Weight loss doesn’t have to be about following a bland restrictive diet or about consuming some expensive exotic supplement, nor should it be! Losing weight and increasing health and fitness is a way of life, for sustainable results it needs to be about incorporating changes into your lifestyle and making sure that are here to stay – for good!

Your diet and your activity level play the most significant role, which is no secret. Here at Kutting Weight we have seen our customer’s achieve some truly remarkable results through the combination of sweaty Kutting Weight workouts and healthy wholesome diets. Alongside this, there are many small practical changes that make the world of difference and can ensure the weight stays off permanently. These small lifestyles changes can be incorporated into your everyday routine and will soon enough become habit - you won’t even have to think twice while you watch the pounds fall away!

So let’s think - practical, sustainable and long term changes. Here is a list of our 6 best everyday weight loss tips:

1. Eat whole fresh foods – when you eat the whole food – like the orange instead of just the orange juice or the corn instead of the corn chips – chances are you are eating a much less processed and less calorie dense version. Try to go fresh wherever you can and you can be assured you are consuming less calories, more vitamins and minerals and be saving your waist line at the same time.

2. Think of exercise as an opportunity not an inconvenience – move whenever you can, every little bit counts:
•Stretch while watching TV
• Park your car a few blocks away and walk the rest of the way to work
• Always take the stairs
• Walk the block during your lunch hour with a work friend – take your lunch!
• Suggest ‘walking meetings’ at work – this also helps get the creative juices flowing
• Do a few extra laps of the shopping mall while out shopping up a storm
• Get your morning coffee to go – then drink it while taking a walk instead of sitting down – catch up with a friend or chat on the phone to pass the time
• Instead of meeting friends and socializing over brunch on the weekend, meet for a hike or a group fitness class

3. Give up alcohol (at least for a while) – it doesn’t have to be forever! Maybe start by just cutting down – stick to the weekends and keep it to only 2 glasses - then cut down from there. Unfortunately, alcohol contributes a significant amount of calories to our diet that can very easily add up, while offering absolutely no nutritional value. Not to mention a big night on the booze will make you feel lazy and lethargic the next day, meaning you will be much more likely to reach for that greasy hamburger or miss your morning PT session.

4. Cut down on the sweet stuff – it is very easy to get into the habit of craving something sweet after each meal or just mindlessly snacking on sweet foods when you feel tired or run down. It is also very easy (although make take a little more concentration) to break this happen – research shows it takes around 2-3 weeks to break a food habit. So, while it may seem difficult at first to cut out refined sugars, you will soon get used to it and notice the cravings becoming less and less each day until they are no more! The easiest way to do this is to find substitutes – if you are feeling like sweet snacks instead try:
• Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit – berries are in season right now and are perfect (add some raw nuts & cinnamon for extra deliciousness)!
• Natural peanut butter (no added sugar) on a rice thin or piece of whole meal toast
• DIY fruit sorbet – freeze some fruits in the freezer like banana, strawberries and blueberries – then blend with some ice and 2 egg whites for instant delicious sorbet
• OR try to go savory instead - low fat cream cheese & fresh tomato on a rice/corn thin or slice of wholegrain toast, carrot sticks with hummus, unsalted nuts or avocado on a slice of wholegrain toast sprinkled with a little feta (yum!)

5. Get some sunshine – getting daily sunshine is key, as UV light is the body’s best source of the ‘sunshine vitamin’ - Vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a role in optimal muscle function and repair, bone strength and metabolism regulation – all extremely important for successful weight loss. Vit D has also been linked to lower rates of depression, which in itself is likely to have a motivating effect and could enhance weight loss attempts. This may also explain why being out in the sunshine generally has a feel good effect. Now we aren’t saying bake yourself until glowing red – be very careful, moderate your exposure and stay sun smart.

6. Stay positive – be happy and focus on the changes you have successfully made and don’t dwell on the bad habits your yet to kick – they will change in time. Weight loss won’t happen overnight but it will happen, as long as you stay positive and focused. Do things that make you feel good and don’t deprive yourself – if your friends are going out for dinner, join them! If your work colleague bakes a delicious cake, have some! Just don’t go overboard. If you feel deprived and focus on the negatives, you are more likely to become unmotivated and uninspired. Every now and then you will have a setback, but the single most important thing to do is not let it get to you! Everyone has setbacks, and it is those people who brush it off and more forward that have the best success.

And there you have it, 6 practical changes you can incorporate into your daily life to ensure your weight loss and fitness mission is successful and that you are not unwillingly sabotaging all that hard work and effort! These are all things that can very quickly become habit and a way of life, and when they do you won’t look back.