3 Diet Hacks to Help You Lose 10 Pounds in 21 Days

Weight loss doesn’t have to be a slow process that takes months on end of bland foods and long, boring workouts. 

The weight loss tips in this article are supported by scientific research and don’t require you to buy anything, starve yourself, or do anything that’s dangerous or downright silly. All you have to do is make a few changes to the way you exercise and eat.

1. Stop Doing Hours of Slow, Boring Cardio

Forget about spending hours every day on the treadmill to burn calories. Doing this doesn’t work. Walking at a moderate (brisk) pace will only burn about 295 calories an hour. Do this every day for a week and you won’t lose a pound. The better way to exercise for weight and fat loss is to do interval style resistance training workouts .

When you workout this way your body will continue to burn calories from your stored body fat for up to 36 hours post-workout. This means you’ll continue to lose weight after your workout is done. These workouts will help you build muscle too which will have you looking better when the weight you want to lose is off.

When you train this way the key is to choose exercises that train several muscle groups (squats, push ups, pull ups, shoulder presses, etc.). This will make the workout more challenging and burn more calories. Select 4-5 exercises so ensure all of your major muscle groups are being trained. This can include: squats (legs), push ups (chest/shoulders/arms), pull ups (back/biceps), and military press (shoulders).

You’ll perform each exercise one after the other with no rest between sets. Only rest after you’ve performed the last exercise of the circuit. Rest as little as possible between circuits. Do 8-10 reps per set and repeat 3-5 times every workout.

Here’s a circuit workout that can be done with a dumbbell or kettlebell.

1. Two Handed Swings
2. Standing Shoulder Press
3. Squats
4. 1 Arm Rows

Below is a sample body weight exercise circuit training workout for fat loss.

1. Squats
2. Push Ups
3. Bur pees
4. Pull Ups

If you are just getting started or back into a workout routine give yourself a chance to get used to the intensity of these workouts. Rest as long as you have to between circuits and do as many reps as you can with 10 per exercise being your goal.  

2. Cut the Carbs

This is probably the most important tip to follow. It alone can help you lose 10 or more pounds in 21 days. Eating a low carbohydrate diet turns on the fat loss switch in your body and by getting it to use your stored body fat as energy. You’ll also lose excess water weight too. Best of all you don’t have to obsess over calories or reading labels.

The foods you need to really limit for the next 21 days include processed carbohydrates (bread, cookies, pasta, rice) and simple sugars (candy, fruit juice, and soda). You can pretty much each all of the vegetables you like. Fruits in small amounts are okay too. All in all, your daily carbohydrate quota should not exceed 75 grams. Don’t worry about counting carbohydrates excessively or reading the label for every food you eat. Instead follow this simple tip, if it’s white or comes in a bag or box don’t eat it and you’re most likely eating the right amount. If you do want to count carbohydrates, use one of the many websites or apps that does the counting for you. I recommend reading this Lifehack article for more great tips to eliminate grains from your diet.

In addition to limiting certain types of carbohydrates, the next thing you need to make sure of is that you eat plenty of protein and healthy fats. High protein foods you should eat at every meal include eggs, fish, pork, and red meat. You do not have to count grams of protein either. Just make sure the protein you eat is about the size of the palm of your hand at every meal and you’ll be on track to get enough every day. Last but not least, eat plenty of fat at every meal. You’ll stay full longer between meals. Fat also makes your food taste better too. Limit corn and other vegetable oils and instead make sure you get your fat from avocados, coconut, and olive oil. Almonds and macadamia nuts are also good sources of healthy fats.

3. Ditch Diet Soda and Drink Lemon Water Instead

I know, diet sodas don’t have calories and taste good. The way their bubbles make your mouth tingle feels great too. Unfortunately, they can kill your weight loss progress. Studies show that drinking diet soda can actually make you eat more and gain weight. Scientists believe this is because the artificial sweeteners in these drinks send signals to your brain that make you want to eat, even if you’re not hungry.

Instead of drinking diet soda I suggest you drink cold lemon water. Doing so has many benefits. You’ll feel full longer between meals and because of the lemon juice in the water you’re body will digest food slower and can even help keep your energy levels stable. One study shows drinking cold water can help you burn more calories too.

Drinking your water before you eat may also help you eat less at every meal.