Expert tips for weight loss: Discover the 12 weight loss tips you can actually pull off

There is need for you to see losing weight as a winning battle now. Bellisima spoke with experts and people that have lost weight and kept it off for more than 4 years.

I have compiled their tips and mine to give you a push in weight loss direction. Keep reading to find out what they did and are still doing right.

 

#1Find out your why

Finding out why you want to lose weight and what may stand in your way is the first tip to a healthy and sustained weight loss journey. Finding out your why is very important. That is what will help you build the confidence and strength to keep going even when you want to quit. If your motive for changing your lifestyle is wrong, you will not sustain it.

If you want to lose weight for your wedding, what happens after the wedding?

If it is for your spouse, what if he annoys you

Most people that succeed in losing weight and keeping it off did so because they discovered their why. Rosaline my client for 5yrs told me the first day “I want to be strong, fit and trim for me”. She is still working out and she is trim and strong.

Next find out what may stand in your way. Is it time or money? If it is time realize that there are 24 hours in a day and you have some hours free in that 24 hours to take steps that will lead to a trimmer you. When something is important to us we make time for it.

 

#2 Resist fad diet

Do not start your exercise with a fad diet routine. Most people start their exercise program with fad diet because that is what is recommended in the leaflet that comes with the product. Your focus right now should be on building a healthy foundation and learning the basics about how nutrition works and what your body really needs. Fad diet will only take you as far as you use it and will set you up for a crash.

#3 You are unique

Realize that you are unique and beautiful. You are not Jennifer. You are YOU. What works for Jennifer may not work for you.  Using her workout and diet plan because it worked for her might not be the same for you. I am not a fan of the “one size fits all” group. Find a personal trainer and nutrition expert to help you develop a personalized program that works for you. Then, stick to it. When your body gets familiar with it, they will help you vary your program so you keep getting result.

#4 Do not do it alone

This is a good time to get a personal trainer and an exercise buddy that will hold you accountable. Find a gym near you and register for group exercise. Groups are powerful motivators.

Every Saturday after our HIIT workout, everyone lines up willingly to weigh in. There is no shame in it. Their goal is to lose 1-2 kg per week. When others are shouting for joy and the scale does not move when you climb on it, it is really thought provoking. It becomes more sobering when  you know deep down that you have not done your part. There is nothing like a dozen excited and happy faces, willing to challenge themselves next week that tells you, you have wasted your time and money for one week. Everyone that has experienced that sober moment sits up and gets the scale moving the next Saturday.

 

#4 Be consistent

You should workout at least 6 times a week for weight loss. Working out for 2 days and taking a self-recommended break for 10 days will not help you in reaching your weight loss goals.

Do cardio 3 times a week

Strength training 2 times a week

Take 1 day to practice yoga or Pilates. You can get a massage and practice relaxation techniques.

Repeat it until it becomes a part of you.

 

# 5 Vary your workout

The same exercise 6 times a week makes working out bland and boring. Imagine taking healthy oats every day for 1 week. You will get upset, just thinking about it.

 

 Vary your workout.

Use gym equipment’s, do the Tabata workout, circuit training, dance aerobics, step aerobics or partner workouts. When your workout is varied it will create a sense of excitement and surprise. Your body will work and be more alert. You will burn more fat because your body will “not zone out”.

#6 Forget about spot reduction

Spot reduction is a myth. You can do crunches till you can’t do one more and not see any change in your abs. Work on your entire body. You need to burn the fat covering your body before your toned muscle will appear.  Include jumping jacks, burpee, planks and pushups in your workout and you will see the fat melt away and the toned body you have always wanted will emerge.

 

#7Hold a position for some seconds

When doing exercises, resist the urge to go as fast as you can. Some exercise like planks, push up and squats are more effective when you hold the position for some seconds. Try holding a plank position in good form for 20 seconds  for 3 reps  twice a day and see the difference in your abs and arm strength in a couple of weeks

 

 

#8 Use slow and controlled movement

When lifting weights you may want to go fast so you can get in as much reps as possible. Fast does not mean effective. As you lift inhale and use 6 seconds to lift your weights, at the top squeeze and hold for 1 second, then use 6 seconds to bring the weights down. Try going fast while doing a bicep curl. You can go for 20 reps without feeling the burn. Now, do it with a slow and controlled movement. Do you feel the difference?

# 9 Do more body weight exercise

The elliptical machine, stationary bike and treadmill are good exercise machines but sometimes you need to use just your own body weight to workout. It may be exhausting but it works fast. When you lunge or squat your whole body works in perfect harmony together for a faster result. A lunge activates and uses your core muscle, your glutes (buttocks), your hamstring and your back. This is a perfect example of “no muscle left behind”. They all work together to give you stability and in the process they get a workout.

# 10 Get out of bed

This is one major thing that experts agree keep you from working out- Getting up and moving.  A client once told me waking up early is not her problem. Her problem is that she keeps hitting the snooze button every 10 minutes for 1 hour. She is not getting any sleep and she is not getting any exercise. She even uses some of the 1hour to check what happened on social media while she was asleep and from there she starts chatting.

• I advised her to keep her alarm a few steps away from her bed, so she will get up to get to press the snooze button
• I also advised her to keep her workout stuff beside the alarm preferably on the right side
• To keep a motivational fitness picture and quote where it will stare at her any time she attempts to press the snooze button

It worked for her.  You can try it, if getting out of bed is a problem for you and see what will happen.

 

# 11 Watch what you eat

Working out and not eating a healthy meal and snacks is like pouring water into a basket. The basket will not hold the water. For you to lose weight you must educate and reeducate yourself on nutrition. Eat more whole foods. That means more fruits and vegetables, black beans,

pinto beans, black eyed beans, potato, oats, rice, chicken and fish.

Eat foods that are as close to the way nature made them as possible. Processed food should not be a constant feature in your meals. Embrace your kitchen.

You do not have to give up on your favorite food.  There is way to make it healthier. If you like pasta, cook a handful of pasta and mix it with vegetable stir fry. This will greatly reduce the amount of processed carb you eat. Try cutting up vegetables and keeping them in separate bags in the fridge. Stir fry them and mix with potato or rice. You can also use them as salad. Pure unbleached whole wheat flour can be used to make bread for sandwiches.

 

#12 Do not buy oversized clothes.

Do you ask your designer to give some allowance by the side of your clothes to make room for increase? This should not be. It tells your body that you are preparing for increase. If you diligently prepare for putting on weight you may eventually get it.

The same thing applies when you go shopping for clothes. Do not buy size 12 when you are still size 10. Anytime you notice your clothes are getting tighter or you are still struggling while sucking in your tummy to close your jean button, do something immediately. Go for a run, register in a gym, and clean up any junk in your fridge.

“It is better to kick out fat when it has one leg in your door than when it is sitting in your living room”. Nkeoma DND Agu

 

The most important expert tip from me – The tips you can make a lifestyle are the ones that will work for. Go through the tips again then write down the 12 tips. Mark the ones that speak to you and start off with them.

Gradually add more tips. Remember to write down your progress in a fitness diary. This will help you to focus on your goals and provide a guide to help you know when you are moving in line with your weight loss goals.