Losing a lot of weight takes commitment and a complete lifestyle change but if you ask losers what the hardest part of their weight loss journey is, a majority of them will admit they struggle most to lose the last 10 pounds. For many people how to lose 10 pounds and keep it off forever becomes a continuous struggle that can often lead to weight cycling and unhealthy yo-yo dieting. Fortunately the solutions to this common weight loss issue are simple.
Why Is It So Difficult To Lose the Last 10 Pounds
As your body gets closer to your goal weight, also called your ideal weight, healthy weight, preferred weight, or happy weight, your body experiences an adaptation response that many people believe is their “set point”. The great news is there is no such thing as set point. What is really going on when your body struggles to lose 10 pounds forever is something called adaptation thermogenesis which is just a fancy way of saying your metabolism has found a way to conserve calories in order to maintain internal balance.
Homeostasis (internal balance) is what your body is designed to do in order to deal with famine. Of course these days we don’t have famine but that doesn’t stop your body from getting better and better at conserving energy with every weight loss milestone. By the time you are close to your desired weight your body has become a master at figuring out your calories in/calories out patterns and slowing down weight loss which means you need to become a master at outsmarting this response. Believe it or not this can be accomplished in 5 simple steps.
How to Lose 10 Pounds Fast & Forever
1. Print a good list of fat burning foods and eat those foods 80% of the time while keeping your cheats in check. If you’re eating 5 small meals per day (or 3 meals and 2 snacks) that means 5 meals per day x 7 days per week = 35 meals per week x 80% = 28 meals that have to be 100% clean and only 7 meals can be cheats that are still within your daily calorie limit. Get this right and you will lose those 10 pounds and NEVER regain them again.
2. Stop with the deprivation diets that cut out entire foods groups, or slash calories to a bare minimum. Your body has already adapted to all that so now is the time to lose with a balanced healthy eating diet that allows all healthy foods and even some unhealthy foods too. It’s the one thing your body is probably not expecting. Have you been losing on a balanced diet? If you’re already eating balanced just keep doing this but be sure to also do #3.
3. Trick your body for 2-3 weeks at a time with advanced weight loss strategies like carb cycling, calorie cycling, strategic cheating, intermittent fasting, or if you’re an advanced athlete try nutrition perdiodization. This works when done for short periods of time and is very easy to do. You may even find some of these strategies enjoyable for longer periods of time.
4. Vary your workout intensity and duration throughout the week as much as possible. Try 2-3 quick high intensity workouts (under 20 min.), 1-2 long easy workouts (60-90- min.), and 2-3 average length moderate intensity workouts (30-40 min.) per week then mix that up each week. Keep in mind that researchers have found that even one hour of moderate intensity exercise per day may not be enough to combat our modern sedentary lifestyles so mix up your workouts as much as possible and exercise like you mean it!
5. Help your body burn stored fat by living a healthy reduced stress lifestyle. A busy hectic stressful life = more stress hormones that block weight loss and fat loss so be sure to get enough sleep, minimize stress, avoid toxins, and spend quality time with those you love. Not only does this help reduce stress hormones it keeps you happy which means you won’t be turning to food to feel good.
Eat a balanced healthy diet that makes you happy and lose 10 pounds fast and forever! Try The Happiness Diet: A Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brain, Balanced Mood, and Lean, Energized Body
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