I am not going to lie. Reaching your health and fitness goals is a lot of work. Even when people hire me as their personal trainer, it still takes some self-discipline to eat healthy and get the extra cardio needed to see results. Some clients eventually fall by the wayside. To give you the best possible chance of sticking with your weight loss program and succeeding, I’m going to give you some of the best tips I tell my clients to keep them on the right track.

1. Commit to three months at the beginning of your exercise program: Committing to this early on will help you not get distracted if you’re not losing weight after the second or third week. Your body will take some time to adjust to your new lifestyle change, and how quickly it adjusts depends on how disciplined you are with your diet, whether you’re consistent with your exercise, and your body’s personal reaction to the change. However, after three months, if you are doing everything you need to do, you will see some change. You will be inspired and want to continue to see even more results.

2. Set a long-term goal, but focus on short-term goals: I truly believe that you can achieve any type of weight loss goal you set your mind to, as long as you’re committed to the program. You will never reach your long-term goal in 30 days. That’s why it’s called a long-term goal. Focus on short term goals and they don’t have to be tangible changes. For example, yes, you could say I want to lose 1-2 pounds this week, but also set a goal to do cardio 5 times a week or try to eat 3 servings of fruit a day. If you set realistic short-term goals, you’ll be able to see the small wins more easily and, in the long term, become the big win you’re fighting for.

3. Get support from your family and friends: Too often, I come across a client who wants to lose weight, but is ridiculed or discouraged from trying by their spouse or children. As someone who understands how losing weight will feel, you need to have a heart-to-heart with your family and friends and explain why this is important to you. Whether it’s for their own health or just to make you feel more confident, you need to pass this on to them. If they really care about you, they will help you in any way possible. It is always better to have help, especially when it comes to achieving a goal that you have long considered insurmountable.

4. Join a support group – If your family and friends can’t help you, find fitness support groups that can. The Health Rejuvenation program offered by my company has several support groups. We provide a biweekly meeting place for local participants, a teleconference call, and a Yahoo! Group for out of town participants. If you’re in a group with people who are trying to achieve the same results, this is a wonderful way to stay accountable. Motivation and support pervade the entire group, to help each other.

5. Keep track of your workouts and meals – This will keep you more accountable by seeing what you’re doing. You’re less likely to skip a workout or have a poor quality workout if you can see what weights you worked with last time. Plus, you’ll be less likely to put that donut in your mouth if you know you have to write it down. You can correct the mistakes in your diet and exercise and stay on the right track for success.

6. Hire a Personal Trainer: Yeah, I may be honking my horn here, but my clients tell me that if they have to pay money for something, then they’re going to try to keep it. A personal trainer will put you on the right exercise program and nutrition plan that will best help you achieve your results. All you have to do is follow their instructions. For some quick tips on how to lose weight, you can email [email protected].

I hope these tips help you. I know it sounds simple for me to say, but you have to be patient. You didn’t get into your current shape overnight, so don’t expect to change overnight. If you follow the guidelines I suggest, you’ll be well on your way to achieving that lifestyle change you want so much.

Copyright 2006 Adam Kessler