20 Secrets to Losing Weight for Life

When looking to lose weight you need to be thinking about your long term health, not just short term. Your weight should be something that you maintain throughout your life, not just a priority when a summer or a wedding comes along. I hear so many people say each year that they want to get that perfect bikini body or they have a new resolution to finally drop those stubborn kilos.

Just like anything in life, one of the key ingredients to be successful is to be consistant. Imagine how much better you would feel is you happy with your weight all year round, every year. Once you turn your body into fat melting machine 24/7, it is much easy to maintain that weight. When you do have those blow outs the impact is much less than when your overweight and your metabolism is slow.

Trust me, anyone who is there knows how good it is to be there. Start to build these 20 habits into your lifestyle and you will quickly begin to enjoy the benefits on the path to losing weight for life.

1/ Take it slow

If you want to lose weight at a healthy rate, aim to shed 1/2-1kg per week. This way you can be sure the loss comes from fat and not muscle. To do this long term, get stuck into a healthy eating plan coupled with regular exercise.

2/ Set "SMARTER" goals

To lose weight you must have a clear end goal in mind along with smaller goals to that will take you step by step to your final destination. Setting "Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-framed, Exciting and Recorded" goals will make you more likely to succeed. It beats "turning up to the gym and seeing how you go" each time.

3/ Get a calorie counter

If you really want to lose weight, counting calories is your best plan of attack. Your daily calorie intake will be different to everyone based on your weight, height and age.

4/ Watch out for fat

They're really tasty, but fatty foods as more twice as calorific as other foods (dietary fat contains nine calories per gram compared with carbs and protein, both of which contain just four grams). Choose foods that contain "good fats" such as nuts, seeds and avocado but be sure to limit your portion sizes.

5/ Pump weights

Want to burn more fat? One of the very best ways is through weight training as it kick-starts your metabolism and burns energy as you train, as well as for hours afterwards. The more lean muscle you build, the more you can eat.

6/ Welcome winter

For you to lose weight for life it's important to train through winter. Lets face it, if you are blessed like myself to live in this wonderful sunshine state of Queensland, Australia then you really can't pull the winter card. Just because it’s a little cooler during July/ August doesn't mean it should disrupt your fitness routine.

The air con at the gym is the same temp all year round, the swimming pools are heated and it’s much nicer going for a run now at this time of year. Beats Canberra where I'm from, which is absolutely freezing all day long! If your not fortunate enough to live somewhere warm then there are plenty of indoor options available.

7/ Eat smaller meals more often

Eating 5-6 meals per day, every 2-3 hours is a major factor in losing weight. Every time you eat it boosts your metabolism by 10%. Missing meals slows it down leading you to store more body fat.

8/ Find a buddy

One of the reasons you did so much sport as a teenager was the sociability of team sports! Why not sign up to play your favourite sport again, try a new class or find a friend to come to the gym with. This can be a great way to keep you motivated and help you to lose weight!

9/ Embrace the burn

Interval training helps build stamina and incinerates calories. It involves short bursts of near maximum intensity followed by longer bouts at a steady pace. Try running full pelt for 30 seconds then jogging for two minutes. Repeat 8-10 times.

10/ Make time for breakfast

Eat breakfast and you will burn an average of 150 more calories throughout the day. How good is that! For you to start losing weight you need to be doing this. You will actually have more, longer lasting energy, as long as you choose low GI food options, getting up 30 minutes earlier for a healthy breakfast than having that sleep in and skipping the most important meal of the day!

11/ Get moving

Studies have shown that those who “fidget” for example, get up out their seat to turn off the TV as opposed to use the remote burn up to a massive extra 800 calories per day. Get moving and start losing weight in no time.

12/ Slow down, speed kills

When lifting weights you will benefit much more from slow controlled reps rather than super fast ones. Give it a try during your next workout, you’ll notice a difference.

13/ Get the water into you

You won't be losing weight unless you drink enough water, it's an essential nutrient your body needs to make it happen. It’s recommended you have at least 2 litres per day and 1 litre for every hour of exercise. Also be sure to sip before and during exercise to avoid that dreaded tummy ache.

14/ Mix things up

Perhaps try some new exercises, change your reps up or your speed, a different cardio machine or class. You’ll keep you body guessing, thus forcing it to adapt, grow and start to lose weight.

15/ Pack your lunch

Why not turn back the clock to your school days and pack your lunch. One thing that makes life easier is to prepare meals to last the week. Do this on Sunday or when you have free time. Not only will you eat better but you should also save money avoiding the take away.

16/ Super foods for a super you

The less processed food is for you, generally the better it is. Some great “super foods” to get into your diet are sweet potatoes, fresh salmon, citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables. This is massive. When I lost 12kg in 10 weeks all I ate was super foods. You too will can start to lose weight very quickly if you go hard at this.

17/ Time your workouts

If you’re into lifting weights, limit yourself to 45 minutes to 1 hour. Any longer and your can start using muscle as fuel, not cool. You can do cardio for as long as you like as long as you topping up your energy stores every 45 minutes.

18/ Work your whole body

You may be keen to get that dream six-pack. The quickest way is to work the whole body. This is because body fat comes off in layers. This means just doing abs won’t do the job. You’ll raise your metabolism for hours afterwards, burning more calories-even while you sleep!

19/ Live by the 80/20 rule

This means 80% good, 20% not so good. If you can do this you should be fit and healthy for life. It also makes you more likely to stick to a healthy lifestyle as you’re not totally depriving yourself. Like most people, the killer is probably your weekends. Finding a balance is essential for your body to lose weight. Making healthier choices help to minimise any blow outs and keep on track.

20/ Just work hard

The last essential ingredient in lossing weight is just plain old fashioned hard work. Anything worth while must be achieved by hard work. Sure it’s much easier to cruise along but chances are you won’t be rewarded with a body your happy with. Think of something you have worked hard for and the sense of accomplishment. It’s worth the effort because once you get there it's much easy to maintain.

Live to 100!