How to Lose Weight for an Event | Lose 10lbs in 2 Weeks

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Everyone knows that weight loss is a slow and steady process, but there are times when the gradual approach just won't do; that special event and 'that' dress are on the horizon and you need to shift the weight and slim down fast. I use this approach in every emergency and it never fails me.

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First of all, time to tackle the water weight. And there are 3 ways I do this:

1. Drink more water in general and adopt Step 1 & 2 from my Slimdown Tips until the day before D-day. Doing so stops your body from holding onto excess water. The day before, and for the day itself, I reduce my liquids intake so I don't feel bloated.

2. Reduce my salt/sodium levels. This means eating as clean as possible; no processed foods or really anything where I don't have control over the salt content. If you want to be strict, season your food with other things; herbs, lemon, pepper etc, instead of salt.

3. Bite the bullet and go low carb. This is a biggie. Every gram of stored carbs (or glycogen) binds to 3-4 grams of water so cutting back on your carbs sheds excess water weight, as well as pushing the body to burn fat for energy.

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Now for diet and exercise:

1. For the 2 previous weeks, I eat around 1200 calories a day, of mainly lean proteins and leafy greens with herbs and spices, with some fruit to stop me going mad as I detest conventional low-carb.

2. I try and eat 5 times a day to keep my metabolism up.

3. I up the exercise. That means more cardio for a start. I try and incorporate little changes throughout the day like parking the car further away and walking the remainder of the distance. I supplement that with trips to the gym, HIIT workouts, getting my butt kicked by Jillian (review), jump rope routines and exercise vids via YouTube.

4. I combine the cardio with some strength training. Compound moves (aka working lots of muscle groups simultaneously) give you the most bang for your buck. Squats, lunges, planks, with some pilates, and I try and do this daily.

And that's it. 

A couple of things to perhaps keep in mind:

- The quicker weight is lost, the quicker it creeps back on..

- I wouldn't adopt this as a permanent lifestyle, for 2 weeks it's fine.

- It's hard work! Be prepared for grumpiness and aching muscles.

I'm not a doctor (and do consult yours before making changes to your lifestyle) so remember to exercise a little common sense and listen to your body! 

But this is what I do when in dire-slimdown-straits and it works for me every time, I hope it does for you too, good luck!