their minty-fresh breath with a snack?
50. Dream about binging
Before you dig in, visualize yourself eating a treat. Science suggests that those who do this mental exercise will eat less of what they first imagined.