3 Week Diet Plan To Lose 10 Pounds is a revolutionary weight loss plan designed to help users lose 10 pounds in just three weeks. Though there have been many weight loss diets and plans, the 3 week diet works by combining an optimal exercise routine with a three-week diet. This diet plan involves cutting down the calories by 40 percent. This will help you achieve the intended results.
How to Lose 10 Pounds in Three Weeks
If you want to lose weight quickly you also need to exercise.
That upcoming event for which you want to look your very best is only three weeks away — but that doesn’t mean you can drop a significant amount of weight by then.
Trying to lose 10 pounds in three weeks is ambitious, but doable, especially if 10 pounds is just the start of your weight-loss journey — but it might be too aggressive if you’re already at a healthy weight.
Choose proven strategies such as eating whole, unprocessed foods, avoiding junk-food snacks, minimizing alcohol consumption and committing to exercise. Adopt these steps and in three weeks’ time, you can make serious inroads toward healthy living, and you can feel lighter and experience greater energy.
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Determine Your Calorie Needs
All diets will have you reduce the number of calories to a number that’s below the number you burn daily. The Mayo Clinic notes that 1 pound equals about 3,500 calories, so to lose 10 pounds, you’ll need to eat 35,000 calories fewer than you burn during those three weeks.
This amounts to a loss rate of a little more than 3 pounds per week, which requires a 1,666-calorie deficit per day. To achieve this deficit, combine physical activity and exercise. For example, do exercises that burn about 800 calories, and eat about 800 calories fewer than you need to maintain your current weight.
Determine how many calories you burn by using an online calculator or by consulting a dietitian. From this number, determine how many calories you can safely subtract. Eating too few calories — below 1,000 to 1,200 for a woman or 1,200 to 1,600 for a man — stalls your metabolism and can be downright dangerous, unless you’re on a medically-prescribed plan to treat morbid obesity.
If your planned calorie deficit would take you below these minimums, you should go for a smaller calorie deficit through diet and exercise to increase your daily deficit.
10-Pound Weight Loss Plan
Plan most meals to include 2 to 4 ounces of protein, 1/2 cup of whole grains and 2 cups of watery, fibrous vegetables. For snacks, forgo processed convenience foods, and choose a piece of fresh fruit, celery sticks with a tablespoon of nut butter, deli turkey wrapped in romaine leaves with mustard or a cup of plain, low-fat yogurt.
Ideas for breakfast include half a grapefruit alongside an egg scrambled with mushrooms and peppers and a slice of whole-wheat toast; a smoothie made with 1/2 banana, a handful of spinach, 1/2 cup strawberries, a scoop of whey protein powder and almond milk; or a whole-wheat English muffin topped with 1 ounce of low-fat cheese and sliced tomatoes, placed under the broiler.
For lunch, enjoy a cup of homemade lentil soup with a green salad; grilled chicken breast with 1/2 cup of brown rice and steamed asparagus; tuna canned in water mixed with mustard and capers, with carrot and celery sticks; or plain, low-fat Greek yogurt, a hard-boiled egg and woven wheat crackers with an apple.
Cook dinner at home to avoid large portion sizes and the excess calories you get in restaurant meals. Broil a flank steak and serve with sauteed onion and peppers with corn tortillas, salsa and a few slices of avocado. Roast a fillet of salmon to have with 1/2 cup of wild rice and steamed broccoli.
Make a chili with black beans, canned tomatoes and spices to serve over brown rice with a side of roast zucchini. If you do eat out, look for broiled or baked entrees, and ask the server for steamed vegetables or a side salad instead of fries or a pilaf.
Physical Activity for Weight Loss
To lose 10 pounds in three weeks without losing considerable muscle mass, you must be physically active. To create the substantial deficit that’s required, it is essential to engage in concerted gym activity and to increase your daily movement.
The more you weigh, the more calories you burn for the same amount of activity. Cardiovascular exercise, such as jogging or swimming, burns more than weight training, but both are essential when you’re trying to lose weight. For cardio, plan at least 60 to 90 minutes most days to burn enough calories to prompt a 10-pound loss in three weeks.
For example, according to Harvard Health Publishing, if you weigh 185 pounds, a half hour on the elliptical trainer burns about 400 calories. If you weigh 155 pounds, you burn 335 calories in the same amount of time. A very brisk walk at a 4.5-mph pace burns just 222 calories for a 185-pound person in 30 minutes, and 186 calories if you weigh 155 pounds.
If you’re new to exercise, trying to exert yourself for an hour or more per day may not be realistic; your weight-loss goal will most likely have to be modified.
