How to Lose 10 Pounds

Last week I was training one of my favorite clients when her friend came into the gym to meet her and said to me, "I have to lose 10 pounds for a wedding next month! What can I do?"

"Well, that's easy," I said, "You just need to use this one machine and you can easily lose that stubborn fat in time for the wedding". Needless to say she was thrilled, until I told her that the machine she needed was a time machine.

If she had a time machine, she could go back in time 8 weeks and that would easily give her enough time to accomplish her goal and more. Surprisingly, she didn't seem to like that idea. So just before she was about to smack me upside the head, I said, "Wait! I have 5 simple rules that will help you lose 10 pounds, and here they are!"

The 5 Steps to Fast Fat Loss

1. Cut all modified carbohydrates from your diet
2. Use interval training 4 times per week
3. Use bodyweight circuits as your resistance training workouts
4. Stay active on off days for at least 30 minutes with a stress-reducing activity
5. Eat only one reward meal per week and stick to a 90% compliance diet

I stunned her with those tips, and as I backed into the corner covering my head for protection, I thought I might be safe. But then she came back at me demanding to know what I meant by cutting all modified carbohydrates.

How was that going to help her lose 10 pounds?

So I explained, "A modified carbohydrate refers to anything not in its natural form. So you need to cut out pastas, whole-grain products, breakfast cereals, and all the regular bad processed carbohydrates. Stick to only fruits, vegetables, and raw nuts to get carbohydrates. But don't fear fruit, it won't make you fat. In fact, it will play a big part in helping you lose 10 pounds."

I told her again and again that diet was the key to fat loss, and then I stared long and hard at the Frappacino she was holding in her hand. "That type of dietary discretion has to go," I said, before asking her if she had ever been taught about the 90% compliance diet.

What is the 90% Compliance Diet?

I knew she was going to ask about the 90% compliance diet, so I figured I'd cover this as well while we were talking nutrition. "Over the week, you must stick to the whole, natural, unmodified foods approach at least 90% of the time. But you have 10% wiggle-room. That gives you 10% of your calories you can have from a reward meal and 2-3 little treats."

She didn't understand at first, but then I said, "So if you eat 1500 calories per day, that means you have 150 calories (10%) that can be treat calories. But if you want a reward meal of 600 calories, you'll have to be perfect (100% compliance) for 4 days before you have your 600 calorie reward meal. And make sure your reward meal is only 600 calories, don't go back for seconds and take it up to 1200 calories."

The Best Workout To Lose 10 Pounds

With nutrition out of the way, I wanted to improve her workout program, so we switched her from useless high-repetition "toning" workouts to using challenging bodyweight exercises done in circuits.

This is a combo of strength training and interval training and helps you burn fat while sculpting your muscles. But it doesn't bulk you up, so there will be no weight gain and you'll be able to lose 10 pounds fast.

I then told her that interval training has been shown to work better than normal cardio for fat loss, especially burning belly fat. Interval training workouts also take less time, and therefore are a fast way to lose 10 pounds. But do intervals no more than 4 times per week.

Finally, I told her that she'll have three days per week where she doesn't need to do structured workouts, but she should stay active and reduce stress for at least 30 minutes. Yoga, pilates, walking outside in the fresh air, and playing light sports are great for staying active and reducing stress. And that's a secret to help you lose 10 pounds. So stick to this plan, and you can drop 10 pounds in only 4 weeks.