If you’re trying to reach a healthy weight, this is something that is best done slowly over a period of time, rather than as quickly as possible. It’s also important that you do it for the right reasons – such as your long term health and to watch your kids grow up, not just because you want to look good for a vacation.

If you’re going to get to a healthy weight and stick to it, then you’re going to need to enjoy the process and make it as easy for yourself as possible. The 12 things we’ve listed below should help you to do that. Just remember, you need an emotional connection to your goals if this is something you’re going to see through to the end: 

1. Fad Diets Do Not Work

If you’re trying to lose weight, the last thing you should do is go on a fad diet. Please ignore every fad diet you see in magazines and on social media. It’s not healthy to just drink smoothies or eat soup for weeks. It’s not healthy to cut out an entire food group. Not only are these things not healthy, they are not sustainable. You’ll probably end up eating more than you were before as a result, no matter how high your determination is at the beginning.

The best thing you can do is eat a balanced diet filled with not only vegetables and whole foods, bit foods you enjoy, too. It should be about health first of all, so make sure you’re not just eating diet branded foods filled with rubbish. 

Of course, if you want to make it easy for yourself then you should take the guesswork out of it. Download an app like Myfitnesspal or Lifesum and use that to track your food intake, looking at your protein, fat, carbs, overall calories, and even saturated fats and sugar. The more you can learn about proper nutrition, the better. It seems a lot of work, but it’s so easy when you’re into it! 

2. Supplements Won’t Help You 

This doesn’t mean all supplements will harm you, but you can’t rely on a supplement to do the work for you. Diet shots, diet shakes, flat tummy shakes, and anything marketed towards beng ‘skinny’ is not a good idea. Many of these things are a waste of money, and some can even be dangerous. 

Certain supplements are ok – such as a b12 supplement if you’re vegetarian, or a protein shake if you want to get your protein intake up. However, you should be careful not to be drawn in by clever marketing and magic promises. 

3. Balance Is The Key To Long Term Success 

Balance in terms of food, exercise, and lifestyle is the key to success. Balance over everything! Yes, you’ll find people along the way who think tracking is the be all and end all, and those who think they can’t have a day or two off the gym. However, this is your journey, and you need to be able to listen to your body to avoid illness and injury. 

Health and fitness should be an enjoyable part of your life, but not your entire life. 

4. Weight Is Important – But Not As Important As You Think 

You either want to lose or gain weight to get to your ideal weight, so weight is important. However, it’s not as important as you’d think or as important as the media would lead you to believe. Ever noticed how so many people seem to be fatphobic, always showing ‘concern’ for the health of bigger people, only to completely ignore the fact that slim people can be more unhealthy in some cases?

No, weight is not the be all and end all. You can be fat and strong. Fat and healthy. Slim and riddled with health issues. Weight does not give a clear picture of how healthy you are. Other things you can focus on include:

• How strong you are

• How fast you are

• Your endurance

• How you feel

• How you sleep 

• How often you get sick 

Many health ‘professionals’ will try to push you to lose weight without considering that weight may not be the issue. Keep this in mind. 

5. Loving Your Body At Any Shape Or Size is The Fastest Way To Achieve Your Goals 

If you’re doing this because you ‘hate’ your body, you’re going to have a hard time following through. Nobody ever hated themselves into shape. Learning to love yourself no matter what is the fastest and most enjoyable way to achieve what you set out to. 

It will take consistent practice, but it can be done. 

6. Your Mindset Impacts Everything 

When you can master your mindset, you can do anything. Learn more about this by reading books and watching YouTube videos. People like Tony Robbins can be a good place to start. 

7. Not Everybody Online is An Expert

Some ‘experts’ spout BS and some regular people really know what they are talking about. Not everybody online is an expert, and there’s a lot of conflicting information out there. Doing your own research and taking what you find with a pinch of salt is key. 

In general, if somebody is focusing on things like meal timing and taking certain supplements to get results, they’re probably not the best person to listen to. Meal timing can help very minimally – it certainly isn’t something you need to focus on. 

8. Keeping It Simple Is The Most Effective Approach 

The more simple you can make your routine, the better. You don’t need to eat fancy organic food or do crazy exercises. Keep it as simple as you can. 

9. You Should Find Different Ways To Measure Your Progress

Take pictures, do your measurements, and most of all, pay attention to how you feel. Keep a journal if that will help you!

10. Diet And Exercise Are Important – But So is Stress And Sleep

We touched on diet and exercise, but that’s not the only thing you need to look at. Your stress levels and how you’re sleeping are just as important to your weight and overall health!