How to Lose 10 Pounds in 60 Days Before the Wedding (and Keep It All After) - Enough Fitness (2023)

Everyone says that "someday" they will get in shape.

The wedding turns "one day" into "now".

You can invest in the most elegant place. You can have the most beautiful flowers. But ultimately people focus on how to do itTyLook.

This is an opportunity to show your future husband or wife that you will be the best for them. When you take vows, you want to look like someone who can keep their promises.

There are two ways to approach wedding weight loss, and the approach you choose will make a big difference to your long-term success.

The wrong way to lose weight for a wedding

The most intuitive thing to do if you want to look your best at your wedding is to go all out and see how much weight you can lose before the big day.

This usually means relying on motivation and willpower to stick to a rigid plan. Maybe you never exercised and now you run every day. You choose a restrictive fad diet like keto or Whole30. Or you're just starving.

While this approach may work, it is certainly not sustainable. In fact, you're likely to mess up your metabolism and gain back all the weight and more after marriage.

If you want to be as skinny as possible on your wedding day, it really doesn't matter which approach you choose.

But if your goal is to use this wedding as a catalyst to become the best parent, wife, spouse, etc. that can be… well, we need to take an approach that I can really follow and grow. after the wedding is over.

The good news is that you can lose the same weight with a balanced approach. In fact, you'll look even better on your wedding day. The key is to focus on your habits.

Taking a habit-based approach to weight loss

What is the long game like when it comes to weight loss?

This means creating a set of habits that will help you lose weight without relying on willpower. And that really means working on yourself. This way you will create a foundation that will last much longer than your wedding day.

There are three things that are important when it comes to losing weight:

1. Fuel (hydration, nutrition, mindful eating)

2. Inner game (sleep, stress, relationship with yourself)

3. Training (daily exercise, strength training)

Every week for the next 8 weeks we will be adding a new habit in one of the three areas above.

Our goal is to lose an average of 1 to 2 kilograms per week. If you do everything else right, you can lose more than 16 pounds. Remember that weight loss is not always linear. You may have weeks where you lose more and weeks where you lose less.

Even if you only follow the plan 80% of the time, losing 5 pounds at the end of that 60-day period is entirely realistic. After that, you can continue to lose weight or focus on maintaining weight while doing other wedding preparations.

Let's see what you'll be doing each week for the next 60 days...

WEEK 1: Drink 60-90 ounces of water daily

We've all heard how important hydration is to health.

But proper hydration also plays a key role in fat loss. You are less likely to mistake thirst for hunger if you drink enough water.

If you think of your body as a car, water is like oil and food is like gasoline. A poorly lubricated engine leads to increased fuel consumption. Similarly, not drinking enough water leads to overeating.

How much water is enough? A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water. However, anything above 90 grams is often ridiculous, so I recommend 60-90 grams.

Here are some simple ways to stay hydrated:

1. In the evening, fill a bottle or glass of water.Put it somewhere where you can see it in the morning. One of the most critical times to stay hydrated is when you wake up because you probably haven't had a drink in the last 8-9 hours. When you wake up, you get a visual reminder to hydrate before breakfast or coffee.

2. Drink a large glass of water before each meal.Many of us confuse thirst with hunger, and as a result, we eat more than we really need. That's why I like to focus on hydration with clients before tackling the diet. If you're tired of drinking plain water all day, but don't want the empty calories in soda, alcohol, or juice, I recommend drinking mineral water with fresh lemon or lime.

3. Carry a portable water bottle with you throughout the day.It will help you measure your water intake and you will be more likely to drink if you have water on hand. Buy a bottle you really like. I use one from a company called Hydrate which tracks my water intake through an app and reminds me to drink. Yes, he's a bit of a nerd. But it works.

Here's an easy way to track your water intake with a regular water bottle: Find out how many ounces are in your water bottle and how many bottles you need in a day to reach your goal. Then place the same number of rubber bands around the water bottle and remove one each time you fill the bottle.

For this challenge, I do not recommend tracking the coffee or tea you drink.

If you're already 100% sure you're drinking enough water, your extra challenge for this week is to eliminate all calorie-containing beverages. It is enough to drink water, tea, mineral water and coffee.

Once you've tracked your water intake over the course of the week, you can use a neat (and slightly weird) trick to remind yourself to stay hydrated...

If you go to the bathroom and your urine is more yellow (rather than clear), you're probably not drinking enough.

