My top success tip
Successful Slimmers reveal the simple weight-loss trick that really worked for them.
1 Enlist the support of others.
– Alexandra
2 You don’t need to start on a Monday or next week. Start today!
– Melissa
3 Fresh is best – eat lots of fresh foods, vegies and fruit. And stay away from fried and processed food.
– Nicole
4 Planning, portion control and persistence were the three Ps that kept me on track and focused.
– Simone
5 Ask yourself whether you really want to eat something or to reach Goal, be healthy and fit into that pair of jeans.
– Helen
6 Find an exercise you love. It will speed up your weight loss and stop the excuses taking over.
– Cathy
7 Focus on getting one thing right at a time. Choose something to improve each week; it might be eating less chocolate or exercising more.
– Serena
8 When things get hard, don’t give up!
– Karen
9 Think about the cost of food. What is your body getting out of it?
– Claire
10 Reward yourself with non-food treats for your weight loss.
– Janette Clarke, first Weight Watchers member
Experts tell: How to get exercise results
Need encouragement on the fitness front? Exercise physiologists share their insights.
11 The great thing about exercise is that every bit counts. Doing something small every day is a great exercise strategy.
– Martha Lourey-Bird, fitness editor
12 Consider exercise as more than just an energy burner. See it also as a metabolic tune-up that reduces insulin resistance, optimises your weight-loss efforts and lifts your mood.
– Allan Bolton
13 Boosting the intensity of your exercise for short bursts (interval training) increases body-fat loss and in particular helps reduce visceral body fat (the most dangerous kind of fat that sits in and around your organs).
– Christine Armarego
14 Developing good physical activity habits requires organisation, planning and communication. Setbacks are perfectly normal, so don’t feel like you have failed. Stay positive and try again the following week.
– Michael Russo
15 Human beings are designed to move, not to live a sedentary lifestyle. The best exercise is a form of physical activity that you enjoy and will participate in most days of the week.
– Christopher Sinclair
16 Establish a lifetime love affair with movement.
– Deborah Koorey
17 Focus on having a healthy lifestyle. If you sustain a healthy lifestyle with exercise and the right diet, then you will most likely never have to worry about losing weight again.
– Dean McNamara
18 Your body adapts to your exercise routines quickly, so increase the work you do from one cardio session to the next to ensure that you continue to improve your fitness and lose body fat.
– Dr Jarrod Meerkin
19 If you're bored, your body isn't benefiting. Vary your exercise to challenge your body and engage your mind.
– Elizabeth Urquhart
20 One more minute in duration, one higher level of intensity, or one more session in a week is all that’s needed to ensure increases in fitness and quality of life. Train with the intent to improve on last time!
– Cameron McDonald
Smart eating
Small food changes can make a big difference. Nutritionists and accredited practising dietitians dish up practical eating advice.
21 Plateaus occur on the road to weight-loss success, often when you’re close to Goal. The key is to shake up your eating and exercise itinerary so there’s a new unexplored route ahead, and not push on with the same mapped path.
– Emma Stirling, nutrition editor
22 Always listen to your body. Only eat if you are hungry, not out of habit, and stop eating well before you are too full.
– Janette Beaudoire
23 Try to improve your meal proportions by making your meals a quarter protein (beef, chicken, fish, tofu, legumes/lentils), a quarter carbohydrate (bread, pasta, rice, potato, noodles) and half vegetables.
– Laura Sutherland
24 To really find out what you eat and how much, keep a daily food diary and check the type and amount of food you choose.
– Sonya Stanley
25 Whenever possible, choose wholegrain low-GI carbohydrates.
– Dr Alan Barclay
26 When trying to reduce your portion sizes to lose weight, take two spoonfuls off your main meals and leave one spoonful or one bite from snacks. You will gradually get used to eating less and feeling satisfied without overfilling your stomach.
– Kate Di Prima
27 Avoid processed foods and always read the nutritional information panels on packaged foods.
– Melanie McGrice
28 Identify kilojoules hiding in things like that biscuit at morning tea, then try to reduce them.
– Julie Gilbert
29 Plan your meals in advance.
– Lisa Renn
30 Hunger is your friend. It is not a pathological condition. If you don’t get hungry 2–3 times each day, you are eating too much!
– Dr Trent Watson