Your 10 step new year weight loss plan

1. Set a goal

It’s no point starting on a weight loss journey if you don't know where you are going or what you are trying to achieve. Put down how much weight you need to lose, be realistic and break it down to a weekly amount.

2. It’s not just about the scales

It’s worthwhile mentioning that body composition is where it counts for most people who are not obese. Whilst weighing yourself and losing “weight” is good for very obese people, for most others, how they look in the mirror and how their clothes fit is more important.

You can lose “fat” and gain some muscle/tone and still weigh the same but you would look totally different and your clothes will fit differently. So if you are not obese, aim more for a change in body composition. i.e. aim to drop an inch off your belt in say, 2 weeks.

3. Don’t start the day sweet

Eating or drinking sweet stuff early on in the day usually sets you up to crave more sweet things during the rest of your day. Try and avoid sweet tastes early on in the day.

4. Do some exercise early on in the day

Tons of research has shown that exercising early in the day, especially on an empty stomach burns the most fat. In addition, when you exercise early on and make a habit of it, you tend to stick to it and you know that you have done it and got it out of the way. Exercising early in the day also avoids you making excuses later in the day.

5. Replace one meal a day for a shake

A guaranteed way of losing weight fast is to replace one main meal a day with a protein shake such as LA Whey or a weight loss shake such as Diet Whey or Slim Whey. The ideal meal to replace with a protein shake is dinner.

6. Stop the carbs after 12

Your last carbohydrate meal should ideally be 12 p.m. You can have carbohydrates for breakfast and some for lunch but after lunch, your meals should consist of proteins and vegetables. For example: steak and broccoli or tuna and asparagus.

7. Never ever shop when hungry

You must not go shopping when you are hungry. This must be avoided at all costs, otherwise you will end up buying things you don’t need to eat.

8. Eat BEFORE you get hungry

A well-known trick for avoiding eating too much or eating junk food is to make sure you don’t get hungry. When you are hungry, you are past the “control” point and much more likely to eat junk or sugary things. The best way of avoiding that hungry feeling is to feed yourself protein throughout the day and avoid getting hungry. So, before you even begin to feel hungry, have a protein shake or an egg or some low fat cheese.

9. Fruits are not great when dieting

Fruit and fruit juice are supposedly healthy but they are not your friends when you are dieting. As well as the additional calories, fruit juice is renowned for messing about with your hormone levels and making you store fat. If you want to, eat a little fruit early on in the day but avoid fruit juices at all costs.

10. Water is key

Without water, you won’t lose optimal amounts of fat. It is water that gets your fat burning mechanism working and it is water that shifts fat out of your body. You cannot expect to lose weight and burn fat if you don’t drink at least 1 litre of water a day. That’s clean pure water and not beverages or juices.