How to Lose 10 Pounds Without Hating Your Life

 

If only losing weight was as easy as gaining it, right? While there are plenty of advertised ways to shed some pounds, there are only a handful of methods that actually work. And one thing’s for sure: None of them are the weird tea cleanse your favorite Instagram influencer swore by. Here are some other, much more legit ways you can lose 10 pounds without hating your life.

1. Don't Try Another Fad Diet

Do fad diets ever get anyone long-term progress, ever? Sure, you might drop a few pounds at first (that's a hard maybe!) — but these quick solutions aren't long-lasting and can also be dangerous. Develop healthy habits and stick with them instead of doing something that will drive you insane.

"Weight loss never lasts — scientific research has proven this time and time again," Christy Harrison, a Brooklyn-based dietitian, says. "It actually leads to weight cycling, or yo-yo-ing, which research suggests may be the true cause of many of the health problems we associate with being overweight, like diabetes and heart issues."

2. Embrace The Anti-Diet

Trendy meal plans may sound like the magical answer to get into your skinny jeans — swallow a pill, swig some juice, eat some kale. Unfortunately, it isn't that simple.

"Diets just don't work — they're not sustainable," Harrison says. "Not only that, but the pressure we put our bodies under — either by restricting food intake, over-exercising or a combination of both — ups your chances for so many negative health consequences."

One of the biggest? Weight gain! Plus, all of that carb watching and calorie counting is probably stressing you out. In turn, that causes your body to start releasing cortisol, a stress hormone that's been linked to increased weight.

3. Pack In the Protein

If you want to stay full and satisfied, amp up your protein — and not just meat. Eat hearty plant sources, too, like tempeh, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

"Protein requires 25 percent more energy to digest than carbs, so it's possible to cut your calorie intake without eating less food," says California-based personal trainer Jamie Sullivan. In other words, your body has to work harder to digest a salmon filet than it does a bowl of pasta, meaning you can get away with a few extra bites of that perfectly cooked fish while the noodles could do a number on your waistline.

4. Get Smart About Nutrition

Crying tears of sugar because you ate a donut that isn't on your approved list of foods isn't going to do you any good. You ate a donut. Cool. Move on. Here's why: Remember when you were a kid and your mom banned soda from your life forever and it only led to serious root beer binges when you got to your friend's house? Those same rules are in play here. Get label-crazed and you'll lose your mind — not excess weight. And cutting yourself off from all of your favorite things will only lead to overdoing it on the sugary, salty foods.

Instead, Harrison says you should look at foods as a way of self-care — eat what makes you feel good and forget about it as a means of slimming down (although a solid side effect of healthy eating: weight loss). Does that mean a free-for-all on the candy bowl? No. But it's a rule your body will naturally adapt to, not something you have to force on it. A bowl of almonds made you feel amazing in the mid-afternoon sales meeting, but those red gummies, not so much. Next time, you'll likely reach for the almonds.

Here are a few other key food rules to follow: Fresh is best. Try to eat a lean protein at every meal and make sure half of your plate is veggies.

5. Increase Your H20 Intake

Here's your permission to dump that electric-green juice craze down the drain. A better plan is to sip water throughout the day. Research shows it actually helps you cut down on calories. Often, thirst is confused for hunger. And try salt water, while you're at it. When it comes to H20, salt is not the enemy. "Water needs electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and chloride to be best absorbed," says Jenny Westerkamp, an R.D. in Chicago, which explains why they're added to popular sports drinks.

She recommends adding a pinch of Celtic sea salt or real salt (unrefined and unbleached) to your water before chugging. "The electrolytes in the salt will push water into the cells where they need to be, rather than letting the water get flushed out, causing you to go to the bathroom every other minute." You'll notice a spike in energy after staying hydrated, too, and you'll be less likely to give in to cravings which are even harder to avoid when you're running on empty.

6. Rethink What "Exercise" Really Means

We know we said these tips were about shedding pounds without working out, but being active is important, so here's radical idea: Change the way you think about exercise by choosing to do something you enjoy. "It doesn't have to be in a gym," Harrison says. "It could be a dance class or going for a run around your neighborhood." And it might even be worth it to get into tree pose when you've only got a few minutes. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that just 10 minutes of exercise has huge health benefits.

7. Eat Healthy Fats

When you're trying to lose weight, the last thing you want to do is eat anything fatty, right? Wrong. You just have to make sure you're eating the right kind of fat. While eating certain types of fat are definitely no-nos when you're trying to lose weight — looking at you, saturated fat! — adding healthy fats into your diet is a game-changer. Research has shown eating good-for-you fats like avocado on a daily basis — even if that's just throwing some onto your salad for lunch — can leave you so full and satisfied that you're not reaching for unhealthy, sugary snacks later on. And without all those excess calories, you're bound to drop unwanted weight.

8. Give Meal-Prepping a Try

Yeah, yeah — meal-prepping isn't exciting. That's nothing new. But by spending a few hours every weekend preparing some meals for the week ahead, you could see a lot of progress in a short amount of time. Plus, you'll save money by cutting back on the delivery. "When you plan an entire week of dinner in advance, you're way less likely to go off course and indulge in foods that aren't good for you," says Pamela Salzman, a certified holistic health expert and cooking instructor. Start with making your lunches in advance and go from there.

9. Hop on the Yoga Bandwagon

You might not see yoga as a solid weight-loss method, but think again. Aside from working out every muscle in your body and reducing your stress levels, you're also raising your heart rate to reap some major fat-burning benefits. Try this workout that's designed to help you drop pounds and tone up in process.

10. Dance the Weight Off

The best types of workouts are the ones you're having so much fun during that you forget you're even working out in the first place. If you want to lose weight, try this 35-minute by Body by Simone creator Simone de la Rue. You'll be sweating in no time.

11. Sweat It Out with a Total Body Burn

If you love getting in a little yoga-cardio mix, you'll love Kait Hurley's workouts. This one will stretch out your body and leave you totally breathless as your entire body —