Weight training helps you maintain muscle mass as you lose weight. When you lose muscle, your metabolism diminishes, which makes weight loss harder. Go for at least two sessions per week on non-consecutive days. Work every major muscle group, too — including the chest, back, arms, shoulders, legs, hips and abs, with one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
Other physical activity you do during the day helps boost your calorie burn, too. Scrub the floors, do the laundry, walk the dog and pace while on the phone to reach your weight-loss goal.
What Is Safe Weight Loss?
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), losing 1 to 2 pounds per week is healthy and sustainable . The reason for this recommendation is simple – healthy weight loss isn’t just about a “diet” or “program”. It’s about an ongoing lifestyle that includes long-term changes in daily eating and exercise habits. So people who lose weight gradually and steadily (about 1 to 2 pounds per week) are more successful at keeping weight off.
Technically, losing 1 pound of fat requires a deficit of 3,500 calories through diet, exercise or both .
For example, if you maintain your current weight eating 2500 calories per day, and you went on a diet that requires you to eat 2000 calories per day (or kept eating 2500 but started exercising to burn 500 calories per day), you’d end up with a total weekly caloric deficit of 3500 calories i.e. 500 calorie deficit per day x 7 days in a week = 3500 calorie deficit. You’d lose exactly 1lb per week. Over 2 weeks of consistent diet and exercise, you’d lose 2lbs.
On the other hand, if you wanted to lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks you’d have to create a much larger deficit. In order to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, you’ll likely need to lose 5 pounds in one week. That’s 17,500 calories less than your maintenance amount per week. This translates to a daily deficit of 2500 calories instead of the recommended 500 from before.
Assume you need to consume 2,500 calories a day to maintain your current weight. Losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks through diet alone means you don’t eat alone – a 2 week fast is dangerous and you shouldn’t consider that at all. You can try to meet the weight loss target with a combination of diet and exercise.
No matter how solid your loss of 10 pounds in 2 weeks diet and workout plan is – this rate of weight loss is neither safe nor sustainable. But if after doing the math, you’re still convinced that you need to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, here is what you need to know.
How to Lose 10 Pounds in 3 Weeks: 20 Simple Tips
Evaluate Your Three-Week Goal
If you’re already in a healthy weight range but 10 pounds away from your personal ideal, it may take longer than three weeks to lose the weight. The more weight you need to lose, the easier it is to drop 10 pounds in three weeks.
Consider if your goal is realistic and worth the extraordinary effort to reach. Remember, as you get closer to a goal weight, you’ll need to make additional changes to your diet and exercise routine to achieve your goal. Losing more than 3 pounds per week for longer than two to three weeks is also discouraged, as it greatly increases your chances of health complications, such as gallstones.
Losing weight at a slower rate may be more doable and may make you less stressed than suffering to reach an impossible goal. When you take time to lose the weight, you’re more likely to keep that 10 pounds off for good, rather than cycling through losing and gaining continually.
1. The Golden Rule: Calories In vs. Calories Out
This simple fact simply cannot be overruled – to lose weight you must burn more calories than you consume.
Use tools to help track and measure your daily intake then slowly taper down. Start with 500kcal steps or lower until you observe a consistent weekly loss.
Never go dangerously low, eating much below 1200-1600 can stall your progress and harm your health!
2. Set Attainable Goals And Track Your Progress
Achieving each goal will help spur you on, so be realistic and start small. Here is an example of an easily achievable goal progression:
- Lose weight each week
- Lose 1-3 pounds per week
- Lose 10 pounds in 3 weeks
- Fit into size 30 jeans!
3. Consider Skipping Breakfast
Breakfast is commonly considered the most important meal of the day, however, it is not so when it comes to weight loss.
Intermittent fasting can be a useful fat-loss tool. Restrict yourself to a smaller eating window by skipping breakfast and only eating from 12-8pm. You will reduce your daily calorie intake without restricting your lunch and dinner!
4. Drink More Water (Especially Before Meals)
Drinking water an hour before eating has two proven benefits for weight loss:
- 24-30% boost in metabolism for 1-1.5 hours after intake[1]
- Increased chance of consuming less calories which further supports weight loss[2]
5. Make Coffee Your New Best Friend
Coffee has received a bad reputation in the past, however, it should be known that quality coffee is rich in antioxidants and beneficial to weight loss.
The caffeine content will boost your body’s metabolism by up to 10%,[3] leading to a 10-29% increase in fat burning power. Take it black, with no added sugar!
6. Make Green Tea Your Second Best Friend
Green tea provides a milder dose of caffeine but it is abundant in wonderful catechins. These antioxidants will work with the caffeine in a perfect fat burning harmony!
