How To Lose The Last Ten Pounds
How do you lose the last ten pounds? The quick answer to that question is that you have to start looking in different places. If you only have ten pounds to go, odds are you know portion control, know to eat a TON more veggies.
Next you need the final adjustments. We will first look at your current motivation, and then go on to some specific, as well as slightly unusual adjustments that can help you on your way.
Maybe you know when you lose the last 10 pounds, your arms will look amazing in a hot little tank top. Maybe it's the last push you need to wear a wrap around dress and actually have your waist look the way you want. Maybe it's the number that will put the "saddle bags" in proportion. Or maybe it's a psychological thing - somewhere along the way you've had a number in your head that you believe is your optimal number and when you see it on the scale you'll feel like you're exactly where you want to be.
Whatever reason you want to, congratulations on wanting to....it's not a trivial goal. When you end up losing those last ten pounds, you know you have what it takes to do the last push in anything in your life. They're hard to lose and and just as hard to maintain so you'll work for it but it will be extremely rewarding.
So.....how do you do it? Here are 6 easy steps to help you lose the last 10 pounds.
1. Take a self assessment inventory. Spend the first week logging your food. Get a PEERtrainer group and start filling out your log. For the first week, just simply make the commitment to be aware of what your habits are, what you're eating and how much you're exercising. Join a group where at least 2 of the members are at your goal weight. Click through their logs and check out their habits. What kinds of foods are they eating? How much do they workout? Even though everyone is an individual, you can get a great sense of what kinds of foods, portions, and how many workouts it takes to maintain your estimated goal weight.
2. What Is Your Downfall? Once you've gotten a sense of what other people are doing to maintain that weight, start to look at your own logs and find the catalyst. What is the one main habit that you could honestly consider your downfall? Is your coffee full of calories with heaping tablespoons of sugar, or are you "forgetting" to write the yummy Starbucks concoction you had in the late afternoon?
Are you having a glass of wine or a beer at happy hour, or is it really 3 beers and 1/2 a plate of nachos that you had to have because they were right in front of you? Are you having one roll with your salad at a restaurant, or does the whole bread basket seem to be devoured with the justification of "well, at least I'm having a salad and not pasta". What could you make as the catalyst for your last 10 pound effort? What is the one main thing that you could change right now that you believe would make a big difference? Once you've defined that habit, make the commitment to change it right now. Write it down in your log in your goal section - and your notes section - and tell your groups about it. Encourage them to make a challenge to so everyone can encourage everyone towards their goals.
3. Go Super Nutrient Dense Once you've mastered that "downfall" and turned it on it's head, look through your logs and see where could you make different choices. Small changes can go a long way to losing the last ten pounds and those small changes will add up quickly. Are you eating a large roll with your sandwich? Have the sandwich but instead, pick one slice of bread and have it open faced. Are you having eggs with cheese in the morning? Substitute one of the eggs for
egg whites and take a pass on the cheese....try cauliflower or spinach, make it a vegetable.
You'll be surprised how much you crave the vegetables and soon you will forget about the cheese (I promise!). Are you having your lunch inside? If you bring your lunch, take a walk, anywhere, at least 10 minutes away and take the much needed break to enjoy your food. If you walk ten minutes away, it's also 10 minutes back and you've gotten in 20 minutes of walking without even really trying! Do you love your "ice cream" and think, "I"m sorry but I"ll never give that up". Have a kiddie scoop instead. Go through your PEERtrainer logs and see what you can "trim" down and soon the rest of you will "trim" down too.
4. Get The Correct Motivation To Exercise. So often we hear that we need to Just Do It. When you are working on losing the last ten pounds, you want to
do it right. One of the most unusual suggestions we make at PEERtrainer is that you need to make sure your body is in balance and alignment. This means that you are limber and enjoy movement. When you are truly limber- meaning there is no pain and you feel "smooth" you then have the ultimate
motivation to exercise. The reason this helps you lose the last ten, is that when your body is in balance when you exercise, it increases your metabolic burn. It also ensures you are exercising each part of your body. If you are in any physical pain or discomfort which prevents you from exercising,
this link will outline some exact steps to take.
5. Measure your progress and be accountable. Get on the scale every week to weigh yourself to see the progress you've made towards your goal. Have a set day that you and your PEERtrainer buddies weigh in and don't miss that day until you are at your goal. Pull out the old pair of jeans or the dress you really want to wear and try it on every week to notice the changes and keep yourself motivated. Take a "before" picture of yourself and upload it to your profile. You will be so happy you did when you finally see the after picture. It is truly a phenomenal experience.
6. Reward yourself! Set a very specific reward for yourself. It is very hard work losing the last ten and you deserve a lot of credit for doing the work. If you can't think of something you really want, it's time to think about it and do it. The most important part of "doing the work" is "having the reward". That way, when you set your sights on another goal, whether it be a health goal, a career challenge or financial win, you'll remember the entire process, with the reward at the end and you'll be motivated to "do the work" again.
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Diets That Work
You have heard over and over that diets don't work. The traditional American idea of dieting is "portion control" or reducing your caloric intake. These approaches fail because you are only reducing portions of unhealthy and fatty foods. There are new diet approaches out there that seek to fundamentally change what you eat. These diets slash the amounts of saturated fats and sugar that you eat and radically increase the amount of plant-based foods.
The Fat Smash Diet (by Dr Ian Smith) is one such popular approach, and Eat to Live by Dr Joel Fuhrman is another. These approaches are not about lowering carbs, or getting more protein or counting Weight Watcher points. They about fundamentally restructuring your eating habits. When you reorder your diet to eliminate processed foods, slash dairy and meat consumption and increase your intake of fruit, vegetables, beans, rice- you will lose weight and reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and a host of other diseases. Improper nutrition is at the root of most diseases. Animal based foods contain cholesterol and boost the levels in your body. Plants do not contain any, and help reduce levels in your body. As blood cholesterol levels decrease, cancers of the liver, rectum, colon, male lung, female lung, breast, childhood leukemia, adult leukemia, childhood brain, stomach and esophagus levels will decrease. The more you reduce meat, dairy and processed foods in your diets, the healthier you will be.