Top 12 weight loss tips from our members

Who better to ask for tips on how to lose weight than the people who have been successful at it?

Our inspirational members have worked hard to be where they are today, but they all learned a lot about weight loss and about themselves on the way.

Are you trying to lose weight? Read our comprehensive guide on weight loss to understand where to begin, what happens when you lose weight, and what doesn't work when it comes to dieting.

1. No one can eat perfectly all the time

"One bad day doesn’t mean the end. I had total blowout days on the diet. The goal is to reduce them to close to zero. No one can eat perfectly all the time. Reset and start again."

George - Software engineer & dad of 1 (Adelaide, SA)

2. Make exercise non-negotiable

"Put exercise in your diary as a non-negotiable activity – it will become habit. If you genuinely think it is important you will do it! My bootcamp instructor asks, 'do you love yourself enough to exercise today'?”

Chiara - Accountant & Mum (Mitcham, VIC)

3. Prioritise your mental health

"Acknowledge that your mental health is important in your weight loss journey and work on that before you begin."

Deborah - Proud grandma (Dulwich Hill, NSW)

4. If in a squeeze, nutrition over training

"If it is a choice between cooking healthy or breaking the diet to eat less than ideal food because you don’t have time to cook because of exercise, scrap the exercise. I experimented with both, and found there is no way I could work off an unsuitable meal through exercise. Exercise should be emphasised for health – I walk for 1 ½ hours every day now – but food intake should be emphasised for weight loss."

Peter - Director (Perth, WA)

5. Cook ahead for busy days

"I don’t finish work till 7pm on Tuesday and Wednesday nights so I will make a slow cooker dish or casserole dish on Sunday or Monday so as I can just reheat it when I get home from work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays."

Julie - Registered nurse (Adelaide, SA)

6. Increase the intensity of the exercise

"I am time poor, but I prioritise my health and make time for a walk at least each day. If I am unable to maintain of duration of the walk, I increase the intensity. I do enjoy exercising regularly though."

Michael - Teacher (Frankston, VIC)

7. Find out where you go wrong

"If you put on weight don’t say you have failed the diet and ditch it - look at your plan to see where you went wrong. I put on 1.8kg over Christmas because I binged on cocktails and desserts. The following week I lost 2.2kg. I knew where I went wrong and I didn’t want to throw the towel."

Alison - Carer for son with autism (Amaroo, ACT)

8. It's your choice - not something you have to do

"See losing weight as a choice rather than something you “have” to do. See it as “do it or not” - don’t spend endless hours researching the ways you can make ricotta cheese look and taste like icecream or make yummy custard tarts with skim milk and egg whites. I’ve tried... you can’t."

Richard - Consultant (Melbourne, VIC)

9. Make it work around any schedule

"You can make a healthy diet work around ANY schedule. I have a full time job where I sometimes work 50 hours a week, I have 4 kids aged between 15 and 6 who are all active with jobs and sports. Weekends are super busy. But there is always a way!"

Rebecca - Paramedic and mother of 4 (Amaroo, ACT)

10. Weigh yourself regularly

"Weigh yourself weekly. Even at times when you feel convinced that you had a bad week and may have gained. I actually found that there were times I had lost weight at times where I was convinced otherwise."

Ivette - IT consultant (Melbourne, VIC)

11. Exercise in the morning

"There are days when I simply run out of time for my daily run. It doesn't suit me to do it after mealtimes and I like my exercise to be at a regular time each day. I rescheduled my run to 6am when it wouldn't interfere with anybody else and I actually got to like it. And it makes the day last longer!"

Sam - Busy granddad (Ormond, VIC)

12. Push past tiredness - it's worth it

"If you feel too tired to prepare a meal – push past it – you know you feel so much better after eating a good healthy meal. Enjoy planning your week's meals. Put yourself in charge and stay in charge."

Susan - Carer (Bowral, NSW)

Weight loss truths

The thing is, everyone has trouble losing weight at some point in their health and wellness journey. Life happens. But if these people can overcome their weight loss struggles, so can you! And the team at the Total Wellbeing Diet are here to help you along the way. If you would like to read more from our members, head on over to our success stories to learn more tips and tricks!