I understand struggling with weight loss and diet. There was a time when I allowed myself to balloon to 195 lbs which for me was an excessive weight. Generally gaining weight came from depression, lack of motivation, poor eating habits and a lack of consistency with my exercise routines. But over the course of the last ten years, through many different trial and errors, I am in my late 30’s and in better physical shape than I was at 21. But what I’ve learned about myself is that exercise and nutrition is only half the battle when it comes to reaching your weight loss goals.

1. MENTAL ATTITUDE

In order to accomplish any weight loss goal you must first believe you can make it happen. It’s so easy to tell yourself that losing weight is too hard or that you are no good. This mental attitude is death. In order to lose weight you must first be willing to push yourself, but also give yourself the opportunity to “mess up”. After all, the best mistakes are the ones you learn from.

2. DIET & NUTRITION

This is the part where you roll your eyes and I get it, you’ve heard the diet and nutrition speech a billion times. Well, get over yourselves because it can’t be overstated. Nutrition and diet focus is the key to any weight loss program. Your diet and what you eat is even more important than your exercise workouts. The awareness of what you’re putting in your body is more crucial for weight loss than anything you do on a daily basis.

3. NO SUGAR

Sugar is a sure way to derail all of your weight loss efforts. You should be reading the label of every food item you put in your grocery cart. PERIOD. If sugar, in some shape or form, isn’t one of the main ingredients on every packaged product you pick up I’d be shocked. Sugar is in nearly every single processed food that isn’t organic. The worst thing about sugar is that it turns into body fat if your body doesn’t burn it off it. Sugar is going to derail all of your dieting efforts, and will not help you reach your weight loss goals.

4. SAY NO TO PROCESSED FOODS

Processed foods are killing us one cell at a time and ruining your weight loss plan. Partially hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup are in nearly everything packaged product at your local supermarket. Even (maybe especially) the things that say “low-fat” and “healthy” on them are marketing ploys by the processed food industry, meant to trick you into putting something in your body you don’t need.   Eating fresh foods like fruits and vegetables and organic meats provide your body with the backbone it needs to succeed in your weight loss targets.

5. EXERCISE

I’m not going to pretend that exercise isn’t important to weight loss, because it certainly is. Your exercise routine is key in helping you lose weight. I workout 5 to 6 days a week and I change my workout routine every two weeks so that my body is consistently challenged.

6. TRY HIIT FOR CARDIO

Cardiovascular activity is very important when it comes to weight loss but that doesn’t mean you need to spend 60 mins on a treadmill seven days a week. In fact, you may begin to wonder why you aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to boost your metabolic rate and maximize your calorie burn for better weight loss. It also increases your body’s ability to burn fat by up to 48 hours. The other benefit is that it can be completed in much less time. The best HIIT routines can usually be completed in less than 30 minutes so the excuse of time should be a non factor for most people.

7. DRINK MORE WATER

This can’t be overstated. Water is of the upmost importance to healthy weight loss and 90% of you don’t drink enough of it. You should be drinking an ounce of water per every two pounds of body weight and that’s just if you’re inactive. If you are working out and exercising on a regular basis your water intake should be even higher. I weigh 170lbs and I shoot for 100 ounces a day.

8. HEALTHY FATS

Many people don’t know or understand this but healthy fats are the corner stone of weight loss. Your body needs healthy fats to live and get stronger but also for energy.   Monounsaturated fats such as avocados, flaxseed and almonds and polyunsaturated which can be found in salmon, tuna and walnuts provide your body with so much goodness. Saturated fats such as coconut oil and grass fed butter are of equal importance for healthy weight loss. Oh, and they taste great as well!

9. START READING LABELS

If you are serious about your weight loss program you will start reading labels. Most of us have become accustomed to believing that when a food label tells says “Reduced Fat” or “Natural” or “100 Calories,” that automatically indicates it is a healthy food. This is not necessarily the case. Trans fat, High fructose corn syrup, and partially hydrogenated oil are ingredients in almost every food that requires a label, not to mention all the fake sweeteners that help to improve taste. These ingredients mentioned above can help stunt the improvement of any weight loss program. Be mindful of that the next time you shop.

10. RECOVERY

Your rest days are more important to your weight loss than you think. I try to take two rest days per week, unless I’m training for something in particular. Rest days don’t mean you have to lie around the house all day. If it’s a beautiful day, get outside and go for a light walk. Just don’t pick up any weights or run like the wind. Be kind to your joints, you only get the ones you were born with.

11. SELF COMPASSION

This is where I get a little preachy. You simply will not succeed in losing weight if you treat yourself poorly or shame yourself for screwing up. You are going to miss a workout, you will probably sneak a donut, and you will most likely have a glass of wine occasionally. You’re not a monk. Mistakes happen. That’s the nature of life. When it becomes a problem is when you allow your mistakes to control your attitude and weight loss strategy. If you’re too down on yourself you’ll find a way to quit your weight loss program. Be compassionate, allow yourself to learn from your “transgressions” and watch yourself come back that much stronger.

12. PLEASE DON’T STARVE YOURSELF

Okay, this one is a bit controversial because there are a million different nutrition plans and diets out there. Some suggest you should be eating 6 meals a day, others 4 meals, some even suggest eating windows like 8 hour feeding periods. However, what’s the one thing these diets all have in common? Absolutely none of them suggest that you should starve yourself to lose weight. I’m always shocked when my clients think they’ve done well by eating very little. That is no way to live. You have to provide your body with a balance of calories coming from protein, healthy fats and healthy carbs like fruits and vegetables. No one ever reaches their weight loss goals by eating rice cakes and celery sticks, and it’s certainly not sustainable.