What’s interesting about weight loss is that many people
think that it’s just a process that begins when you make
changes to lose weight and ends when you’ve lost all the
weight.

However, if you’re not continuing with the changes that
you’ve made, you might find yourself back at the original
weight that you were.  Instead of going up and down on the
scale, here are ten secrets that you can use to keep your
slim figure.

- Weight training works – Studies have shown that people
that have more muscle mass will burn more calories, even at
rest.  Because of this fact, you will want to incorporate
some weight training into you maintenance plan so that as
you increase your calorie intake, you’re able to burn them
off without any gain.

- Food journaling – When you write down what you eat, you
will be able to control the amount of food that you are
eating.  Even if you only write down your food intake for a
few days a week, keeping an eye on how you’re eating can
help alert you of problems before they become pounds.

- Daily exercise – When you want to keep the weight off,
exercise will need to become a part of your life.  However,
this doesn’t mean that you need to workout for hours each
day.  Try to fit in thirty to sixty minutes of exercise
each day to keep extra weight at bay.

- Allow yourself treats – Life isn’t about deprivation, so
neither should your new figure.  When you’ve lost weight,
you have learned about how much you needed to eat in order
to cut back on calories.  Once you’ve learned this, you can
also learn to have a treat every now and then, enjoying it
instead of overindulging in it.

- Look at making changes rather than dieting – When you’re
looking to lose weight, the ‘sprint’ approach isn’t going
to be a long term fix.  You need to permanently change your
eating habits in order to ensure that your weight stays at
its new position.

- Learn to make favorite recipes healthier – If you have a
favorite cheesecake recipe; why not learn how to make it
lower in fat and sugar?  This way, you can still enjoy the
foods you love.

- Get support – You don’t have to join a weight loss club
to do this, but telling your friends and family about your
goals can help to get everyone into supporting your
efforts.  When you do this, people will start to recognize
that family gatherings should have healthy options as well
as not always revolve around food.

- Keep the stress away – Many people eat when they are
stressed, but when you’ve lost weight, you want to avoid
this kind of trigger.  Instead, figure out ways that help
you deal with stress.  What can you do instead of eating to
help calm down and relax?

- Watch your weight – Studies have shown that those that
regularly monitor their weight tend to keep off weight
better than those that don’t.  You don’t have to get on the
scale every day, but weighing in once a week can help alert
you to when you might need to rethink that second slice of
pie.

- Recognize a slip up and forgive yourself – When you start
to get angry about mistakes, you can backslide into old
eating habits.  You will have times when eating right will
be more difficult, but you will persevere. Remeber that eating is
80% of the solution to losing weight!

Acknowledge that you made a poor eating choice (or several)
and then forgive yourself and eat better at the next meal.
There’s no need to punish your self.

Keeping the weight off can actually be more difficult than
losing it in the first place, but when you’re committed to
keeping trim, these tips will make sure that you do.

About the Author:

Lynn VanDyke has authored the wildly popular ebook, Melt the Fat. It is yielded as one of the
best fitness and nutrition ebooks available.

This probably isn’t the first time you have started reading a weight loss article with the hopes of finding a new training idea or totally secret fat busting strategy. I can sympathize. I’ve seen clients spend months on routines and techniques that were just the flavor of the month that got some press. Its alright though, your about to learn some real solid advice that’s free of charge and will serve you well on your quest to getting in shape.

The first secret of getting in shape and losing some weight is to make sure you know what you are doing! Make sure you have the proper information that you need to help speed you toward your specific goal. Make sure you know how to eat properly and train correctly to get that result you desire. Power lifters eat and train differently than fitness models and you should know the differences. The best way to acquire this knowledge is through articles like this as well as mimicking. Find an expert in the area you wish to excel in and then follow their advice. While this can back fire sometimes, it is still the surest bet to success.

The second step to success on your weight loss journey is to make sure you can quantify your success. In other words, know when you have achieved your weight loss goal. Make sure you can measure it! Then once you know your weight loss goal and how to measure it, you need to make a map to getting there.

If you have a child, then you know the importance of directions and sticking to a plan. If you are walking to the store that is 10 minutes down the road, this trip could easily turn into an hour if you didn’t step in with directions every now and then. You can picture it cant you? Walking along, then there is a butterfly, then a cool rock and look, a swing set! Sometimes to get things done in an efficient manner, you need to know what you are trying to accomplish and how you plan to get there. If you don’t, it could take you forever.

In the number three spot of weight loss secrets, we have self-confidence and belief. Go ahead and tell me you can’t lose weight. Go ahead! Done? Good, now this is where I tell you that you are absolutely correct. Shocking isn’t it? Cant is a word that makes you sit there defeated. Nothing gets done in a defeated state! Its actually better to get angry than defeated, because then at least you are spurred to action. Trying is better than “Canting”. Here is the big mind smack though; belief is so strong that hypnotized people that have an ice cube put on them but are told that it is a hot coal, will develop a blister.

Sometimes you just have to fake it until you make it. Fake that you believe in yourself until the concept doesn’t seem so foreign that maybe it will become true for you. The fact of the matter is that you should believe in yourself because with proper knowledge and dedication, everyone can achieve their weight loss goals.

