As the world's population has exploded so has the Western World's weight. Everything seems to have become much bigger. There are bigger houses, bigger mortgages, bigger debt and even more troubling bigger burial caskets. In saying all of that it is our responsibility to become the generation that starts society moving in the right direction. Our children need us to become role models in the fight against obesity - fast.

There are many people who are desperate to lose weight. They just don't know where to start.

Before commencing a weight loss journey you need to set yourself up for Weight Loss Success. By following a simple 3 Step Formula you will achieve your weight loss goals and lose all the weight you want.

Those 3 Steps include:

1. Discovering Your Big Why for wanting to Lose Weight
2. The importance of Goal Setting for Success - Starting with the End in Mind
3. Plan, prioritise and prepare

The Big ‘WHY'

You must get to know yourself and find the reasons why you want to lose weight. Because when you have the true reasons (the deepest and darkest reasons that you would not share with anyone else) motivation won't be an issue.

Your Big ‘Why' must be powerful and compelling enough for you to achieve weight loss success. People will do more to avoid pain than to experience pleasure! In almost every instance that I see people create a change, there is pain behind their decision to finally get the results they are after.

Just saying your children are your Big Why isn't going to stop you eating that chocolate bar. You must do it for yourself and perhaps think about how your actions may be affecting those close to you. If your Big ‘Why' is to be a role model for your children so they don't become overweight or obese, develop diabetes or eating disorders as they grow up then write that down. This is just one reason. I challenge you to find at least five ‘Why's' for wanting to lose weight and write them down.

There are three reasons why people create a change in their life and having the awareness around this will give you an advantage over others. The reasons are: Reward, Punishment and Survival.

When you lose weight in preparation for a wedding you are doing it for a Reward. This is one of the weakest reasons as it is short term and not sustainable. However if you keep setting rewards for yourself on a regular basis for achieving certain milestones, that in fact will drive you to keep achieving amazing goals.

People that start feeling separated from society or are starting to remove themselves from their circle of family and friends due to their weight, decide to lose weight because of the Punishment principle. I see a lot of these wonderful individuals in my practice wanting desperately to fit back into normal life.

Those that are diagnosed with a life-threatening condition (like a smoker quitting smoking due to heart attack or lung cancer) will create the change because of the Survival principle. This is unfortunately the strongest push that someone can get and there is no doubt they will do anything to survive and live longer.

How far do you let things go until you realise it's time to do something about your weight? I certainly go for the Reward principle every single time.

Goal Setting for Guaranteed Success

Needing to lose 40 kilos is a daunting task that puts most dieters into a state of overwhelm. Instead of looking at this as a large number, break the figure down into smaller easier to achieve mini goals and watch the weight come off. Your focus then only needs to be on the kilo that you are losing in a particular week.

The fact is that 95% of people do not set goals. They go through life drifting and hoping that by chance they will achieve the results they are after. This is so far from the truth. One of my mentors has this saying that I have truly adopted as something I live by: ‘Change is by Choice not by Chance'. You make the choice or decision and then take responsibility to make it happen.

The first step once you have decided to change is to set your Goals and break them down into manageable smaller goals with actions attached to them. The best ways to set you goals is to use the SMART principle (make them Specific, Measurable, Attractive, Realistic and Time Bound). Always write your goals in the present tense and ‘As if' you are already in possession of them.

A goal is not a one liner, it is a crystal clear description (a short paragraph) of what is happening the day you achieve your goal. You write out the date, the specific measurements and what do you feel, hear and see when you have achieved that goal. This truly then sets your unconscious mind into action towards attaining and manifesting that goal into your life.

The Unconscious loves repetition! The more you set goals, the more you are likely to see them manifested in your life. Some of my goals almost seem scary as to how close and precise they have come to reality. My father in law jokes with me that I am a psychic that can predict the future.

The last thing I would like to say about Goal Setting is to set three types of goals: 90 days ones, one year goals and have an Ultimate 5 Year Vision. Always review, revise and adjust them so they align with each other because as you grow so will they. Goal setting should be aimed at constant and never ending improvement.

In just 18 months I have changed my life by completing a 24 months Diploma in Coaching in just 11 months, working 3 days a week in a day job, looking after a 2 year old toddler, wrote and published my book ‘The 7 Ultimate Secrets To Weight Loss' in 80 days, grew a Coaching Practice from scratch to a fully booked one on one business that now also runs workshops, group coaching Webinars and writes articles for an amazing publications like this one. Oh and I forgot to mention: I also was pregnant for 9 of those months and now am doing all of this with my 3 month old baby girl. All because I set some scary goals, removed the excuses of why I can't do it, stop listening to people that didn't believe in me and got on with doing the do and taking each failure as a step closer to my success.

Set your goals, make them bold and find a mentor that will support you all the way to success.

Plan, Prepare & Prioritise

None of the above mentioned could have been possible if I did not manage my time effectively and removed some of the time wasting activities from my life. Activities such as watching TV, over-sleeping and too much time on Social Media are no longer part of my life.

My goals do not have these things in them so my focus lies elsewhere. My focus is to create a wonderful lifestyle for my family and see my children experience travel and grow up to be balanced and educated individuals of a world standard. They are my Big ‘Why'. I want to spend time with them and watch them grow. Teach them self-awareness and give them opportunities to succeed. This was not possible with a day job as a manager in the retail industry.

My best advice is to buy a diary and USE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY! The best ones are A4 Week per view. One look and you see the whole week ahead of you.

Most people do not own a diary. Relying on your memory to remember what needs to be done is a recipe for disaster. If you make any changes that I am advising at all, this is the simplest one to enable you to run your life effortlessly. You will achieve so much more having direction and a plan for your day.

Write out your menu plan for the week and shop according to it. You are more likely to stick to it and the money you will save will be just a bonus.
Book in your exercise times as if they are an appointment you need to attend. This way cancellation is less likely.

Use a diary to schedule in exercise, food shopping and times for other activities that you want to accomplish. Once you write it down, your unconscious takes ownership of the tasks set out.

Plan your week ahead on Sundays (if you can involve your family in this, it will help you to be held accountable when you want to deviate from the schedule)

Make sure you schedule in some down time and fun activities as a reward for your commitment to your goals.

Perform a time audit of what you actually spend your time on each hour of each day. This will give you a really clear picture of where you may be wasting time and how you can turn it into an opportunity to either shop, exercise, or spend time with the family. If you would like a template of a Time Audit I share with my clients just email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I am happy to send it to you.

No one lost any weight being disorganized. It takes time to plan your week's meals, shop and then cook. It takes planning to schedule in time for exercise, family, work and your home. One of the biggest complaints I have from my clients is the lack of time. After conducting a time audit I find there are many opportunities that have been wasted either by oversleeping, watching TV, too much socializing or just simple procrastination.

Losing weight is not easy. That is why so many people have constant struggles with their weight. Let me share a secret with you.... ALL DIETS WORK. It is the dieter that is the problem, not the diet. My clients succeed because I spend the time with them preparing and planning for their Weight Loss Success.

Natasa Denman, The Ultimate Weight Loss Coach and author of ‘The 7 Ultimate Secrets To Weight Loss'. To learn more of my strategies and tips on setting yourself up for Weight Loss Success visit my website www.ultimateweightloss.com.au and become a member for free. Make the change in your life today. Remember, there are only two times in your life, now and too late.