I want to give you a simple set of strategies and action steps that beginners can take right now to help them lose their first 10 pounds.

These strategies actually work well for anyone, including advanced exercisers looking to overcome a fat loss plateau.

But let’s say you’re just starting out, and you want to shed some weight.

Maybe it’s 10 pounds. Maybe it’s 50 or even 100. Shedding 100 pounds would be a major accomplishment, but it’s a long ways away.

And since it takes so long, you might not be that motivated to get started. So let’s just shoot for a manageable goal – losing that first 10 pounds. Fair enough?

Step #1:

Go shopping. What the heck – I thought you were going to help me shed 10 pounds, Colby? I am, I am. Hang with me for a minute. This is an important part of the process. Now, your shopping can be shopping at a store or on the internet. Here’s what you want to do.  Find an outfit that you really, really want, and find it in the size that you want. Buy it in the size that you will be wearing when you lose all the weight you want to lose (not just the 10 pounds). So if you want to lose 50 pounds total, buy it in the size you’ll be wearing after your 50 pound weight loss.

Make sense?

When you get the outfit, I want you to hang it up somewhere you can see it every day, like on your bedroom door. If you can’t buy the outfit today, find a picture of it in a magazine or on the internet, cut it out and post it somewhere where you will see it everyday, like your refrigerator.

This is important as it will help you focus on the end result.

Step #2:

Make one simple nutrition change this week. Make sure it is simple and easy to do. Drinking 2 sodas a day? Cut down to 1. Skipping breakfast every day? Pledge to eat breakfast 3 times per week. Add a glass of water or an extra piece of fruit to your diet. Something like these examples would be good.

Step #3:

Take out a blank piece of paper or a journal and a pen. Go to a room where you won’t be disturbed. You’ll need about 10 minutes of quiet alone time. Now imagine yourself wearing your favorite outfit that you picked out in step one. Imagine how you feel wearing that outfit. Who do you see? What compliments do you get? If you’re wearing a little black dress, maybe you’re at a party. If you’re in your swimsuit, you might be on a beautiful beach.

Guys – you do this too. What are you wearing? A fitted shirt to show off your new lean physique? Who is looking at you and noticing you. Write down exactly what it is like to wear your outfit, who you’re with, how you feel and what you are doing. Be as specific as possible and write it down in the present tense, as if it is happening now – not
the future tense. Take about 10 minutes for this.

Step #4:

Introducing Weight Based Interval Training and the 1000 Calorie Challenge. By weight based interval training, I just mean doing strength exercises (like push ups) designed in a program to also get your heart rate up (interval training).  Hence the 1000 Calorie Challenge!

So remember a workout I showed you recently.  It was a superset of Spiderman Push Ups and Frog Jumps, 30 seconds of work, 30 seconds of rest.

That was pretty advanced, so beginners try this:

30 seconds of push ups (can do knees on ground or standing push ups)
30 seconds of rest
30 seconds of squats (try sit to stand, like sitting on your couch and standing up)
30 seconds of rest

Perform 3 rounds of this!

You’ll work your upper body, lower body, abs and heart all in one quick workout.

Step #5

In step #1, I asked you to find an outfit that you want to be able to fit in. That’s a great goal to have, but I need you to dig way deeper.

If fitting into your outfit was so important, you would have done it by now, right? I need you to ask yourself “Why?” Why is it important for you to lose weight and look amazing in that outfit. Take out a piece of paper or your journal and a pen and keep asking yourself the question Why? Your first response may be well I want to
look good for my significant other. Well why is this important? Keep asking yourself “why” over and over again until you come up with a reason that is really emotional for you, one that will keep you going when you want to give up.

Step #6

Find a support partner. Preferably someone who is positive, supportive, and will encourage you (not discourage you) in your weight loss efforts. Often times you will want to look outside of your family members and best friends for support.  Possibly look for someone who has the same values, beliefs and goals as you.  Maybe it’s someone on this blog, or on Facebook.   Tell your support partner what you’re doing, what your goals are and how they can best support you.  Talk to them on a regular basis and anytime you are struggling and need support.  Go one step further and create a blog, or a Facebook profile and announce to the world what you are doing.  Then you’ll have many support partners.

Step #7

Keep advancing your workouts. Eventually the workout in Step #4 will be too easy for you.  So to keep losing fat, you’ll have to keep making your workouts more challenging.

Well how do you do that?  There are lots of things you can do… add more exercises, decrease the rest time, increase the work time, increase the amount of weight you lift, increase the number of rounds you do, try more challenging exercises, etc.  There are lots of ways to do this.

I know one thing you shouldn’t do: and that’s just to randomly “change up” your workout without having a progressively challenging plan in place.

And that’s why I like the 1000 Calorie Challenge System so much.  Arnel and Joel have done all of the work for you.  All of the workouts have been researched and tested over the past several months.

All you have to do is follow along step by step.

Your friend,

Scott