There’s a right way and a wrong way to lose 10 pounds.

If you want to lose 10 pounds, don’t start a detox diet, Dr. Brian Ingold of Novant Health Arboretum Family & Sports Medicine - Charlotte said. Instead, start with “getting the foundational stuff right.”

We all know, a quick “fix” doesn’t really fix anything. Sure, a lot of us can lose 10 pounds with drastic steps. But it won’t last and those pounds will march right back on.

Let’s unpack a plan for success.

Step one for weight loss: Get in the right frame of mind.

Before beginning weight loss efforts, make sure that your doctor agrees that you need to lose weight.

Then, get in the right mindset. As a culture, we talk about losing weight because it’s easy to measure, Ingold said, “But what we all really want is body composition improvement: Less fat mass and more muscle mass as a percentage of our overall weight.”

If you focus solely on reducing the number on the scale, you can inadvertently break down muscle and muscle tissue along the way. So it’s important that you broaden your goal. You aren’t just going to lose weight; you’re going to change your body composition.

Think of it not as “losing weight,” but “getting stronger.”

Step two for weight loss: Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition.

After getting your mindset right, nutrition needs to be your No. 1 focus, Ingold said.

But it doesn’t have to feel punishing.

Instead of telling patients what not to eat, Ingold gives patients a daily protein and fiber target, “because protein and fiber keep you full and satisfied for a long time,” Ingold said. That feeling is called “satiety,” and it’s critically important to weight loss efforts.

Think about it: If you’re constantly hungry, it will be tough to stick to a weight-loss plan. “But if you sit down with a large chicken or seafood entree and eat all your protein first, by the time you get to the side dishes, you’re probably going to start filling up,” Ingold said. Similarly, fiber is also filling, and focusing on fiber means you’re going to eat more fruits and vegetables, which are lower in calories.

At its most basic level, weight loss happens when your body burns more calories than it takes in, creating a “calorie deficit.”

Building your diet around fiber and protein goals can help create the calorie deficit you’ll need to lose weight while keeping you satisfied. With this plan, you also won’t need to obsessively calorie count. This can help you mentally, since focusing on what to eat can feel more empowering than focusing on what not to eat.

Ingold suggests a protein goal of 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal body weight (this is a medical calculation based on height that can be calculated here. Input your sex, height in inches and actual body weight. If it gives you one number, that’s your protein target; if it gives you two numbers, eat between those. For example, a 71 inch man who weighs 170 pounds should aim for between 166-168 grams of protein per day during weight loss.

Based on national nutritional guidelines, Ingold recommends the following protein goals.

Protein guidelines for males:

• Age 19 to 50 years old: 38 grams per day
• Age 50+: at least 30 grams daily

Protein guidelines for females:

• Age 19 to 50 years old: 25 grams per day
• Age 50+: more than 20 grams per day.

To hit these targets, you’ll want to make sure every meal and snack incorporates both protein and fiber. Also, be sure to talk with your doctor to make sure they’re on board with your eating plan.

Bonus: your body works harder to process protein when compared to fat and carbohydrates, Ingold said, which means your body will burn more calories consuming a protein-rich diet. Additionally, protein helps you build muscle. Which leads to our next point.

Step three for weight loss: Get exercising. Include strength training.

You may have heard the saying, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” This is true, Ingold said: “Weight loss is not as responsive to exercise as we would like.”

However, that doesn’t mean that exercise isn’t important. When you exercise, you burn more calories than you would at rest, so exercising will help you build a calorie deficit.

Generally, “cardio” exercises like walking, running, biking, swimming, playing tennis or pickleball, or taking group fitness classes like Zumba or line dancing will help you create the biggest calorie deficit. Walking is an exceptional tool.

But you don’t just want to lose weight; you also want to get stronger — so you’ll need to do strength training.

At least twice a week, focus on all the major muscle groups using weight machines, free weights, resistance bands, or even your own body weight. It doesn’t have to take hours; you can get through a full-body circuit in approximately 20 to 30 minutes, doing repetitions until they are challenging. Building muscle will also help your body burn more calories.

We made a quiz to help you get familiar with the exercise recommendations. Remember that exercise doesn’t just help you physically; it also helps improve your sleep and lower your stress levels.

Step four for weight loss: Repeat steps 1-3. Keep at it.

Influencers may suggest you can lose weight quickly through detoxes, juice cleanses, purchasing the right supplement, using compounded GLP-1 drugs, using laxatives, or even rubbing your face with a stone — basically, anything but focusing on mindset, nutrition and exercise.

That’s because the basics we just outlined can be “difficult, take more effort and are time consuming,” Ingold said. “It’s natural that we’re constantly searching for something easier.”

Though intriguing, a lot of the tips you may see online “are essentially vibe things” and won’t help you lose weight or get healthier, Ingold said. Some may even be harmful.

Instead, stick to steps 1-3 here. They’re time-tested and proven to work.

And as these steps become easier, work on getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night and better managing your stress, which can help you with weight loss efforts as well. If these are difficult and you need more support, talk to your doctor or make an appointment with one of Novant Health’s registered dietitians.

None of this is a “quick fix.” But as the fable of the tortoise and the hare reminds us, slow and steady wins the race.