Free Weight Loss Tips

Some weight loss tips that will help you lose weight – they may seem pretty obvious, but we don’t always remember them!

1. Set achievable goals

Work out how much you need to lose, by when (if you have a deadline). There are charts available online to help you work out your ideal weight for your gender and height, which can be used as a guideline when setting your goal.

2. Be realistic

You’re not going to lose 20 pounds in 5 days – not without needing hospitalisation – and steady weight loss is easier to maintain too.

3. Make a reward chart

Yep – if it worked for mum, it will work for you too! Whatever changes you have to make to your routine – like eating 5 times a day instead of 2 or 3, exercising for 15 minutes a day – put it on the chart. Leave a column for weight and measurements after the recommended time period, and decide when you’re going to claim your rewards.

A small reward half way through each period, leading up to the big reward when you reach your goal can work, or, like a friend of mine, make the big reward two months AFTER you’ve reached your goal weight – and maintained it for two months!

4. Get help

Even the diets we reviewed, as easy as they seem, are not going to be easy to keep to all the time. There will be times when you need some moral support, a little push in the right direction and sometimes a shove to get back on track.

Whether you diet with a friend (sometimes a little friendly competition is a good thing), or chat in the many online weight loss forums – you are not alone! There are literally thousands of people out there battling with weight loss, and many of them have just the right message to help you keep going.

5. It takes Discipline

This is where most of us come unstuck. Self-discipline is hard! It’s not easy to always resist temptation, stick to a routine that we’re not used to – even though we know the results will be worth it!

Some tips friends and I have used to help us stay on the ‘straight and slim’ path:

a. Avoid the temptation spots – at least for the first week while your body and mind adjust to the new routine. That means taking the route to work that does not pass that marvellous bakery, crossing the road to avoid the icecream parlour.

b. Sometimes a mental picture of what you’re trying to achieve helps. Whether it’s the bikini body you had 5 years ago, or that divine little dress you haven’t been able to get into for ages – find or take a picture.

Make copies and stick them up at the fridge, on your desk – my friend Michelle keeps hers in her purse, right next to her cash, so when she goes to pay for something, she’s reminded of what she shouldn’t be buying!

c. Write a list of Pros and Cons. The Pros are all the reasons you want to lose weight – sensible, practical reasons, like wanting to be healthier so you can play ball with your kids, fitting into clothes you love, losing post-baby fat, and of course feeling better about yourself. The Cons of losing weight? If you find some please let me know!

Good luck! With a little perseverance, determination and discipline, you’ll get there!