If you have been reading this far then the number four secret of weight loss success is very, very important. Are you ready for it? Here it is; Stop listening to every piece of advice you get! This seems kind of ironic since here I am giving you more advice, but it is still true. Nothing can short circuit your forward momentum like a piece of advice that is the opposite of what you have been doing. It rocks your world! This can be good if you were just shooting in the dark hoping for the best, but if you have a solid weight loss plan that you were given by a solid source and then get messed up by Joe the local gym expert, you’re sunk. Make sure that you are confident in your information source right from the beginning and then resolve to stick with that information. A lot of different methods will work to achieve weight loss, but these methods usually work as a system. Therefore, if you jump from system to system, you will not get the benefits from any given weight loss system.

We are almost at the end of our weight loss secrets for today. Of course there are more weight loss tips and tricks, but five is about right for a weight loss knowledge snack. So onto the number five secret to losing weight; Don’t overdo it. Simple huh? Think about the number of times you have started off with both guns blazing and then ran out of ammunition. I know, I do this for a living. What happens is that most people figure they are going to lose 30 pounds in 30 days and they are going to kick butt to do it. So they start off all fired up, get real sore, their immune system crashes, they get sick and then they give up. Wow, that was like I had a camera following you, scary. Its just that it happens to a lot of weight loss hopefuls.

So how do you avoid revving the engine and running out of gas? You avoid rapid starts and stops. Ease onto the gas, and maintain steady pressure. You only need to do resistance training a couple of times a week along with 3-4 cardio sessions to realize your weight loss success. Don’t rush the cookies! You can’t crank the stove to 600 degrees and get home made cookies in 3 minutes. They will burn. You’ll burn out too if you rush your way to losing weight.

Here is the recap to weight loss success. Get the information you need to achieve your desired goal that you have picked out. Make a plan with success markers along the way and believe every step of the way that you are going to lose the weight this time. Fake it until you make it. Never let anyone shake you confidence with bogus advice and remember to slow bake your cookies!
 

I don’t make a lot of money, but I am needing help with my weight loss.  I’ve already lost 120 pounds last year and initially it was near 150 pounds, but gained a little.  I am frustrated with how things are going now because I can’t seem to get my body to lose weight.  I am in the 220-230 range and used to weigh 350 pounds.

 
 I do look different, but not happy still being a plus size, albeit, I look totally different.  I still have weight to lose and need help and motivation.  I keep waiting for something that’s not happening.  I had gone on a liquid protein diet for a year or over a year and didn’t eat solid food.  In that year I lost a lot of weight and also exercised vigorously. 

 
Now, I want the physique of a bodybuilder, but don’t know how to get it.  Don’t really know what to do or if it’s possible.  When I step out of the shower, I am reminded of my weight loss and how much I still want to lose.  I want to get that giggly stuff off of me and be the size I know is under there.  Can you help me? 

 
I saw that your ebook FAT TO FIT is 35 dollars, but how much is it to get the help being a supporter and a personal trainer?  I just don’t have a lot of money to work with.  All I know is that I didn’t come this far to be a borderline plus size.  What really hurt was gaining a little back and that was because I backed off of exercise initially.

 
 I’m back at it again, but I’m not totally committed and consistent. I want to work with weights, but feel intimidated in the gym, seeing strange people and a room full of equipment that I don’t know completely how to use.  I want to have the physique of a bodybuilder – a female feminine bodybuilder, not a man-ish looking woman at all.  My arms are still fat (my uppers) and well, I carried a lot of weight for a long time, but things seemed to go back into place, just a flabby mess and still got 50-70 pounds to lose.  It’s hard to face, but I’ve faced it- it hurts, but I’m not done losing weight.  If I had not backed off the exercise, I would no doubt have already reached my goal weight of 150 pounds.  I need so desperately to get there because that is where I know the true me really is. 

 
Even though I’ve been complimented and told I’m pretty and look so good now, I’m not happy with this result.  I know I need to lose more.  I want a flat stomach and the things I was cheated out of physically, like having a slender body.  I know it will take work and I’m ready for it, but I realized that having guidance and motivation from someone knowledgeable would certainly rekindle that fire within that enabled me to keep the determination to lose all that weight, in light of the severe difficulties that I had to overcome.  Is it possible to achieve what I’m wanting?  Thank you in advance of your reply,

 
Sincerely, Heidi

 
Answer: It is always possible to achieve a goal. Some goals take longer than others to achieve that’s all. You have already lost 120 pounds, that means you know you can do it. Now you just need to lose another 80 and you will have achieved your goal.

 
I can tell you one thing for certain. The next eighty will be easier if you are not on an all liquid protein diet. This is a terrible way to struggle through weight loss. My hat goes off to you for how hard that must have been. To tell you the truth, it’s a miracle you didn’t give up sooner.

 
I had to say that because if you want to do it properly with out the torture, you can eat good meals, work out normally and still lose 2 pounds a week. This means that if you start now, in ten months or August 5^th 2007, you will be 150 pounds. That is the honest to goodness truth. There is no reason under the sun that I know of that can keep you from this goal other than you simply not trying or not having the proper information.

 
You asked about the cost of the extra support from a personal trainer. There is none. As long as you are willing to wait a day or two for me to get through questions from other people, I will answer your question. Its free because this is what I do. People buy my book and then I walk them through it. There may be a day when I cant keep up with the mail, but I will let everyone know that now it may take a week or two for me to get back to them. That’s all.

 
I hope this helps you Heidi. Follow your dreams and know that making a choice involves taking action. Let me know if I can help further.

Ray Burton www.FatToFitBook.com