Everybody wants to shed a lot of weight quickly. But why not aim to achieve a reasonable weight loss target, like dropping 10 pounds in 21 days, and be completely honest with ourselves about it? I used the phrase "realistic goal" since it is doable with the right weight loss regimen.
21-Day Weight Loss Program
Now this weight loss program is simple, easy to understand, and surprisingly effective if followed precisely. So let’s see what is the menu for one day, and how you can scale it up for 21 days.
Breakfast
The first thing you need to do in the morning (after visiting your bathroom) is eating a healthy fat and fiber breakfast, such as two slices of avocado toast. Use whole wheat bread for your toast.
Post-Breakfast
After about an hour of serving your breakfast you need to drink a cup of oolong tea. This is one of the most weight loss friendly tea. But never drink it on an empty stomach, unless you want some gastrointestinal discomfort.
Morning Snack
Get your serving of fruit at about two hours before lunch. It can be an apple, a medium banana, a peach, or a half cup of berries. You can choose almost any kind of fruit you want, but keep in mind the following tips:
- watery fruits such as apples and citrus fruits contain less calories;
- one portion is always a medium fruit;
- for berries and other small fruits you can have 1/2 cup.
Lunch + Dinner
Now the foods you’ll have for lunch are interchangeable with those for dinner, so feel free to choose and combine them however you want. Here are the foods you can have for lunch AND dinner, so split them carefully:
- 1/2 cup beans or legumes such as: lentils, edamame, kidney beans, white or black beans, garbanzo, pinto, adzuki, navy or lima;
- 2 tbsp seeds such as chia, flax, pumpkin or hemp seeds;
- 2 tbsp olive oil;
- 1 egg or 150g lean meat such as poultry, fish and red meat (meat only 2 times a week);
- unlimited nonstarchy vegetables such as: mushroom, onion, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, celery, pepper, radish, artichoke, Brussels sprouts, spinach, pea pods, kale, cauliflower, etc.
- 1 glass low fat milk, or a low fat Greek yogurt, or 2 slices of cheese (dairy only 2 times a week).
You can’t have egg and meat at the same time, so each day you have to choose one of them. Also, try to limit lean meat to 2-3 days a week. The same goes with dairies; limit them to 2 portions per week.
Post-Lunch
Drink another cup of oolong tea about an hour after lunch.
Afternoon Snack
Three hours after having your lunch you can eat again a serving of fruit, similar to your morning snack. You can add to this snack any nonstarchy vegetables from the list above.
Evening Snack
If you’re hungry after dinner, you can get a handful of nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pistachios. Or you can opt for a tablespoon of peanut butter, but without bread – just a spoon of peanut butter.
This is the weight loss program for one day. As you can see, there are lots of options and you have the freedom to choose between them. So make use of this freedom and try to create your own menu for 7 days, then repeat it until you reach your desired weight.
Keep the oolong tea in your daily menu and change the other meals according to the instructions. This way each day will have a different menu, just like at the restaurant. Remember that it’s important to mix things up and avoid having the same menu every day.
What To Avoid
For better results you should totally eliminate the following foods from your diet:
- processed foods (any store brought foods that are not in their natural form);
- alcohol and soda drinks (the only liquids you can drink are water and oolong tea);
- sugary foods (if you precisely follow the menu above you won’t have sweets at all).
Now you know what you need to eat and what to avoid to lose 10 pounds in 21 days. But that’s not enough!
You don’t want to lose weight without strengthening and toning your muscles. That’s not healthy! So let’s talk about the kind of workout required by this weight loss program for optimum results.
Simple Workouts For Weight Loss
Pick one of the following workouts and do it every day. When you’re bored, switch to a new routine and continue your weight loss journey. Here are the workouts:
1. “Run, Forest, Run” Workout
Just do a 30-minute run (on a treadmill, in the park, anywhere you’d like).
2. Brisk Walking
Get a full hour of walk every day (again, wherever you feel like going to).
3. Bodyweight Workout
This is a simple workout you can do in your room. Perform 6 sets of 20 squats + 25 jumping jacks + 20 push ups + 40 seconds plank + 15 burpees.
4. “Corner” Workout
The “corner” workout can be perform anywhere because it doesn’t take any extra space. So go ahead and finish 4 sets of 3 minutes running in place + 1 minute squats (or any other exercise of your choice) + 3 minutes running in place.
5. Weightlifting Workout
Do about 30 minutes of weightlifting exercises such as:
- Bent-over barbell row;
- Goblet squat with a dumbbell/kettlebell;
- Deadlift;
- Reverse lunge and press;
- Overhead press;
- Dumbbell curl;
- …and so on.
As you can see, these workouts are designed for anyone regardless your fitness level.
Now this weight loss program is complete and you can start your journey towards a better you. Losing 10 pounds in 21 days has never been so easy!
On the next page you’ll get a checklist with all the things you need to eat, avoid and do every day to successfully lose 10 pounds in a 3-week period.
Daily Checklist
Here is your checklist for each day of this weight loss program:
Eat:
- 2 cups oolong tea;
- 1/2 avocado;
- 3 servings of protein;
- unlimited nonstarchy vegetables;
- 2 tbsp olive oil;
- 2 servings of fruit;
- a handful of nuts.
Do:
- 30-minute exercise.
Avoid:
- alcohol;
- processed foods;
- soda;
- sweets;
- fatty foods.
Keep completing this checklist every day and you’ll get closer and closer to your weight loss goal. This is a realistic weight loss program that can help you lose 10 pounds in 21 days, but you have to follow it precisely. Good luck!
