While many people can lose a substantial amount of weight, very few, keep the weight off for more than a year.

Less than 1% of the formerly obese will maintain their weight loss for more than a year, according to a study conducted in the UK in 2015. Specifically, this broke down to just one man out of 210 and one woman out of 124.

Does this mean that once overweight, we are all doomed to stay overweight?

Participants in the study were told to eat less and move more, a method that failed to deliver long-term results. This sound bite advice wasn’t enough.

Now I could launch into a debate over whether or not this study practiced sound research and whether or not the participants really did eat less and exercise more, but instead, I’d rather share with you what I know to be right about lasting weight loss.

Make no mistake about it, long-term fat loss results are possible and are enjoyed by the majority of my clients – in stark contrast to the UK study results!

Since there’s more to it than only eating less and moving more, how does one go about losing fat and then keeping it off for the long haul? Here are 5 Steps to Lose it For Good.

Step #1 to Lose it For Good – The Right Mindset

There are only two mindsets to choose from when you approach your quest for weight loss:

1. First is a temporary change in behavior.

2. second is a new way of life.

There’s no middle ground, you either see it as temporary change or you see it as a permanent change. It’s pretty apparent which mindset produces lasting results.

Step #2 to Lose it For Good – New Habits

Understanding how to put new habits in place is the second step to losing weight and keeping it lost.

As we just saw in step one, looking at your weight loss behavior as a new lifestyle is the only way to ensure permanent results, and this means adopting healthy new habits.

Habits are best taken on in gradual steps. Going slow has been proven to be the most effective way to make the new habits stick — approach building new practices with baby steps instead of grand leaps.

If one of your current, fattening, habits is that you drink sugary soda then first switch to drinking diet soda. Once the practice of drinking diet soda has wholly replaced your sweet soda habit, then you can start replacing some of the diet soda with water. You didn’t jump straight from drinking flavorful, fizzy soda to just drinking water, that’s too extreme and will make success unlikely.

Step #3 to Lose it For Good – Your Environment

To permanently change your body, you must forever change your environment. It makes sense that you won’t maintain a healthier body in the same situation where you gained the weight.

The term “environment” sounds vague, so let’s break it down. Your environment is the world that you create around yourself. These are the foods that you see, smell, and have easy access. Your environment is also the ease or difficulty you have consistently accessing exercise, or it is the lifestyle of the people closest to you that casts an influence on your lifestyle whether you realize it or not.

I’ll bet you could draw out the ideal environment for permanent weight loss. You know the path. Now put in the effort to walk the path.

Step #4 to Lose it For Good – Good Nutrition

The problem with the advice to eat less and move more is that it doesn’t make a distinction between calories. When total calorie count is your only goal, you’ll end up consuming lower quality calories than you should, which leads to mindless eating and malnutrition.

Educate yourself on healthy calories versus nutritionally void calories. A great rule of thumb is that calories created in nature are always superior to calories created in a factory. Stick with real food over anything from a package.

Step #5 to Lose it For Good – Your Support System

If you just did the first four steps, then you’d be well on your way to successfully transforming your body from fat to fit, and keeping it that way for the long haul. However, to fully ensure that you make the switch from where you are to where you want to be, it’s essential to put a support system in place.

Nothing is more helpful than social accountability. Instinctively you don’t want to let people down, and so you’ll work harder and more consistently in a support group than you would when working on your own. It’s hard to sleep in when you know someone is at the gym waiting for you!

This fifth and most crucial step is where I come into your life. My entire mission is to not only provide you with the action steps to getting into the best shape of your life, but I also am here to give you the support that you need to make it happen