Photo by Larry Tomlinson

In this post I’m going to give you 8 tips to help you lose fat and FINALLY keep it off FOREVER.

How many times have you lost pounds, only to gain them right back? Why keep trying? Everybody’s a little heavier these days. It’s just a fact of modern life.

That is the attitude of many people—to just be fat and happy. They’re trapped at their current weight and there’s nothing they can do about it.

And they pretend they’re fine. They delude themselves into thinking the extra pounds are not a problem. You rarely hear this conversation:

“How’s it going, John?”

“Great, Bill—except for this extra forty pounds around my gut.”

“You look fine, John.”

Photo by Ordinary Guy

“Well, I’m not fine. I’ve got gobs of fat packed around my heart. My doctor had to put me on blood pressure medicine. And he says I’m headed for diabetes. I’ll probably have to start giving myself insulin shots.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No. It’s gonna be the pits. But I’ll have to do it. I sure don’t want to lose a foot or a leg. And my knee joints are starting to grind. The doc tells me the padding has just worn out. But other than that, everything is wonderful.”

No, you don’t usually hear this conversation—but you should. We should be talking about our self-inflicted weight-related problems. Maybe then we would wake up and take action before our bodies start to deteriorate.

Look at this chart and select the column you prefer.

Admittedly, things are not this clear-cut for everyone. For example, some people will still have heart trouble, at any weight. But I think you get the idea.

So, do you want to do something about that excess weight? Here are my 8 tips to help you lose the fat and keep it off forever.

Photo by KM Photography

1. Determine Your Proper Weight Range
Have you seriously thought about how much weight you need to lose? You can’t know the answer to that question until you make an honest assessment of what your weight should really be.

Back in 2004, I used to make statements like, “Yeah, I need to lose a few pounds.” I am 6-foot-4, and at that time I weighed 238 lbs.

But then I referred to the Body Mass Index Chart, and realized that I was way overweight—nearly at the obese level.

I’ve lost 33 pounds, so now I’m down to 205, which is on the line between Normal and Overweight. My goal is 185, but I already feel so much better.

Now for your moment of truth. Consult the chart below to determine the ideal weight range for your height. This chart is for men and women.

The dashed lines represent subdivisions within a major class. For instance the “Underweight” classification is further divided into “severe,” “moderate,” and “mild” subclasses. Based on World Health Organization data. Chart Source: Wikipedia.org

Photo by exfordy

2. Exercise Is NOT the Answer
“It’s okay because I’ve got a plan,” you say. “Beginning next week, I will get up early every morning and go for a five-mile run.”

Will you really do that? Will you get up early every morning and run? Or will you quit after a few days?

If you can lose weight by running or swimming or pumping iron—great. But if adding exercise is the only change you make to your routine, what happens you get tired of it and quit? And some people are ravenous after exercise. So, they eat even more than they normally would, wiping out any possibility of weight reduction.

And what about maintenance? Can you keep up your calorie-burning workout for the rest of your life? Will you still be running those laps when you’re 86? Or even next year?

I’m not trying to discourage you from exercising. Not at all. You need exercise. All I’m saying is that if the only way you can lose weight and keep it off is by jogging five miles a day, then you’d better face the fact that you’re going to gain the pounds back when you stop jogging.

So, what is the answer?

Photo by Brent & MariLynn

3. Say Goodbye to Your Bad Eating Habits
I’ve got good news and bad news.

The BAD NEWS: you’ve got to start eating less calories.

“No,” you say, “that doesn’t work for me. No matter how little I eat, I still can’t lose.”

Really? Imagine consuming nothing but water for an entire week. (I’m not suggesting that you actually do this.) Would you lose weight? Of course you would. So, now that you’ve realized you can lose weight by reducing your food intake, we’re ready to get serious.

Do you know how many calories you should be eating per day in order to reach or maintain your goal weight? If you exercise 30-60 minutes at least three days per week, you will need about 15 calories per pound per day. But if you don’t exercise regularly, you will only need 13 calories per pound per day.

Let’s assume that you do not exercise regularly. You might go for an occasional walk or golf one day a week, but that’s about it. That means if you average eating 2,000 calories a day, you will eventually weigh around 154 pounds (2,000 calories divided by 13).

Photo by exfordy

Suppose your goal weight is 130. Using the formula, 130 lbs. x 13 = 1,690 calories. Now imagine this day of eating: You skip breakfast, eat lunch at McDonald’s, dinner at Olive Garden. (I used to eat like this everyday—except I didn’t skip breakfast.)

Your Big Mac was 540 calories. And you couldn’t resist a small order of fries. Who can resist McDonald’s fries? They added another 230 calories. At least you opted for a diet drink.

For dinner, you went to Olive Garden. (I love Olive Garden.) You ate one plate of salad (280 calories) and limited yourself to just two breadsticks (300 calories).