At this point, don't worry about food or exercise. Don't forget that we'll be adding a new habit every week. So start strong and focus on blocking it.

WEEK 2: Exercise for 20 minutes daily

Most people start doing too much when they start exercising. They tell themselves to work out hard for 1-2 hours every day. Maybe they can keep it up for a week or two. But in the end they will fail.

Because?

Because it doesn't matter if you have the best training program in the world if you can't stick to it.

Therefore, before you try to optimize your training, I recommend getting into the habit of being in constant motion.

The easiest way to do this, counterintuitively, is to move around a little each day. If you try to do longer workouts 2-3 days a week, it's actually harder to form a habit because you do it on some days and not on others. Your brain has a harder time making strong associations.

This is how you create a daily exercise habit:

1. Start small by doing something you enjoy for just 20 minutes a day.It can be walking, yoga, soccer, weightlifting, whatever. When in doubt, just take a walk. Don't force yourself to do something you hate. If 20 minutes isn't realistic, try 10 or 15. If you're already doing 20 minutes a day, increase it to 25 or 30.

2. Schedule this activity on your calendarand treat it like any other important meeting. It doesn't matter when you exercise (morning, afternoon or evening) as long as you do it at the same time every day. If social responsibility is something that motivates you, invite a friend. If you don't have extra time, try adding exercise to things you already do (for example, cycling to work instead of driving).

3. Postpone this meeting with yourself when life gets in the way.Don't skip it and move on. It's okay to fail once, but don't make it a pattern by failing twice.

Don't worry about overexerting yourself during these workouts. Remember that consistency, not intensity, is the most important thing at this stage.

This approach may not sound as exciting as all-in, but it works much better.

Once you've proven to yourself that you can do some movement every day for a few weeks, we'll talk about how to maximize that time.

WEEK 3: Sleep at least 7 hours a day

Lack of sleep shifts the hormonal balance from those that promote satiety to those that promote hunger. Bottom line: It's very hard to lose weight without getting enough sleep.

Getting enough sleep = 7-9 hours a day. None of that "I'll figure it out this weekend" nonsense.

Here are three things you can do today to sleep better:

1. Set a "sleep" alarm on your phone.Turn it off at least an hour before going to bed. When it goes out, dim the lights and stop using any electronic devices. Put your phone in another room and replace the TV with a book. Personally, I like to read fiction at night because nonfiction keeps my brain busy. When my reading comprehension slows down and my eyes start to sparkle, I know I can go to sleep.

2. Make your bedroom a sleeping paradise.Do nothing in your bed, just sleep, read and have sex; otherwise, he will begin to associate his bed with being awake. Also, make sure your bedroom is as cool and dark as possible. I sleep best under the duvet, in just my underwear, with the air conditioning set to 64 degrees or less. Use light-blocking blinds and place black electrical tape over electronic readings or light sources.

3. No caffeine after 2pm.Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 12 hours, so this change alone can have a big impact on the quality and quantity of your sleep. If you need help winding down before bed, try drinking chamomile or lemon balm tea. If you are traveling somewhere with a time difference, you can also experiment by taking 3-5 mg of melatonin 30 minutes before bedtime.

I do not recommend the use of sleeping pills. I also do not recommend drinking alcohol to help you fall asleep; Your sleep will be of poorer quality and you will wake up earlier in the night. You're also drinking empty calories.

Keep in mind that you may need to increase your sleep time gradually (about 30 minutes each night) otherwise you won't get tired. So if you are currently only sleeping 6 hours on average, try just 6.5 hours next week. And if you already have 7 hours, try 7.5 hours.

WEEK 4: Eat the first meal of the day well

Notice I didn't say "eat a good breakfast". If you don't have the time or desire to eat breakfast, you can fast until 10 or 12 noon.

While intermittent fasting is sometimes not considered a panacea, it can be a good option for those who are skipping breakfast and want to lose or maintain weight. You just eat less if you can only eat in a time frame of 8-10 hours a day.

On the other hand, eating breakfast is often associated with long-term weight loss success. Bottom line: eat when hungry and provide good options.

When you eat that first meal, I recommend keeping these three criteria in mind:

1. It must be real food.This means plants or animals that actually spoil if not eaten. Avoid ultra-processed foods that are one step away from what can be found in nature - they are less healthy for you andstrongly correlated with weight gain.

