Commitment, knowledge, motivation. These are the three main ingredients to weight loss. Perhaps you've been thinking about losing weight, or starting an exercise program or just learning about improving your overall nutrition; but you have no idea how to start or just not motivated or committed to do so. In order to be a successful loser (those who have lost the weight and kept it off), you must first make the commitment (no barriers) and stick to it. Second, you must gain knowledge on how to lose weight the healthy way. And third, you need motivation to start, maintain and complete from yourself and others close to you.

During the Biggest Loser Challenge at So.Be.Fit, our participants were given all three ingredients. They all lost weight and met their goals. The following will give you an idea of how you could apply each key factor to your weight loss and be on your way to weight loss!

Commitment

How many times have you thought about losing weight, maybe even started a weight loss program, but failed to commit after two weeks? What do you think happened? In order to know how committed you are here are some questions to ask yourself:

Are you ready for this commitment? Saying you want to lose weight is just the start to making a commitment. Enhance your commitment by developing a weight loss plan. The plan should first be focused on your goals. Make your ultimate goal in terms of number of pounds or inches you want to lose or even by clothing size of body fat lost. This is the goal that you will be working towards throughout your weight loss journey. Make sure you understand your barriers and challenges. Know that they may get in the way, but remember your commitment to yourself and find ways to get around those barriers. Life is going to happen!

The So.Be.Fit challenge participants all committed to write in their food journals everyday and come in every Saturday to weigh in, even through the holiday season! Now that is commitment! They were ready to see a change and they all lost weight.

Knowledge

How much to you really know about losing weight in a healthy way? There are so many books, magazines, diets, etc., about weight loss, so which one is the best? I can tell you right now that most people that have lost weight and kept it off will say "keep it simple and be patient." Perhaps you can talk to someone who has lost weight and ask for their knowledge or what books they recommend. You must have the right information in order to lose the weight and keep it off.

One very important piece of information to know and that we gave our participants is to determine daily calorie intake, or your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This is the rate at which you burn calories by doing every day things. It is determined using your age and gender, weight and height and activity level. So each person's BMR is unique to them.

Once you understand how many calories you burn then you will need to create a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. You can do this by either consuming fewer calories or by exercising more or a combination of both. In order to lose 1 pound a week you need to create a calorie deficit of about 500 calories and for 2 pounds about 1,000 calories deficit. Don't reduce calories by too much or you will slow down your metabolism and could actually gain weight.

This is a small bit of information that will get you started on your weight loss, but remember that you must commit to writing in your food journal everyday in order to know your daily calorie intake!

Motivation

The last ingredient you need to be successful at your weight loss is motivation. Motivation is what is going to get you through those hard times when you don't want to get out of bed to go to the gym.

Here are some weight loss motivation tips that may inspire you.

Ready

What do you think? Are you ready for your weight loss program? Where are you on the ready scale? There are lots of questions to ask, but as long as you know that you are ready to commit to yourself then you will be open minded to welcome any guidance (knowledge) given by a support group, friends, and/or a personal trainer, in order to keep the motivation and meet your ultimate goal!

I enjoyed working with the first participants at So.Be.Fit's Biggest Loser Challenge. There were no barriers that kept them from coming every Saturday to weigh in because they were ready to make that commitment in order to make that change. They all lost weight, had fun, and learned how to eat right for their body needs.

Here is a testament from one of our Biggest Losers named Anne: "When I was pregnant I reached a weight that I never really thought I would. I gained a little over thirty pounds! I had a huge fear that I would never lose the weight. My mom informed me that it was okay to not lose the weight and that I would probably never fit into my old clothes again! This was a very scary thought to me. I was determined to lose the weight and get back into my clothes." Anne made the commitment and was ready to give 100% to her weight loss journey. Her hard work paid off-"I was so excited to step on that scale each week and see how much weight I had lost. The most exciting part of the whole thing is that I am back in my old clothes and actually weigh less than I did when I got pregnant. I have more energy and feel much better about myself. The program is not just for people who want to lose lots of weight. It is for anyone who wants to make themselves healthier, stronger, and in the best shape they can be."