You’ve seen the teaser ads, “Lose 50 pounds in 5 days!” Some diets claim you can lose a ridiculous amount of weight in a short period of time. But the truth is if you want to sustain weight loss, the “slowly but surely” approach works best. If you gradually shed your pounds while practicing good eating and exercise habits, you will lose the weight for life and get off the diet roller coaster once and for all.

After having a baby, the extra pounds can seem almost impossible to shed with the demands of caring for a little one. So I recommend you set a doable goal like losing 2 pounds a week. In just 5 weeks, you’ll be 10 pounds lighter and well on your way to your pre-pregnancy weight. Losing 2 pounds a week takes discipline but it can be done by following these simple guidelines.

1. Do the math. To lose one pound, you need a 3,500 calorie deficit per week. So to lose 2 pounds a week, you need to cut 7,000 calories, or 1,000 calories a day. This can be done by shaving off 500 calories from your food intake (skip that cookie snack and café mocha) and by exercising. Switching between cardio and strength training on different days, or combining the two, will help you burn 500 calories a day.

2. Put your weight loss goals in your calendar. Start your five week push on a Monday and weigh in. Let’s say you’re 150 pounds. Put the goal weight of 148 in your calendar for the following Monday and so on. Check it off on your calendar as you meet your weekly goals and plan something special for the end of the 5 weeks when you’re 10 pounds lighter.

3. Practice the essentials. There’s really no quick fix or trick to losing weight. Fitness legend Jack La Lanne says it best, “Exercise is king, diet is queen, put them together and you’ve got a kingdom.” Eat healthy and exercise every day and the weight will come off.

Today’s Action Step: Are you ready to lose 10 pounds in 5 weeks? Put your weight loss goals in the calendar, buy healthy food for your refrigerator and pantry, and start exercising today!  Arlene Pellicane