2. It must contain a lot of protein.. Protein helps you feel fuller and build muscle mass. Aim to consume 15-30 grams of protein for breakfast. Eggs are my favourite. By comparison, an egg contains 6-7 grams of protein.

3. Must contain fruit or vegetables.These foods are generally high in fiber and low in calories. This makes you feel fuller and you end up eating less. Plus, fruits and vegetables contain important nutrients that you should be getting anyway.

Some first meal options to consider include eggs, Greek yogurt, fried tofu, a protein shake with minimal additives, lentils, spinach, or other vegetables.

Please note that the above lists do not include cereals. A processed sugar bomb is the worst breakfast option. If you absolutely must eat cereal, I recommend having it for dessert after dinner. That way, if your blood sugar drops, there's still time to go to sleep.

When figuring out what to eat for the first meal of the day (or any other), just ask yourself, "What would a healthy person eat right now?" and do it. You already intuitively know that kale is better than waffles, so don't overthink it.

If you eat the first meal of the day right, you will set the tone for the rest of your meals. You have used the foods that will give you the most energy to focus on your work. And you made the right decision before all your willpower runs out later in the day.

WEEK 5: Include 2 days of strength training per week

Remember how we said we'd maximize our training time when we got into the habit of exercising daily? That's what we're going to do this week, add resistance training.

Resistance training tells your body to add and keep muscle. The more muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be and the more you can eat each day.

It's the difference between putting money into your checking account (cardio) and investing it (strength training). Yes, cardio can burn a lot of calories. But it doesn't shape your body like resistance training and doesn't make your body a more efficient fat burning machine.

The best place to start resistance training is a two-day full-body workout, which can be done with little or no equipment. So you can also do it when you're traveling or don't have time to go to the gym.

Here is the circuit I recommend to start with:

1. lizards- 6-10 repetitions. If you can't do 6 regular push-ups, do it on your knees or place your hands on a bench or desk with your feet on the floor. If you can easily do 10, put your feet on a bench or chair with your hands on the floor.

2. Rows with dumbbells - 6-10 repetitions on each side. If you don't have access to a barbell, find something with a handle (luggage, milk jug, etc.). If you can easily do 10 rows, increase the weight, experiment with itinverted rowsor go to pull-ups.

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1. forays- 6-10 repetitions on each side. If you can easily complete 10 repetitions on each leg, keep the dumbbells at your side. If you don't have access to weights, raise your back leg on a bench or bench.

Do 3 rounds of this circuit, rest as long as you need between each exercise, then rest for at least 1 minute between rounds. Remember, this isn't a cardio workout, so don't give up or lose your breath.

Leave at least one day between resistance workouts. You may be quite sore after the first one, so give yourself a few days to recover. Don't worry about increasing the number of workouts or the number of repetitions you do per workout until you're ready.

It only counts to do two such workouts during the week. The above circuit only takes 15-20 minutes. On other days, you do whatever you like: yoga, walking, whatever.

WEEK 6: Meditate for 5 minutes in the morning

Onthe science is clear- Meditation helps you lose weight. It lowers the level of cortisol, a stress hormone, improves attitude and reduces food cravings.

It is perfectly normal for thoughts to arise during meditation. In fact, the whole practice of meditation is to think, to notice that you were distracted, and then come back.

Every time you come back to the present moment, it's the equivalent of doing biceps for your mind. You practice recognizing when you get lost in your thoughts. Over time, this helps to reduce reactivity to stressors throughout the day.

So if you find yourself falling asleep, don't beat yourself up about it. Just make a mental note, say "think" to yourself, and come back to your breath knowing that you've just done one more repetition.

Another complaint I get from people who don't meditate regularly is that they don't have enough time to meditate. It's not a matter of time, we all have the same amount of time, it's a matter of priorities.

If Oprah, Katie Perry and Jerry Seinfeld can find time to meditate, so can you.

There's an old Zen proverb that says, "You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day, unless you're too busy. So you have to sit for an hour. In other words, meditation is even more important when you're stressed or time-limited.

If you are not meditating now or haven't been consistent, start with 5 minutes a day and don't increase until you've been able to do so for a few weeks. If you already meditate continuously, add 5 minutes to your regular sessions.

Here's how to get started:

1. Choose a time to meditate.I suggest meditating in the morning because then you know what's going to happen before unexpected things happen during the day. Keep in mind that you may need to get up earlier or tweak your morning routine to adjust to this new habit.

