As a gym instructor, over the last five years I have seen many people try to lose weight. Most pick up the latest celebrity diet plan or try to lose weight quickly for a special event such as a wedding and as a result of their need for a 'quick fix' gimmick, they fail.
Today I bring you 5 favorite, tried and tested weight loss strategies which, if used correctly, will help even the most stubborn body to drop a dress size in no time at all.
* To start the ball rolling in the right direction you need to work out your current daily calories and chop it down. Not drastically, but sufficiently so you notice a difference in the amount of food that you eat. Dropping by 10% to 15% is fine, but nothing more than that at the beginning.
* Secondly, protein has less impact on fat storage than carbs or fats so if you fancy a snack, protein up.
* Losing weight takes willpower. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't help yourself out whenever you can with a little unfair trick or two. You are easily more vulnerable to a fatty snack when you are halfway through a monster shift at your job and do not have any convenient tasty healthy food at hand. Take three-to-four small snack tubs in your back pack with you to work each day. Pack them with a protein rich snack. The calories won't be very high given the size of the actual tub, but the protein will fend off all hunger and have far less impact on your body's fat storage systems than a chocolate bar. Plus you'll actually feel better.
* Rule number four is simple yet so many people get this wrong it's unbelievable. How many women do you know who have cut down on carbs in order to lose weight? Probably tons. And why do they always hit a brick wall and find it impossible to lose weight just a couple of weeks in? Because they do not increase their protein intake as they drop carbs. You must do this, otherwise your body resorts to burning muscle and keeping fat.
* Taking a day off at the end of each week, or two weeks if you are particularly focused, is a massive plus for anyone in their quest to diet effectively for the long-term. Remember these tips are not about a ridiculous quick fix but will actually help you to change your life, so anything which helps you to prolong the effort is a great thing.
First of all your body will react well to suddenly having a completely different day in its schedule. You will also end the risk that if you ever need to eat junk food your body won't start reacting negatively because you have avoided it for years.
The fact is that day off gives you something to aim for during a tough week, too. If you are new to weight loss and are struggling to get through a difficult, testing week sometimes just having that light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to is more than enough to help you stay on track to reach your goals.
No matter whether you just want to drop a dress size or if you want to change your life completely, these simple facts are the basis of any successful long-term diet. Not only will you lose weight, but you will lose it quickly because the changes you are making are scientifically backed up without any need for gimmicks or miracle products. Better still, once gone the weight will actually stay off this time.
By Russ Howe
