For those of you out there who are looking to lose weight, it can be hard to know where to start!

There are lots of options available; slimming shakes, hiring a personal trainer, different diets – Keto, 5:2, Atkins, etc, etc! There are literally hundreds of options available… some better than others!

With so much conflicting information online, I thought it would be helpful to cut through the BS (pardon the French!) and give you a proven system for guaranteed results…

How To Lose Your First 10lbs| 8 Tips To Lose Weight…

Before we jump in…

Why trust me? 

You maybe thinking “why should we trust you, Nick?” – and that’s a very good point! I could be one of these dodgy marketers, who’s trying to sell you some diet pill (which doesn’t work!) and profit from your vulnerability. Well, thankfully i’m not like that!

About Nick 

My name is Nick, and i’m a personal trainer in Sheffield, I own a PT business called LEP Fitness – which I started 7 years ago. I have completed 11,000 x 1-1 personal training sessions, and have helped hundreds of people to transform their health, fitness, lose weight and improve their body shape.

The biggest weight loss to date is 84lbs – read story here. BUT, don’t just take my word for it, please check out the hundreds of testimonials on my website.

I’m not here to make a quick buck, i’m here to educate and empower people to make a positive impact to their health, fitness, and mindset.

So, hopefully now you have some trust in me, let’s dive into the post…

#1 Lift Weights 

The first thing I would recommend is ‘weight training’ – lifting weights can burn a whopping number of calories. If you lift weights 4x per week, with proper form, and a tailored exercise plan – designed by a personal trainer – you could see yourself lose 10lbs of fat very quickly (within 4-8 weeks). 

The best exercises to do are compound lifts, such as deadlifts, pull ups, push ups, squats, lunges, bench press, and bent over rows. If you lack experience in the gym, and have never done these exercises before, then please reach out and hire an expert personal trainer – it may cost you a couple of hundred pounds – but even just 2-4 lessons will make a huge difference.  

#2 Increase Daily Activity 

This aspect is often forgotten when trying to lose weight. Remember that any movement burns calories. Whether that’s running, weight training, walking, swimming, gardening, washing up, hoovering, taking the stairs (instead of the lift), etc, etc – it all helps to burn calories. 

Aim to be more active each day. Look for ways to increase your daily output. One of the easiest things to do is increase your daily steps – i’d recommend buying a Fitbit, and aiming for at least 7,000 steps per day (ideally 10,000) – watch the weight fall off!

#3 Protein 

Protein is the most important nutrient for building lean muscle. The more muscle you have, the easier it is to stay lean. When I talk about ‘muscle’ i’m not talking about great BIG muscles, like a bodybuilder, i’m referring to lean, athletic muscle – so don’t panic ladies! 

Ideally you should be aiming for at least 100-125g of protein per day if you’re a female, and 150-200g if you’re a male. 

Protein will fill you up, prevent food binging, help you build muscle, and speed up your metabolism (as you’re body has to work extra hard in order to break down foods like meat/fish). 

Foods high in protein are things like: chicken, turkey, steak, mince, eggs, nuts, protein shakes, and protein bars. Aim to consume protein with each meal (ideally 3-4x per day). Here’s an example of a high protein diet…

• Breakfast – 2-3 eggs, cooked in butter
• Snack – 40g protein shake, with 80g fruit 
• Lunch – 150-200g of meat or fish, with 50g rice, and green veg
• Dinner – 150g-200g of meat or fish, with 150g of potatoes, and green veg 

#4 Hire A Personal Trainer 

Ive mentioned this already, BUT i cant state how important it is hiring a coach. If you can afford to see a personal trainer 2-3x per week, then that’s ideal, especially to begin with. Doing 2-3 sessions per week for 12 weeks straight, would make a huge difference. 

If you can’t afford 2-3 sessions, then aim for 1 session per week (12 sessions over 12 weeks). If that’s too much, then you could opt for group personal training, or do a fitness class. 

#5 Increase Water Intake 

I think most people already know how important drinking water is, it’s essential and without it… we would die! That said ‘common knowledge isn’t always common practice’.

Most people do not drink enough, it’s actually scary! Some people go through the entire day with barely any liquid, and when they drink, it’s usually coffee, or tea – which actually dehydrates you further. It’s also common to feel hungry, when actually you’re just thirsty – dehydration is often masked as hunger. So increase your water intake…

Water will keep you hydrated, and also keep you fuller for longer, it cleanses the skin, and flushes out toxins. Aim to drink 2-4 litres per day (the more the better!). If you don’t like water, then opt for flavoured water, or zero calorie squash. 

#6 Eat More Fruit & Veg 

Again, pointing out the obvious, BUT how much fruit and veg do you eat each day? If you said less than 2 portions, then you’re not eating enough! The government actually recommends eating between 3-5 portions of fruit and veg per day. If you can eat this amount then great, if however you struggle, then at least aim for 2-3 portions per day. 

You could make things like fruit smoothies – check out my smoothie recipes here – or add in more veg to your meals: foods like broccoli, onions, peas, and sweetcorn. You could veg into your rice, pasta. 

Veg will fill you up, and keep your bowels healthy, removing waste and keeping your gut healthy. Like protein , it will also fill you up. Both fruit and veg also contain lots of micronutrients, vitamins and minerals – which are important for everyday health: joints, muscles, organs, reducing inflammation, etc, etc 

#7 Track Progress 

Are you on track? How will you measure your progress? The more meticulous you can be, the greater your chances of success. For example you can track your food using MyFitnessPal – this is something I get nearly all of my clients doing. 

You can also track your fitness, by doing a fitness test (a good coach will do this in your first PT session). The other obvious measures are things such as: taking weight, measurements, and ‘before and after pics’. 

With weight, especially if you’re a female don’t worry too much, weight will fluctuate, especially when on your period – read more here. BUT, as long as you are in an overall calorie deficit, you will lose weight, so don’t worry if your weight fluctuates from time to time. 

#8 Keto Dieting 

One thing I do with lots of my personal training clients is the keto diet – It helps people lose weight very quickly, and reduces inflammation, making you look even leaner. I designed the 28 Day Keto Challenge a few years ago, and it was the best weight loss transformation i’ve had to date – I lost 16lbs in just 28 days!

The keto diet is basically a high fat/medium protein diet – that fills you up, and helps you burn fat – i’ve written extensively about the benefits of the keto diet on my health and fitness blog, and would recommend checking out some of the posts if you want to know more. 

To read more about the 28 Day Keto Challenge please check out this article I wrote –  i’ll share more info on how the diet works, the pros, con’s, etc – I also share a video of my results, and give away all of my secrets and tips.

I hope this post helped, if it did please comment below, or drop me a message at: nick@lepfitness.co.uk 

Thanks for reading,

Nick 🙂