7. Always Check For Added Sugar
Sugar has demonstrated worryingly strong links with obesity, diabetes[4] and heart disease[5] (to name a few).
But even if you do not add it yourself, you should check the ingredients of your sauces or packaged foods. Even self-proclaimed health foods can be riddled with added sugar!
8. Cut Out Simple Carbohydrates
Simple/refined carbohydrates are quickly absorbed, spiking your blood sugar and insulin levels in the process.[6] As a result, you will feel hunger and cravings come back again in no time!
Avoid all sugar or refined grains by avoiding the following foods:
- Cookies, candy and sweets
- Packaged cereals
- White bread and rice
- Cakes
9. Scale Down Your Portion Sizes
It pays to become aware of how much you are eating, exercise portion control and slowly scale it down.
Even small reductions of 10-20% are often enough to tip the balance and trigger weight loss. Try measuring your portions more carefully and don’t underestimate the power of using smaller bowls![7]
10. Keep Healthy Food On Standby for Stacks
The power of temptation is mighty, so why not remove it completely?
Only keep healthy snacks within reach, then you won’t be able to binge on junk food! Here are some healthy ideas to stock your cupboard:
- Whole fruit
- Handful of nuts
- Hard boiled eggs
- Vegetables
11. Spice Up Your Life
Breathe new life into your dishes and reinforce your weight loss efforts with the power of cayenne pepper! Capsaicin from cayenne pepper and other spicy foods helps to ramp up metabolism and decrease appetite.[8]
12. Top Up Your Protein Intake
Protein rich foods not only keep you fuller for longer[9] but burn more energy during digestion. Studies have shown that swapping calories for whey protein supplements can boost weight loss whilst increasing lean muscle![10]
Alternatively, here are a number of protein-rich food sources:
- Lean beef
- Skinless chicken breasts
- Eggs
- Salmon
- Low-fat yogurt
13. Balance Your Diet With Complex Carbs
Consuming complex carbs will produce a sustained energy release and keep blood sugar levels manageable. You can easily keep hunger and cravings at bay with these nutrient dense complex carbs:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Brown rice
- Wholegrains
- Beans and legumes
14. Forget About Fast Food
Not matter how healthy it may claim to be, fast food is almost always laden with heart-clogging trans fats,[11] excessive sugar and salt.
Worse yet, these meals are high in calories whilst low in nutritional value, making them a terrible choice for fuel. Before you know it, you will have broken the cardinal rule of calories in vs. calories out!
15. Watch Out for “Hidden Calories”
There’s no need to completely forgo your favorite condiments, just make sure you are aware of their true caloric impact. It’s easy to go overboard and negate much of your hard work!
Go easy with the following condiments and toppings, they are surprisingly heavy in calories:
- Mayonnaise
- Salad dressing
- Cream
- Cheese
- Butter
- Oils
16. Choose Low-Medium GI Foods
High GI foods sources cause sugar levels to shoot up, the resultant spike in insulin will actually encourage dreaded fat storage![12]
Check out the GI scale and choose low-medium GI foods. Your insulin levels will remain under control, you will feel fuller for longer and find it easier to lose weight!
17. Opt For Weight Training Over Cardio
Weight training burns a significant amount of calories, keeping you strong, fit and healthy in the process. It’s more effective than cardio for body recomposition as it helps preserve essential muscle mass whilst you lose weight.[13]
Studies have also shown a significant increase in metabolic rate both during and after your workout,[14] further supporting your weight loss efforts!
Choose a routine that uses compound lifts such as Presses, Squats and Deadlifts. These exercises recruit the largest amount of muscles per movement, ideal for maintaining lean muscle mass and trimming body fat.
18. Go Walking or Cycling
Consistent small actions soon add up to big changes. For this reason, why not choose to walk or cycle whenever you can? You will burn more calories as you go about your day without the need for further diet restrictions.
You can burn more calories as you go about your day, without any further diet restriction. If you’re physically able there is no excuse, take the stairs over escalators and lifts!
19. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep is highly underrated for weight loss. Forget about the 6-hour minimum claim, many of us require 8-9 hours to operate at peak efficiency.
Both duration and quality of sleep will have a great influence on hormones that control body composition. In fact, poor sleep has shown worrying links to obesity, increasing the risk in adults by 55%![15]
20. Be Careful Of Liquid Calories!
We all know alcohol dehydrates and damages our liver and kidneys. But it can also thwart weight loss efforts as an unexpected source of calories.
You may be surprised to know a beer can equate to 150kcal, 125kcal for a glass of red wine and a whopping 400Kcal for a single sweet Piña Colada! Instead, try sticking to tonic water with a slice of lime, your body will thank you!
