Yup, you read that right. I’m going to tell you three things you can do that will help you lose weight but this weekend – as in 2 days from now (if you are reading this the day it was published).
And now for the fine print – losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean losing fat, and when you are looking to see a change on the scale, we always think a change means we’ve lost fat, but in reality that’s not necessarily what it means.
Our scale weight includes the weight of our fat, but also the weight of our muscle, bones, tissue, organs and water. And while we might want to lose fat, we don’t really want to lose muscles, bone, tissue, or organs. This post is going to help you lose some weight primarily from that last one – water.
Bloating and inflammation are two things that can artificially inflate our scale weight, so the three things I’m sharing today are things you can do to reduce that bloating and inflammation, while will help you shed excess water weight, and thus see a change on the scale.
I know, I know, you thought I was going to tell you how to lose a couple pounds of fat by the weekend didn’t you? Sorry.
3 Things To Do TODAY To Lose Weight By This WEEKEND
Drink Your Water
I’m so predictable. But the truth is the truth – most of us don’t get enough water, and if we are retaining water, drinking more water will help flush out that bloat and voila (not walla!) you’ve lost weight. SO annoyingly simple right? AIm for 1ml/pound of body weight to start, then most people could stand to increase to 2-2.5L of water/day.
Yes, at first you’ll be peeing non-stop, but I PROMISE, the constant peeing will slow as you get rid of the excess water you are holding on to, and as your body gets used to having more water coming in on the regular.
Watch Your Sodium
Sodium is one of those tricky things that can go flying out of control without you even realizing it. The daily recommended amount for women is 2000-2300mg/day, but it’s easy to blow right past that without even meaning to. For example, the tomato sauce I use to use was 800mg per 1/2 cup serving which means that with a 1 cup of tomato sauce you’d be getting around 1600mg just in that alone! Another culprit is breakfast cereal, you might be surprised to see how much sodium can be in a bowl of cereal – I have some that have as much as 250-300mg, and that’s before you even put milk on it!
If you start watching your sodium and keep it around 1500-1700mg for a few days you will very easily see a change on the scale by the weekend.
Get Some Sleep!
Sleep is like the magic pill for health and in particular weight loss. The awesome thing about sleep is that it’s FREE! When we have poor sleeping habits or are unable to get a good quality sleep, we have increased inflammation, not to mention we feel tired and cranky and are more likely to binge eat on comfort foods (which tend to be less than healthy).
When we pay more attention to ensure we are getting enough hours of sleep, as well as a higher quality of sleep, we reduce inflammation which immediately can show a loss on the scale. I know that on nights when I’ve had a really poor night’s sleep I can count on the scale going up a pound or two until I have a good restful night’s sleep.
I realize many people are unable to get a better quality of sleep due to health issues, babies and other circumstances, but you can try to sneak in a bit more sleep. Whether you take a midday nap or head to bed a little earlier, or opt to skip your morning workout in order to get more sleep. Yes, you can lose weight by skipping an early morning workout in order to allow your body to get the rest it needs. Sounds counterproductive, but if you are working with a sleep deficit, that little extra time in bed could be your secret to losing those last few pounds.
As I mentioned at the start, these tips will definitely help you lose a few pounds by the weekend, but they largely are based on reducing bloating and inflammation which artificially inflates your body weight on the scale. In order to have a long-lasting fat loss, you will need to spend more time focusing on your eating habits, moving more, and consider adding strength training to your fitness regime.
Those are all things I am happy to help you with if you’d like to learn more about the 1:1 coaching I offer visit my professional website at https://suzifevens.ca