It’s that time when everyone comes up with a top 10 list and I didn’t want to get left out. So, here’s my top 10 weight loss tips for the coming year.

1) Know and Write Down Your Goal – Yes, you want to have an idea of what you want to lose, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Know what you will feel like, what you will be able to do, how your life will be better when you reach your ideal weight. The weight amount you want to lose will not keep you motivated. The “why it’s important to you” will help keep you on task. The extra bit is to write it down. People that write down their goals are far more likely to attain them. more…

2) Get Help From a Professional – So much time, effort, and self-esteem is wasted on failed attempts because we rely on what we think we know about losing weight. The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry because people spend tons of money on useless supplements, gadgets, and fad diets. Spend your money more wisely. Get started right with the advise from an RD and a Personal Trainer that can tailor a program just for you. more…

3) Commit to Lifestyle Changes – Quick fixes may help you to lose weight in short term, but in the long run will leave you heavier and frustrated. Look to making healthy lifestyle changes that you can sustain for the rest of your life.

4) Baby Steps- With a committment of making changes for your life, comes the decrease in pressure to change everything all at once. If you try to make it all perfect tomorrow, you will crash and burn, leaving you defeated and depressed. Plan on making one or two small changes at a time. When you master them, pick one or two more to work on. i.e. At least 3 days this week I will eat a healthy breakfast.

5) Journal – The biggest pain for most people and yet one of the most beneficial things you can do. Keeping a food journal can not only help you keep track of calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fat, but will also make you aware of your habitual behaviors, such as meal timing, how often you eat out, and times/situations that are problematic. As you become more aware of these issues, you can add them to your list of baby steps to be addressed in the future. If you don’t keep a journal, you may never fully understand what you are doing. If you find that a really detailed journal is too hard to do at this time, journal light. Just write down the names of what you ate, the time you ate it, where, and why (you were hungry, bored, sad…). more…

6) Use Diet and Exercise Approach- You have to address your nutritional life, absolutely. But, if that’s all you’re doing you will either never lose the weight, or if you do lose it, you will never be able to sustain it. The same is true for exercise alone. To combine diet and exercise is key in weight loss. Additionally, while tradition has led us to believe that cardio exercise was best for losing fat, when, in  fact, high intensity weight training is really the element of change. (Another reason to consult a professional.)

7) Be a More Active Person- Now, even though high intensity weight training is the most effective activity for weight loss, everything you do burns calories, and the more you do, the more calories you burn. Too often people will exercise for 30-60 minutes and then sit on their backside for the rest of the day. Get up, get out, and find ways to be a more active person. End the slothdom. Ways to be more active at work can be found here. 

8) Plan Ahead - Nothing beats planning out the next day ahead of time. If I go into a day knowing what I will eat, when, and have written in my exercise time as an appointment, sticking with it is far easier than if I try to “wing” good behavior. Even the unexpected can be planned for once you recognize what types of things can happen to throw you for a loop.

9) Clean House- Set up your environment to help you with your goals. Get rid of the foods/treats around you at home and work that make it hard to stay on track.

10) Confront Your Frenemies -  Frenemies are those that sabotage your efforts to lose weight.  You need to have a heart-to-heart talk with them and, without mincing words, explain what you’re doing and why it’s so important to you. Then make them aware of how they are making that hard for you to accomplish your goals. Ask them if they can help you by refraining from those things that make it more difficult than it already is. more… 

Of course there are more. But these are my top 10 to carry you to success in 2009.

Best wishes, Mark 

There was a column piece in the business magazine Fast Company titled “With Frenemies Like These” that spoke to the love/hate relationships with competitors. I’m completely ignoring that. I just like the terms, a combination of friend/enemy and friend/foe and the concept of friends/family not being what they seem.

OK, what am I getting at? Well, I’m not suggesting that your family and friends don’t really love you, but sometimes they can and do sabotage your efforts to lose weight. How can you succeed when they lay guilt on you for taking time out of your schedule to exercise, or for eating different foods than they do. They goad you into splurging or taking time off. They give you or bring into your space foods that are your “weakness”.

Why do they do that? Don’t they get it? Don’t they know how that makes you feel? It’s simple, really. Your friends and family get something they want from you NOT succeeding. It’s selfishness, plain and simple. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. It may be that the lack of self esteem you have, puts them in a position of power. It may be that if you succeed, they will feel even worse about themselves for not being able to do as well as you. Or, it may be something else, but, be assured, it’s about them.

So what can you do about this? Have a heart-to-heart talk with them and, without mincing words, explain what you’re doing and why it’s so important to you. Then make them aware of how they are making that hard for you to accomplish your goals. Ask them if they can help you by refraining from those things that make it more difficult than it already is. Hopefully, when confronted frankly, they will agree to try and support you more. You will then have to remind them when they are “doing it again”.