Lose 10 Pounds In Two Weeks
Last-minute dieting can be daunting, but there is some good news if you want to shed pounds fast.
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You can look like you dropped 10 pounds in just two weeks by shedding water weight, decreasing bloating and toning up your muscles. Here’s how:
1. Drink More Water
Not only will you consume fewer calories by swapping calorie-loaded beverages like juice, soda, sweetened coffee and tea for water, but you’ll also avoid bloating from the sugars and bubbles. Not a fan of plain water? Try adding lemon, honey and cinnamon. If you really want to go that extra mile, try drinking water, cayenne pepper and lemon on an empty stomach. The theory goes that these ingredients help stimulate the bowels, which flushes the system.
2. Don’t Avoid Fat
According to The High Fat Diet, fat isn’t the nutrition demon it was once thought to be. It reports that fat doesn’t affect insulin (the regulation of blood glucose levels and energy production) the same way that carbohydrates, namely sugars, do. A low-carb diet that includes fat ensures that your body will use body fat as energy. That’s not to say you can eat a stick of butter and expect the weight to melt off, but be smart about the carbs you eat and opt for lean proteins, carbs and plenty of veggies to increase your weight loss efforts.
3. Watch The Salt
When you have high levels of sodium in the body, excess fluid is produced and this causes your body to retain water. Significantly reducing your salt intake will result in you losing a few pounds as your body expels the water it was retaining. The fluid-loss will be reflected on the scale and will make you appear slimmer, but keep in mind that cutting salt won’t directly affect body fat.
4. Go For High-Fibre
Fibre is a tummy toner. Because it’s not digestible, fiber moves quickly through your system. Science shows that fiber helps reduce visceral fat, the fat cells deep in the belly, so load your plate up with vegetables, fruit and beans.
5. Skip The Crash Diet
Crash diets won’t sustain you and are likely to begin a starve-binge-cycle, which leads to more weight gain in the end. After reducing your salt intake and cutting out alcohol, choose a low-sugar diet that focuses on fibre, healthy fats, lean proteins and complex carbs.
6. Learn To Love Cardio
Cardio can be fun, and when you have a deadline for weight loss, you will want to love doing it every day. Aim for at least 30 minutes a day, such as with this fat-blasting workout. The good news is that you only have to go for 30 seconds for each exercise (jumping jacks, burpees, high knees, jump squats, lateral jumps and walkouts), but you’ll have to go at it at a very high intensity level. Give yourself one minute of active recovery (like walking) between each exercise.
7. Boost Your Metabolism
In addition to daily cardio, don’t forget to strength train on alternative days. According to Shape.com, the best weight loss workout combines metabolic conditioning (a.k.a. interval training) with multi-joint exercises and cardio, to not only burn calories during your workout, but long afterwards as well.