7 Tips for Long-Term Weight Loss

Do the things that it takes for you to burn fat, lose weight and change your body.  Long-term fat loss and weight loss is a process that some are not willing to go through.  Hopefully, you're not in that crowd.  Be prepared for failures and adjustments along the way. And, never stop doing the things to improve your health and physical appearance.  It will be easier if you have fun along the way.



Here are 7 tips to help you lose weight and shape your body: 

Note: Delete the phrases "fad diets" and "quick weight loss" from your vocabulary. They never work for you long-term. Fad diets and "quick weight loss only diets" are short-term fixes for your weight problem and will leave you fatter and frustrated! Practice eating and exercise habits that will help you burn fat and lose weight over the longhaul.

1. A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain. A caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain. If you consistently eat more calories than you burn in a day (caloric surplus), you will continue to gain weight and fat. 

Regular exercise and an active lifestyle will help you burn more calories every day. I recommend that you walk at least 30 minutes every day, even on the days you workout.

2. It has been proven that you will be more successful if you try to accomplish one major goal at a time rather than trying to accomplish two or more major goals at the same time. 

Here is a great goal to start with: burn fat. That will require you to improve your eating habits and do regular strength and interval cardio training. Don't even worry about losing weight at this point. Just burn body fat (lose inches, shrink your body). Check your body fat percentage once a week to see if you need to make adjustments.

3. Build foundational body and core strength so your body will hold up under intense training to come. If you're injured, you will not reach your goals.

Weak body cores lead to back and other related trunk injuries. Others have weak opposing muscle groups. An example would be having strong chest muscles but weak back muscles. 

4. Do full body workouts, which will include core strength exercises and total body flexibility exercises. This way your workouts will focus on your "weak links" while training the other parts of your body. 

5. Quality of movement in an exercise should come before trying to increase the amount of weight you lift in that exercise. Doing this will avoid injuries due to incorrect execution of an exercise. Bodyweight exercises work well for this purpose. 

Performing a weight (or resistance) exercise incorrectly can cause pain in your joints, back or other unintended areas. For example, the squat or lunge should primarily work and strengthen the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. If you feel unusual pain or stress in your back or knees, this could signal injury or incorrect performance of the exercise. 

6. Focus on compound or multi-joint exercises in your workouts. These exercises work major muscle groups and help you burn more fat. Exercises like squats (with or without weights), step ups, deadlift, rows, bench press, planks and lunges all apply here. 

Top interval cardio exercises are walking or running uphill, bodyweight cardio and shuttle runs.

7. Maintain and/or improve muscle mass throughout your life to slow the effects of aging and keep your metabolism humming. 

Numerous studies indicate that muscle mass may decline by 20% to 40% between age 20 and age 65. Muscle inflexibility, joint/tendon/ligament stiffness, bone loss and decreased range of motion also comes along with inactivity. You can stop a significant portion of this deterioration of muscle mass and mobility by using a regular strength and conditioning program throughout your life.

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