10 Secrets of Weight Loss Success Stories

I often peruse through MSN to look at the headlines and read the daily news. Today, something caught my eye. It was a headline about weight loss success stories from MSN Health.

As a fitness author, I decided I'd go through some of these weight loss success stories to see if I could find some pertinent information that my readers could benefit from. I've always found that it's good to look at those who succeed to find out what they did to get to where they're at, and to learn from their mistakes.

I read through several weight loss success stories of both men and women from all over the country. Some were in their early twenties; others were closer to middle age. Some were married, some were single. Some were extremely obese to the tune of 300 lbs and over. Others were 20 to 50 lbs overweight. I read diligently jotting down notes as I went along.

You'd think that with such disparate people, you'd have completely different stories to tell. The details may have been different, but as I went through more and more stories, I began to uncover recurring patterns and commonalities.

I was amazed at the information I was gleaning. Many people pay good money to get this information, but here it was, free for anyone to read. With a good eye for patterns, I deciphered 10 common themes.

Here's what I discovered about the individuals who achieved the greatest weight loss success:

1. They got someone to push them through tough workouts. In some cases it was a personal trainer, others used a video trainer, and some used a friend.

2. They kept a food journal to keep them on track. This allowed them to see exactly what they were putting into their bodies, and make changes to their diet when the need arose.

3. They used a support group. Some used family and friends, others used Weight Watchers, to keep them motivated, honest, and keep their spirits up.

4. They stayed away from temptation. Having proven to themselves they don't do well in the face of temptation, they simply stayed away from sugary, and fatty foods. Like the old saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.

5. They used diet effectively by eating the right amount of calories based on their goals, controlling portions, and making healthier food choices.

6. They combined weight training with cardio. Most did weight training at least 3 times per week, and cardio anywhere from 3 to 6 times per week. Many also found that doing something they enjoyed (i.e. swimming, biking) helped them stay on track. Others found that working out with a purpose (i.e. training for 5k, 10K run) helped them push themselves more than they otherwise would have.

7. They stayed off the scale. It's demoralizing to step on the scale and not see a change. The scale is not always a good indicator of fat loss so most just stayed off of it completely, or only weighed themselves once per week, or once per month.

8. If they slipped, they didn't beat themselves up. They accepted it and moved on. They took it a day at a time so if they messed up today, they started fresh the next day and kept going.

9. They found other ways to cope with stress. Most of the people that were extremely overweight or obese got that way because they dealt with stress or emotional situations by eating. Once they realized it, they made a commitment to not be an emotional eater. Most found other ways to deal with stress such as going for a walk, run, or doing a workout.

10. They weren't afraid to examine their lives. By figuring out why they over ate, they were better able to cope with stress and emotions. Some even discovered that they were addicted to food. Through self examination, they were able to get at the root of the problem and deal with it differently than they had been doing all their lives.

As promised, I delivered 10 secrets of weight loss success stories. Take them for yourself and use them to help you achieve your own weight loss success. Soon, you will be the one with the weight loss success story of your very own.