There are many effective weight loss plans. However they only work permanently if they suit you as an individual so you make lasting lifestyle changes. I found this out the hard way, losing weight and regaining it many times. It proved that the method was effective in theory, but it also showed that it didn't suit my needs and preferences.

All those "failures" taught me something else too - all weight loss plans have several things in common. These are the 9 Keys to Weight Loss. They are the essential elements of all effective weight loss plans. The good thing is that they are broad guidelines, not specific, strict rules. There are many ways to apply these Keys, and once you know what they are you can apply them to your own life in a way that suits you. So what are the 9 Keys?

What you Want to Do - The 1st Key

The 1st Key to Weight Loss is goal setting. You have to know what you want before you can achieve it. But goal setting for weight loss is more than that. "Weight loss" can mean many different things, so you have to work out exactly what type of body you want. When you work out what you want you can choose or create a plan that is aimed specifically at that target. This avoids wasting time and energy doing more than is necessary to achieve your goal, or doing things that are not related to your goal.

It is also important to understand the difference between Result Goals and Process Goals. You may think your goal is to lose weight, but the real goal is to improve your lifestyle which will lead to weight loss. "I want to lose 50lb" is a Result Goal, and "I want to walk for 30 minutes every morning and limit dessert to once a week" is a Process Goal. Both are important for permanent weight loss.

What You Do - The Next 6 Keys

The 2nd Key to Weight Loss is eating an appropriate diet. This can be achieved in many ways. There are many things to consider, from the basic style of the diet (e.g. low fat, low carb, etc.) down to the finer details (e.g. the choice between chicken or fish, apples or oranges, premium ice-cream or low fat, etc.).

The two basic issues are food choices and the amount of food that is eaten. You need to learn to eat foods that are healthy, but they also need to be filling and they must suit your preferences. You should eat Helpful Foods and avoid Problem Foods. The amount of food needs to prevent hunger but also be small enough to result in weight loss. But you should choose foods you like and avoid those you hate so your diet doesn't become a burden.

The 3rd Key is staying hydrated. Drinks are an overlooked part of a diet, but they can contribute hundreds of calories a day. They also help you stay hydrated, which can be important for weight loss. Many people mistake thirst for hunger, so they eat something when they could satisfy themselves by drinking a low calorie drink. Drinking the right types and amounts of fluids can also fill your stomach and prevent excessive food intake.

The 4th Key is meal planning. This involves working out what you are going to eat, buying the food, and preparing the food. This is often neglected, but it is really important. After all, the most perfect diet is useless if you can't follow it properly. So you have to deal with the practical side of your eating plan.

The 5th Key to Weight Loss is physical activity. This doesn't necessarily mean "vigorous workouts". It simply means "movement". There are countless ways to be more physically active, either through exercise, non-exercise physical activity, or incidental physical activity. The important point is to choose something related specifically to your goal (e.g. weight loss, a certain body shape, various components of fitness, etc.) and to choose something you like so you can be consistent with it.

Physical activity is important because it burns calories and helps create the calorie deficit required for weight loss. It also maintains your lean body mass (muscle) which helps keep your metabolic rate high and is important for general health and well-being. Because physical activity burns calories and keeps your metabolic rate up you can eat more food which makes your eating plan more enjoyable.

The 6th Key is sleep. It is vital for general health and well-being, and important for weight loss. There are complex hormonal reasons that make sleep important, but it is vital for practical reasons too. Sleeping well helps you deal with stress and can reduce stress-related overeating. It also energizes and refreshes you so you are more likely to be physically active which, as we've just discussed, is also a Key to Weight Loss.

The 7th Key is dealing with other people. This is important because a Negative Person makes it harder to follow your improved lifestyle whereas a Positive Person can help you. You need to identify which people in your life are Positive and Negative, then work out how to deal with them.

How You Do It - The Final 2 Keys

The 8th Key is psychology. Your attitude and mental approach is the biggest determinant of success or failure. If your weight gain is rooted in stress, depression or emotional troubles this Key takes on even more importance. Yet the goal isn't necessarily to give yourself super-human levels of willpower, discipline and motivation.

Unless there is a specific psychological or emotional problem, weight loss psychology can just involve rational thinking and a change of attitude. If necessary, psychological tools such as affirmations, visualizations and even self-hypnosis can be used. However it is important to realize that the amount of psychological work to be done relates to the other Keys. If for example you want to follow a strict diet you may need to do more psychological work than if you simply plan to improve on your starting point.

The 9th Key is implementation, a very important aspect of weight loss but one that is almost always overlooked. Once you know what you want to do you can do it in many different ways. The traditional option is to change your entire lifestyle at once - a complete overhaul. However this is difficult physically and mentally and leaves no room for further improvements in your weight loss stops. It also prevents the learning process because you don't know which specific lifestyle changes are helping you and which may be unnecessary.

So as well as having a plan for how to lose weight you need a plan for implementing your plan. Doing so in a step-by-step fashion is easier, less stressful and in many ways more effective than going for a complete overhaul. As well as designing a weight loss plan that suits your needs, goals and preferences you need to implement it in a way that suit you too.

It Takes All 9 Keys to Unlock the Door to Permanent Weight Control

So there are the 9 Keys to Weight Loss. You have to implement all of the Keys to lose weight successfully and permanently. If you don't your weight loss plan will be incomplete and you either won't lose weight or at least not as much as you want, and your plan will be harder to follow for the long term.

However, you only need to work on the things you are doing wrong now. If you are already doing something right you shouldn't change it. A one-size-fits-all plan will probably make you change things you are doing right. You will waste time and energy on things you don't need to worry about and maybe even end up in a worse position than you started in. That is why you need to understand how you are currently implementing each Key. Only when you have worked out whether you are doing it right or wrong should you make any plans to change.

Once you do find a problem you need to improve in a way that is Easy, Effective and Enjoyable. Remember that the Keys are broad principles that can be followed in many ways. That means you can always find a way to apply each Key in a way that suits you. This is the only way to make a permanent lifestyle change and keep the fat off for good.