For the entree, you selected spaghetti and meat sauce (710 calories). That put your total caloric intake for the day at 2,060 calories. Oops, almost forgot that big piece of chocolate cake at work (400 calories). You had to eat a piece. It was your best friend’s birthday.

Now you’re 770 calories over your goal for the day, and you didn’t even eat breakfast. If you do that every day, you’ll eventually weigh 189 pounds—considerably higher than your goal of 130.

So, what’s the GOOD NEWS? You can still enjoy eating. But you’ve got to be smarter about it. Read on.

Photo by krisdecurtis

4. Don’t Blow It When You Eat Out
Your menu selections can make or break your day. I’ll use another example from Olive Garden. Suppose you choose the Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno. BAM! You’ve just blown it. This meal is 1,050 calories—not including salad or breaksticks.

You could have chosen something lighter, like Chicken Giardino, which is only 408 calories.

My favorite dish at Olive Garden is Eggplant Parmigiana, which is 793 calories, which I can handle as long as I’m careful the rest of the day.

Most restaurants list nutritional information on their websites. Educate yourself. There are also books available. You might want to carry one around with you. After a while, you won’t even need the book. You’ll know exactly what you can eat and what to avoid.

5. Read Nutrition Labels
For home cooked meals, be sure to read the nutrition labels when you’re at the grocery store.

And it’s not just about watching your calories. You need to make sure you are getting good nutrition. If you’re not familiar with the U.S.D.A. Food Pyramid, you should study it.

6. Replace Your Bad Foods with Exciting New Ones
One of the challenges I have with controlling my weight is that I have hypoglycemia. And when my blood sugar drops off, I get weak, lose concentration, become irritable, and could eventually pass out if I don’t eat.

Suppose I eat a light lunch—perhaps a salad. By 3:00 p.m. I’ll be in big trouble if I don’t eat a snack. And if I eat the wrong kind of snack, like a candy bar, I’ll need something else in an hour or so. The calories can easily get out of control.

I went on a quest for a food that was low in calories and fat, high in fiber and protein. Also, it needed to be something I could carry in my pocket. What I discovered was Kashi bars. They have dozens of varieties. I love most of them.

Check out this nutrition label for the Cherry Dark Chocolate. It’s one of my favorites. Only 120 calories, 2 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein. Amazing!

And when my wife and I get a craving for delivery pizza, we just go to the freezer and grab a Kashi pizza instead. (And just so you know, I’m not getting paid to promote Kashi or any other products.)

And for lunch? A Weight Watchers “Smart Ones” frozen meal, like Santa Fe Beans and Rice, is one of our favorites. Lean Cuisine is also a great way to go. There are several companies that make wonderful frozen meals. Just don’t forget to read the nutrition labels.

7. You Don’t Have to Give Up All Desserts
I love this part. This my secret weapon.

Every night my wife and I each eat a giant ice cream fudge bar. That’s right—every night. How do we get away with it?

A few months ago we discovered Weight Watchers Giant Ice Cream Fudge Bars. These things are fantastic. They taste a lot like a Wendy’s Frosty. But check out these numbers: 110 calories, 1 gram of fat, 5 grams of fiber. The only negative is 0 grams of protein.

Let’s say you’ve eaten properly all day. You’ve kept your caloric intake under control. But it’s 8:30 p.m. and you’re starving! If you see one more fast food commercial, you’re gonna run out the door screaming for a hamburger and fries.

But wait—you have a Weight Watchers Giant Ice Cream Fudge Bar in the freezer. It’s delicious, but you’re still thinking about that burger. But then the 5 grams of fiber begins to fill you up. You don’t feel hungry anymore. A couple of hours later when you go off to bed, you’re still okay. You made it!

My wife also loves Weight Watchers Giant Latte Ice Cream Bar. They have only 90 calories, 1 gram of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein.

Photo by Army.mil

But what if you don’t like chocolate? Try Weight Watcher’s Giant Sorbet and Ice Cream Bars, in Wildberry and Orange flavors. They have 120 calories, 0.5 grams of fat, 4 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein.

You can have higher calorie desserts too—occasionally. But don’t forget to count the calories.

8. Look Younger Without Even Trying
I’m telling you all this to encourage you to improve your health by losing excess weight forever. It’s not primarily about your looks.

However, a nice side effect of getting your weight down where it belongs is that you will probably look better—younger. And who wouldn’t want that?

So, use it to stay motivated. Remind yourself that you’re gonna look younger, cooler. That’s gotta help your will power.

In Summary

• Know what your ideal weight is.
• Know that you’ll feel better and be healthier when your weight is under control.
• Don’t go along with the overeating crowd.
• Exercise for fun and good health—not as an excuse to eat more.
• Develop good eating habits, and lose the bad ones.
• There’s no free lunch when you eat out—count the calories.
• Read nutrition labels and get the right balance of nutrients.
• The right evening snack puts the finishing touch on a successful eating day.
• Know that you’re gonna look better, but don’t use it as your only motivation.
• It’ll take some effort, but you’re worth it, Baby!