Top 15 Weight Loss Strategies for 2013

Losing weight is a matter of burning more calories than you consume. It's a simple formula, but it's not so simple to put into practice.

Losing weight is never an easy process, but with a few simple strategies, you can greatly increase your chances of successfully losing weight & keeping it off for good.

Here are our Top 15 Weight Loss Strategies:

1. Eat 5-6 small meals & snacks throughout the day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack.

2. Each meal & snack should consist of healthy carbohydrate (vegetables, fruit, whole grains) and lean protein (poultry, fish, lean beef, non- or low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes).

3. Eat a minimum of 4 servings of veggies and 2 servings of fruit daily.

4. Drink at least 8 cups of water per day.

5. Avoid any beverage with calories: alcohol, juice, soft drinks. (Also avoid artificially sweetened soft drinks. Even though they have no calories, they are toxic to your body and they lead to sweet cravings.)

6. Morning snack should be fruit + protein. Afternoon snack should be veggies + protein. Snacks are always healthy and nutritious.

7. TREATS are not snacks! Treats are delicious and fun, but not nutritious. Treats should be limited to 1-2 per week.

8. Get your sleep! If you get less than 7 hours of sleep per night, hormones that make you hungrier are increased and hormones that make you satisfied are decreased.

9. Don’t be in a rush! Trying to lose weight too quickly will make you feel deprived, will make you lose muscle instead of fat, will lower your metabolism and will certainly backfire on you.

10. Set yourself a series of step-by-step targets. You need to lose weight in stages. Slow, steady progress will lead to healthy, permanent weight loss.

11. Give yourself a good incentive. Plan small rewards for yourself each time you hit a target. Simple rewards can be: a massage, a new outfit, a bubble bath. Make sure your rewards are not related to food.

12. Get support! A partner, friend, family member, or All About You! trainers and members can all be a great support. There is no reason to "go it alone." We all need someone to lean on at times.

13. Know that we all have bad days. Don't get discouraged by one bad snack or meal, because the worse you feel about it, the more likely it will lead to a bad day, bad week, bad month, etc. Instead, recognize that we are all human and that it's ok to slip up once in a while. The key is to get back on track, feeling positive and optimistic.

14. Always have lots of healthy, low-calorie snacks in the refrigerator. Remember, you can’t eat what you don’t have. So get organized. Planning ahead makes a big difference.

15. Write it down! Keep yourself accountable by keeping a food journal and calculating your calories.