Lose 3 pounds in 3 weeks

Want to lose 3 lbs in 3 weeks? Try these 3 tips consistently for 3 weeks

1. Calorie deficit...You need to burn 500 more calories a day than you are consuming to lose 1 pound a week. What equals 500 calories? One candy bar, 1 medium french fries, 2 cocktails, 3 beers, or 4 glasses of wine. Try cutting out 100 calories five times a day. Measure out your peanut butter (2 tablespoons max), try your mocha with nonfat milk and no whip, take 1/2 cup of rice rather than 1 cup. Or switch some of your higher calorie foods for my favorite filler: broccoli ;)



2. Calorie burn... Try burning an extra 100 calories a day in addition to your usual work out. What burns 100 calories? 20 minutes of walking, 25 minutes of gentle yoga, or 30 minutes of housework like vaccuuming. Or add an extra 10 minutes of push ups, sit ups, squats or other strength training after your cardio work out.



3. Cut back on foods which cause water retention or can lead to inflammation due to food allergies. Cut back on your sodium by watching prepared foods like: any microwave dinner or canned soup, the salty-crunchy food group (you know what I'm talking about!), restaurant take out. Foods which can commonly cause inflammation are sugar, flour/gluten, soy and dairy. (Check with a doctor/naturopath if you are concerned about food allergies.)

Remember...consistent, persistent focus is key! Don't start Monday and quit Wednesday because the scale hasn't changed! Follow through for 3 weeks and you will be amazed by your progress.

If all 3 changes at once seems like too much to tackle, start with shift one for Week 1. Cut back 500 calories you eat each day for one week. For week 2: Keep up your week 1 change and start burning an extra 100 calories a day. For Week 3: Keep up your changes from Week 2 & 3 and start cutting back on sugar and other potential inflammatory foods.

Ask reliable friends and family to help you stay consistent or to join you in your health and fitness challenge. You can do it...Just do it.