Top 10 Weight Loss Tips

The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips will help you keep the weight off for good. If you're looking for quick weight loss tactics, this article is not for you.  To get real, lasting weight loss (not just quick water weight loss), you MUST include fat loss. This takes time folks! Go ahead and make the commitment to consistent exercise and changed eating habits.



So, here we go....The Top 10 Weight Loss Tips:

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #1 Make a commitment to a lifetime of fitness, weight loss and fat loss. This commitment trumps all other fitness commitments. Without it, you will always fall prey to the inevitable obstacles and pitfalls along the way. Get your motivation right.

This does not mean that you won't have short-term goals.  The successes along the way spur you on to greater challenges and achievements.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #2 Be willing to change your eating habits. Sixty to 70% of your weight loss/fat loss success or failure will depend on healthy, managed nutrition. Get to know your body and what types of food you are better off not eating. For example, grains/starchy carbohydrates cause some people to not make progress with fat loss.

It is also important to establish foundational eating habits, such as eating adequate amounts of the macronutrients (protein, fats, carbohydrates) every day.  After doing this, you can move on to more advanced eating techniques, such as carbohydrate cycling.


You must burn more calories than you consume (caloric deficit is needed over time) in order to lose weight and burn body fat. This is the law of thermodynamics. Even if you are a "workout warrior," the law of thermodynamics still applies.

You cannot eat as much as you want (or maintain consistent, daily caloric surpluses) and still lose weight. On the opposite end, you can't starve yourself and expect to succeed long-term with weight loss and fat loss. Starvation will cause your body to go into survival mode and store fat.  Calculate your calorie needs here.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #3 A weight loss pill, patch or cream will not make you lose fat and weight. You’ve seen the ads for diet patches or creams that claim to melt away the pounds. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing you can wear or apply to your skin that will cause you to lose weight. Try your best to get the nutrition you need from the food you eat.  Save your money. Fat burn supplements have no long-term effect on fat loss and weight loss.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #4 You must change your body's composition. You must increase muscle mass to become a “fat-burning machine.” So, your metabolism will speed up when you build muscle.  This helps you burn more calories during the day and at rest.

Concentrate on compound (multi-joint) strength exercises like squats, deadlifts, lunges, bench press, planks and rows because they work and build more muscle groups. Do less single-joint exercises like biceps curls and tricep extensions.  Plan on strength workouts at least 3 days a week, 30-40 minutes per session.

See 15 Bodyweight Exercises

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #5 You must do more than cardio exercise to burn body fat, lose weight and change your body's composition to “lean and toned.” Your muscles will waste away on those cardio machines if that’s all you do. Your body will not be toned.  Some of the best fat-burning, body-toning cardio exercises are sprinting on grass, bodyweight cardio exercises (like mountain climbers), stepmill and jump rope.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #6 Keep a food journal. This will help you keep track of your eating habits and help you make needed changes. Here is another fact: research has proven that you will have a better chance of succeeding with your meal plan if you keep a food journal. By logging your actual food choices, you are holding yourself accountable throughout the day. It will help you to plan your meals better. A food journal will also help you control emotional eating and binge eating.

Until you know how much, when and what to eat on a consistent basis, it a good idea to keep a food journal.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #7 Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your BMR is the amount of daily calories your body needs to maintain itself. You will use this amount and your daily activity level to set your daily menu. If you use severe calorie restriction (like eating 900 calories a day), your body will store fat because it will think you are starving. And, you don’t want to lose muscle, you want to lose fat!

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #8 Find an accountability partner such as friend, spouse or personal trainer. This is also a critical step to help you succeed. Don’t try to do your exercise program alone.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #9 Get a fitness assessment performed by a certified personal trainer to identify your postural deficiencies, muscle imbalances, etc. You need to get started on your program the right way. The trainer can also tailor the program to your individual needs. Two people following the same program can get different results. A personal trainer will take your “body type” into account when designing a fitness program.

A trainer can also help you visualize body transformation success and give you valuable feedback to keep you on the right track.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP #10 Fat loss is more important than weight loss!  If you lose major poundage without strength training, most of your weight loss will be muscle mass. And, this will “slow down” your metabolism. That is why you see some people who are "skinny-fat" (skinny with high body fat). The goal should be to have a “lean and toned” body.


I will coach you to transform your body and its definitely not just about weight loss.  You will learn what it takes to change your eating habits and lifestyle and start remaking your body a healthy, energized and lean fat-burning machine!

Mark Dilworth, BA, PES

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About Mark

Hi, I'm Mark Dilworth, Nutritionist, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Nutrition for Metabolic Health Specialist and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist. Since 2006, I have helped thousands of clients and readers make lifestyle habit changes which includes body transformation and ideal body weight.