How to Lose 40 Pounds...Are you Ready? 

Okay. You just got off of the scale and you’re completely disgusted. How could you possibly have let your body get so out of shape? You’re easily forty pounds overweight and you’re really not happy about it. Your clothes don’t fit. You’re physically uncomfortable in your body. You feel self conscious about the way that you look. You’ve finally decided that enough is enough! Whether you’re already on your weight loss journey and these are your last forty pounds to lose, or the pounds have been creeping on for the last number of years…or you’re like me and have forty pounds to lose due to a pregnancy, listen up, you're about to learn how to lose 40 pounds!

I know what it’s like to be overweight. There is a whole list of things about it that I hated. Yes, hated. I hated how the rolls of fat felt around my middle. I hated how my clothes fit my body. I hated how unattractive and helpless I felt. How did I manage to lose those baby pounds? I’m going to tell you step by step how I managed to lose my weight (55 pounds in total) and how you can too.

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Step ONE: Make the commitment

You need to be in the mind space to realize that this is a commitment. Really, it’s not totally unlike other commitments that you make in your life. Until you are ready to follow through on this weight loss and everything that it will require of you, don’t even make the commitment to start with. You will not be successful long term with your weight loss.

Step TWO: Put your commitment into writing

Once you’ve made that commitment in your head and you really do want it to work this time, write it down. Treat this weight loss commitment as you would any binding contract. Put in writing what your ultimate weight loss goal is. Sign it, date it and include a final “to-be-completed-by” date that is attainable.

Step THREE: Break your ultimate goal down into attainable goals

Once you’ve identified your overall goal in writing, you need to break the big goal down into attainable milestones. If you’d like to ultimately lose forty pounds, you may find it overwhelming. But you could lose five pounds couldn’t you? Somehow five is not so intimidating. Decide what is realistic for you and add your mini-goals to your weight loss contract. When you set small goals for yourself and you begin to reach them – it gives you the motivation to follow through on the commitment that you’ve made, you can lose 40 pounds, I've done it and so can you.

Step FOUR: Identify your worst eating habits and write them down

We all eat for different reasons and struggle with different temptations. You need to look at your own eating in detail and pick out the biggest problem areas to change. If you are clueless about nutrition and portions, I’d suggest a consultation with a dietician. They have loads of helpful tips and information. I kept a journal of my eating for a couple of weeks. I know most people don’t have time to do this – but I found those 5 minutes a day. Simply by writing down what I ate, I could plainly see my main eating problems. When you find your worst habits and write them down, you will be in a much better position to eradicate them.

Step FIVE: Identify how you plan to change your poor eating

If your eating was perfect you wouldn’t have forty pounds to lose. Let’s not be in denial anymore and just move into action mode. List at least FIVE simple changes to your diet that you can make today… Eat breakfast, cut out liquor, cut out pop, add whole grain bread, add 6 servings of veggies/fruit a day…. If you make your list specific, it will be that much easier to stick with.

Step SIX: Add exercise to your weight loss contract

You need to “ramp it up” in the work-out department. Losing a large amount of weight, like forty pounds, involves some physical exertion on your part. Think about what you can live with and what you’d enjoy doing. Write it down and be specific… I will walk to work 3 times a week, I will go hiking once a week, I’ll take a cardio class once a week at the gym, I’ll go to the pool every second Saturday… It doesn’t matter what you do, but that you move your body. Moving your body in ways it’s not used to will get you even better results – so don’t be afraid to try something different.

Step SEVEN: Enlist a buddy

If you have someone that is as committed as you are to reaching her/his weight loss goal then I suggest this. If the only person you can find is not in the same mind space that you are – you are better off with no buddy at all – it will only bring you down. Be your own cheerleader!

Step EIGHT: Sleep

Studies have shown that inadequate sleep is detrimental to many aspects of a healthy life. This includes weight loss. In order for your body to do what it needs to do, you need to do your part and get yourself to bed at a reasonable hour. Aim for 7-8 hours a night.

Step NINE: Set yourself up for success

If you don’t buy ice cream, you can’t eat ice cream. Clean your cupboards of all temptations. You need to have the occasional treat, but having a 2L container of ice cream in the house is just stupid! You’ll need to plan for your treats and use portion control when you do reward yourself.

Step TEN: Reward your successes

As you reach your mini-goals, tell someone! Share your success. Give yourself a pat on the back and reward yourself. Do something that you enjoy or have an extra little treat for your efforts. Also, plan a significant reward for when you reach your ultimate goal. You’ll need new clothes – so keep that in mind!

I’d never say that losing weight is easy – because it’s not. It’s one of the most difficult and frustrating things that I’ve had to deal with as an adult. However, by making a plan and putting that plan into action, you can lose the forty pounds that are holding you back. Diets don’t work. The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change bad eating habits to healthy ones and incorporate activity into your daily life. You can do it! The question is, are you ready to make that commitment?
 

Are you still finding it hard to strip that fat?

If your answer is yes, then I strongly recommend that you check out the Strip That Fat website.

'Strip That Fat' will guide you through dieting techniques that really work, and help you avoid dieting techniques that are both unhealthy and counterproductive. These are the things that you really need to know if you want to lose 40 pounds!  Click here