Are you wondering how to lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks, but the problem if you don’t know which diet you should go on? It can be very tough if you don’t know which direction to take. With many types of diets around these days you can find yourself spinning in circles all day. I like to keep things really simple, and not focus on any particular diet, but follow certain fundamentals. Here are a few tips that you can use to lose weight in a few weeks (or maybe a month):

Figure out the math

It really comes down to this: you need to burn more calories than you consume. I use the starting point of 12 x my body weight to get my level of daily calories needed to lose about 1-3 pounds a week. I remember reading once that it takes about 1500 calories burned to burn a pound of fat. So if you set yourself in a deficit of 500 calories per day then you’ll lose a pound almost every 3 days. If you want to lose 10 pounds in three weeks, then that’s 15,000 calories you would need to burn. That’s about 700 calories burned per day. Remember, don’t think of this as solid fact, because I’m not totally sure of how correct it is, but I like to use it as a good guideline. If you’re currently not on a diet you’ll probably lose a lot of weight in the first week; this is because your body has been holding onto extra water. Don’t become discouraged if you don’t see a decrease in weight loss after the first week – this is normal.

Eat Natural Foods

If all the food you’re eating comes in a package you most likely shouldn’t be eating it to lose weight. Stick to fresh foods that are high in protein/carbohydrates and low in fat. A gram of fat contains 9 calories while a gram of protein or carbs contains 4 calories. Less calories in your meals = more calories you’ll burn. Good sources of proteins include chicken breast (stay away from chicken wings), turkey breast, eggs and egg whites (whole eggs have great nutritional value, but be careful of the fat content), cottage cheese, and whey protein. Excellent sources of carbs include raw oats (for a natural no calorie sweetener go with stevia), red potatoes, brown rice, beans, and of course green vegetables.

Weight Training

I like to lift weights at least 3-4 times per week. Not only is it good for your strength and muscles – it burns a lot of calories! When you lift weights your body requires nutrition to repair itself so there is a lot less chance of it being stored as fat. Not only will you start to lose weight, you’ll start to feel stronger and better.

Cardio

I also like to perform cardio 4-5 times per week. It’s great for your heart, and burns extra calories. One thing you will want to avoid is choosing cardio over weight training. Weight training should be most important when trying to lose weight.

Get At Least 8 Hours of Sleep

Sleep is very important. You want to get at least 8 hours of sleep. Your body needs to recover. The more you sleep the more easily you’ll find the weight comes off. I’m not sure if this is true for everyone, but try not to over sleep. I know when I sleep in (12-13 hours of sleep haha) I feel sluggish throughout the day, and drink more coffee than usual.

Find Your Motivation

Figure out why you are trying to lose weight in the first place. Is it because you just want to become healthier to avoid health problems? Are you trying to fit in smaller clothes? Do you want six pack abs? Whatever the reason, figure it out and every time you find yourself falling off track remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place.

I also find that it helps if you write everything down. Think of this as a competition (or you could join an actual competition! They have them on most forums), and write down your  beginning measurements with your goals a month down the road. You’ll find that you’ll be able to stay on track much more easily. Write down all the foods that you eat during the day. Remember, it will all be worth it in the end! You’ll then be able to show your friends how to lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks just like you did.

Looking to lose a beer belly? It can be very upsetting to see a newly added beer belly to your body. That big stomach is not a very pleasing sight, and I know you really want it to be gone – as fast as possible. I’m going to give you a few tips to help you lose that belly fat. Now don’t expect to lose the beer belly overnight – it will take some time. With the right amount of dedication, you will see the belly start to shrink.

Drink Less Beer

Beer is very high in calories, and by having about 5-6 beers you’re looking at over 700 calories. That’s about 2 full meals for an average person. For every 1500 calories less you consume that’s about 1lb of weight lost. Those beers can really add up!

Have a Solid Nutrition Plan

Nutrition is very important if you want to lose a beer belly. Actually, I would say it’s about 90% of the battle. The amount of calories you consume in a day will be a major determinant if you lose weight or if you gain weight. Of course you want to be on the losing side. You will want to eat all natural foods such as chicken, turkey, extra lean ground beef, brown rice, red potatoes, and oatmeal. I think the most important thing is to eat about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day. If I weigh 200lbs then I make sure that I eat 200 grams of protein throughout the day. I eat 6 meals a day, so I would need to eat 33 grams of protein per meal. To get an idea of how much calories are in each of these foods check out this food calorie list. So the next question is most likely “How much should I eat in a day?” There are many formulas that will tell you how much you should eat in a day to lose weight, but honestly everybody is different so it’s always best to choose a starting point and test from there. I usually start at 12 times my body weight, and decrease calories by about 200-500 if I don’t see any progress after 1-2 weeks.

Keep Track of Your Progress

This is a very important step that should not be skipped. It is very important to keep track of your progress. So what is the best way to do this? Take your measurements. Your waist, hip, arm, etc. measurements are more important than what the scale says your weight is. If you lost 10 pounds, but your waist measurement barely moved then this isn’t a good sign of progress – you are probably losing too much lean mass instead of fat mass. If you lost 10 pounds, but also lost 2-3″ off your waist then this is a very good sign!

Work Out At Least 3 Times a Week

At the minimum you should be working out with weights about 3 times a week. I would recommend to also perform 3-4 sessions of cardio in a week. Next you might be wondering what type of cardio you should be doing. It really doesn’t matter. Choose what you enjoy doing. As long as your heart rate is up, your sweating, and enjoy it then it’s worth while. The next question is “How long should my cardio session be?” I would say if you’re doing a very moderate intensity then about 45 minutes. If you’re performing high intensity then about 20 minutes. Personally, I enjoy 3-4 sessions per week on the elliptical, moderate intensity for 40-45 minutes. If I can fit in 4 cardio sessions in a week then I really notice the fat start to burn. The most important thing is to make sure you perform your weight training. If you have to miss one day of the week, then I would choose to skip a cardio session.

Using these tips you will soon find out how to lose a beer belly. The most important thing here is consistency. You have to dedicate yourself to this 100%, and don’t look back. If you find yourself falling back into your old habits ask yourself if it’s really worth it. When I find myself falling off track I ask myself if I would rather have a good body or pleasure of one meal/beer. This usually puts me back on track pretty quick.