2. Meditate in the same part of the house every day.This way, it will remind you to meditate when you pass by or look at your "meditation spot". Of course, it is best to choose a quiet place where no one will disturb you.

3. Consider using an app.There are many free apps and timers you can experiment with. I especially like the meditations led by Tara Brach in the Insight Timer app. But you can also just sit back, set a timer for five minutes, and focus on inhaling and exhaling through your nose until the time is up.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness. Cooking, walking the dog, and yoga are fun as long as you do it in a way that keeps you in the present moment. But try legal meditation first.

WEEK 7: Skip lunch when you are 80% full.

There is a Japanese custom called "hara hachi bu", which roughly translates to "eat until you are full in eight parts (out of ten)."

This Confucian science works well for weight loss because it encourages portion control through mindful eating. But there is a problem...

Most of us have no idea what it's like to be 80% full.

So, to successfully implement this strategy, experiment with some related habits first:

1. Put your fork down between bites.It forces you to chew and enjoy your food. If you slow down and savor every bite, you may not want to eat as much.

2. Avoid highly processed foods.Chips, candies and crackers are designed to keep you wanting more, from how they taste to how they sound when you bite into them. It's much harder to feel how much you feel when you eat highly processed foods.

3. Stop eating in front of your phone or computer.Instead, eat with someone else or by the window. The less you are distracted, the more aware you are of how full you are.

Once you feel your actual hunger level while eating, you can practice stopping at 80% capacity. At 80% you shouldn't be hungry anymore, but you shouldn't be completely full either. If you learn to listen to your body's natural cues, you don't need to count calories to lose weight.

In a perfect world, you would eat all your meals this way. But let's start small, focusing on lunch. If you prefer to eat consciously at breakfast or dinner, that's fine. I just found out that most people eat less consciously at lunchtime.

WEEK 8: Write a diary every night before going to bed

An important part of getting in shape is working on your relationship with yourself.

When we start our adventure with fitness, most of us are motivated by criticism. We hate how we look naked and start comparing ourselves to other people.

In other words, we're moving away from something we don't want instead of getting closer to something we really want.

There are many problems with this kind of “away from” motivation…

It's not good for our image. And while this may be motivating in the short term, it's not enough to help us maintain our progress while we're in good shape.

To approach this, I have all my clients keep a diary by their bedside. At the end of each day, they answer the following three tips:

1. "Today was a success because..."After writing the above post, list 1-3 bulleted things you are proud of. Recognizing your small victories will help you stay focused on the process and stay motivated (even if the external results haven't arrived yet).

1. "Today I am thankful for..."A pro tip here is to write out WHY you are grateful for each item on the list. For example, if you say you are grateful to your partner today, write down the specific reason. This way you will avoid writing the same things every day.

1. "Today I found out that..."When we stumble, it's easy to beat ourselves up and decide we don't have enough willpower. This only leads to a spiral of shame and bad behavior. Instead, focus on what you need to change in your environment or process to encourage the desired behavior tomorrow. You can also write a reminder of something you tried and it worked for you to remember in the future.

Under the influence of criticism, the wrong choice can turn into a wave of unhealthy behavior.

We assume that since we drink, we might as well go crazy.

On the other hand, if we have a loving relationship with ourselves, we can indulge from time to time and then get back on track. Keeping a journal helps to nurture these kinds of relationships.

Now it's your turn

What if you could use this wedding as an opportunity to get in shape once and for all?

Well, it is quite possible as long as you go through the above habits step by step.

After 8 weeks, you will not only weigh 10 kilograms less than you do now, but you will also be a different person. And this is the best gift you can give your partner and your family.

If you don't mind, here's what I want you to do now:

1. Print out the habit diary below and start with Week 1.

2. I would like you to write down your weight each day and indicate whether you are meeting the habit of the day.

3. If there are habits you are already practicing consistently, you can skip that week and move on to the next habit. Make sure you do it 100% of the time.

4. If you are missing a habit, adjust your approach or consciously let go. DO NOT add a new habit if the old one is still unstable.

5. Enjoy the process and remember why you started.

So now you know what the 8 Habits are and you know how to introduce them into your life one by one.

Our customers track their daily habits in a one-page printable checklist. This way, they can give each other positive reinforcement and focus on the weight loss process instead of being attached to short-term results.

If you would like to receive a copy of the tracker, please enter your email address below and we will send it to you right away.