Burning the first 10 pounds or 6 percent of body fat is easy for a beginner. If you need to lose 100, 50 or 40 pounds of fat, it is easy to lose the first 10 pounds if you practice the right habits. You can lose up to 10 pounds a month in the beginning, with small changes in your eating and exercise habits.
I think what is the most important about wanting to lose the first 10 pounds is acting upon the desire. The first step I recommend is to set up realistic goals. If your plan is to lose 10 pounds in one month, you need to specify everything you are going to do to reach your monthly goal. The more you are planning to lose, the more you need to do — that’s common sense, right?
You need to be honest and real with yourself; if your plan doesn’t include exercising six times a week and getting all the junk food out of your diet in the first month, I think it’s unrealistic for you to aim to lose 10 pounds.
If the plan is to lose 5 pounds per month, the changes in your lifestyle can be smaller than if you’re trying to lose 10 pounds, obviously. If you plan to lose 5 pounds, instead of exercising six times a week, you may exercise three times a week, and you’re still allowed to eat some of the addicting foods that are hard to get rid of in the beginning.
Having an exercise program scheduled every day will help you be more efficient in your weight loss. Walking won’t be enough; an exercise program that is structured to get the most out of an hour will yield better results than just planning to exercise to a rhythm, which won’t deliver real results.
Hiking is a good exercise that will yield results in the beginning to help you lose your first 10 pounds. Keep in mind that each week you need to progress. For example, if it takes you one hour to hike up and down one-quarter of a mile, maybe by the end of the second week, you can do one-half of a mile.
There is no exercise that will overcome eating poorly, so it is important that you work on fixing your eating habits. The first changes you should make are eliminating fast foods and ultraprocessed foods, increasing your fruit and veggie intake, eating on schedule, minimizing alcohol intake, not drinking any added-sugar drinks including energy drinks, and eating breakfast. When you follow these steps, your calorie intake will be less and the nutrition will be higher, increasing your metabolic rate.
Keep in mind that there are other factors that may affect your weight loss program. Antidepressants and birth control, for example, are big contributors to weight gain.
Before starting a weight loss program, it is very important that you inform yourself about all the factors that may contribute to weight gain, because you will get frustrated if you don’t see results by the end of the month. Talk to a capable, licensed health professional about any medical conditions before you attempt to lose weight. Remember that the decision is always on you, and the best decision comes from a very informed person.
Getting rid of the first 10 pounds or 6 percent of body fat is an easy task when you’re ready to change your lifestyle. You need to be committed and be persistent about the daily changes you are making. Set up goals and work on your exercise program and eating habits, and by the end of the month you will weigh 10 pounds less.
Sandro Torres is owner of Custom Body Fitness in Carbondale and Glenwood Springs and author of the book “Lose Weight Permanently.” His column (usually) appears on the second Monday of the month in Body & More.
