Best Way To Lose 10 Pounds Before Christmas

How to lose weight fast

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. And I don’t know about you but my favorite thing about Christmas has got to be the food!

Jamaican Christmas cake, sorrel wine, Christmas ham, sticky barbeque ribs, Jamaica jerk chicken, and Jamaican rice and peas. Good Lord! I’m drooling just thinking about it!

Jamaican food recipies to try

But as amazing as Christmas is – and it’s ah-mazing because I’m a foodie – there’s a huge downside. And every year I fall prey to it. The weight gain is inevitable! *cue ugly crying*

If you’re a foodie like me and you’re on a weight loss journey too, then you know that Christmas is a problem. A delicious problem. But a problem nonetheless.

It is in keeping with that spirit that I’ve decided to share with you 6 Tips To Lose 10 Pounds Before Christmas so you can enjoy the Christmas festivities without worrying that you’re gaining too much weight.

Disclaimer: Before I go any further, let me be clear. I am not a licensed weight loss coach, fitness trainer, or health care professional. All the tips in this article are for informational purposes only. They are my opinion and should be treated as such. This article is not meant to supersede medical advice. Your health is your responsibility. Please consult a health care provider for professional advice.

Okay. Now back to the fun stuff.

How much can you actually lose?

Technically it is possible to lose 10 pounds in just one week! Yeap! You read that right. However, it wouldn’t be safe (sorry to burst your bubble).

It would also be mostly water weight so you wouldn’t lose much – if any – body fat. As a result, you’ll gain the weight all back just as fast as you lost it and possibly more. Nah, sis! we ain’t about that life. We want to lose weight and keep it off. Read how I lose 20 pounds in 3 months and kept it off here.

In fact, it is recommended that you try to stick to a safe number of 1 – 2 pounds a week. Read this article on Medical News Today for more details.

Christmas weight loss tips

1. Make the necessary lifestyle changes

You can’t possibly expect to lose body fat and do so safely without making some changes to your lifestyle. Yep! I’m talking about exercise.

Our bodies are meant to move and stay active. Unfortunately, society has become so fast-paced that ironically, our lives don’t require a lot of movement. We have become sedentary.

How to get more exercise

1. Go for more walks: at least 30 minutes a day will do just fine for beginners. You can do more as you get stronger and have more time on your hand.
2. Take the stairs: instead of going up the elevator every time, try the stairs every now and then. Yes, I know it sucks but you want to become more active so you have to work it into your daily life in a way that’s natural and sustainable.
3. Dance while doing household chores: can I tell you how much fat will cry if you do this? Not only is it a fun way to make your chores seem less painful but you get to lose weight while doing it. Win-win!
4. Play with your kids, younger siblings, or younger family members: it’s no secret that kids are usually super active. What better way to get some extra calorie burn than to play with them? This is something that really got me moving so I’m hoping it will work for you.
5. Energize your love life: okay so technically, going for a walk would burn more calories but hey, sex is fun! You can burn up to 101 calories from a 30-minute session with your partner. Assuming you’re actually moving instead of just laying there like a log.

Click here to learn about the lifestyle changes I made to lose weight.

2. Snack better

You don’t necessarily have to stop snacking to lose weight. You just have to be smarter about your snack choices.

Reach for more fruits instead of chips and biscuits. Veggies instead of pastries.

Not only are fruits and veggies more healthy, but they are also more filling and low in calories. Oh, and btw, your hair, skin, and nails will thank you for it.

3. Meal replacements

I’ll never advocate for skipping meals as a way of losing weight. Though I know there are many who will swear by methods such as intermittent fasting, juice fasting, and water fasting.

In my experience, the negative side effects have not been worth it for me.

Instead, what I do is replace some meals. I don’t usually have a big breakfast so I never really need to replace this one. I’ll still ensure I have a proper lunch and lunch is usually the biggest meal of the day for me.

Dinner is usually pretty small but whenever I want to replace a meal, this is usually the one I replace. Simply because it’s easier on my stomach.

I prefer to replace dinner with smoothies or meal replacement shakes. The idea is to achieve a caloric deficit but you still want to make sure the meal replacement is just as balanced as the full meal would be.

4. Caloric deficit

No need to go crazy counting all your calories. You don’t need to be 100% accurate on this. You only need to be in the general ballpark.

Pay attention to what you put into your body. Read the labels of the foods you buy and avoid foods with excessive amounts of sugar. Limit yourself to low calorie foods and snacks as much as possible.

The only way to lose weight – more specifically lose body fat – naturally, is to achieve a caloric deficit. This means you must be consuming fewer calories than you’re burning. To put it more simply: eat less, move more.

5. Stop drinking your calories

If you drink a lot of juices, hot beverages, drinks, cocktails, energy drinks, alcohol or soda, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

These drinks often contain a lot of empty calories. And alcohol slows down your body’s ability to burn fat. In fact, alcohol consumption promotes fat storage. The opposite of what you want to accomplish.

This isn’t to say you can indulge every now and then. You can. You just have to be very mindful.

6. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

This might come as a surprise to you but in order to ensure that your body can properly convert stored fat into energy, you need to ensure that you are drinking enough water.

No. Eating foods that have a high water volume, such as watermelons or cucumbers, is not going to be enough. While those are great, they are simply not enough.

The amount of water you need will be based on a number of factors: age, gender, lifestyle, job, weight, climate, lifestyle. But a general rule of thumb to know if you’re getting enough water is to pay attention to the color of your urine.

You want to aim for a light yellowish color.

Final thoughts

All in all, please remember to be realistic and to pace yourself. Be as gentle and loving to yourself as possible.

Don’t ignore your cravings. The aim is to foster a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Track your progress and celebrate your wins.

My home will be no less than an all-you-can-eat buffet this Christmas and idk about you but I will be eating all I can eat. I will of course be mindful and not eat myself up about any weight gain that happens this Christmas season. I hope you don’t either.

Let me know in the comments how you plan to spend this Christmas. What tips did I miss? What tips would you add to this list?

Remember sharing is caring so don’t be stingy.

As always, thanks for reading and remember to stay feminine, sexy, classy and unapologetically woman!

Cheers!

-Lis xoxo

Aditional resources: 11 ways to lose 10 pounds