We’re bombarded with miracle weight loss solutions - a new celebrity diet on the front of every second magazine and endless lines of new weight loss supplements promising unbelievable results. It’s hard to escape stories of amazing weight loss.

The fact is weight loss requires some sacrifice and committment, and the greatest long-term success comes from steady weight loss as a result of permanent changes to our lifestyle.

There are many factors that contribute to successful weight loss – diet, exercise, setting goals and maintaining motivation. Fine tuning these key lifestyle factors is the key to maintaining a healthy weight for the long-term. The following are some practical tips to help get you started and keep you on track for healthy weight loss:

Set realistic goals

Setting realistic goals helps you to keep your motivation up, as you can track your progress as you go along. Goals can take a number of forms - it’s not just about recording monthly weight loss, in fact it often helps to focus on a variety of goals. Areas to set goals could be exercise - such as extending the distance you jog each week, diet – such as challenging yourself to include three different meals using legumes in a week, or even goals to make the most of your newfound energy and vitality such as joining dance classes or planning a bush walk. The secret is to make each goal specific, so it can be evaluated and checked off as you reach each milestone. Reaching goals and setting new ones regularly is a great way to keep your motivation going. Also, remember to set goals for the long term as healthy weight loss is about positive lifestyle changes, not quick fixes.

Know what to expect

It’s important to know what to expect from healthy weight loss. You’re probably not going to lose five kilograms a week. For healthy, sustained weight loss try to aim for half to one kilogram a week. Healthy weight loss is about steady loss achieved by making maintainable lifestyle changes. For most people, losing weight more rapidly could mean an extra loss of fluid or worse, a significant loss of muscle - which can make it harder to maintain a healthy body weight and set you up to regain the weight you’ve lost. Understanding what to expect is important, so that you can set achievable goals.

Think positively

Even with clear expectations and goals not everything is going to go to plan. Life is full of unexpected challenges, which can be difficult to factor into the lifestyle changes you are making. Often it’s the little things that seem to throw a spanner in the works such as wet weather, a run of social events or a busy time at work that sets your healthy eating plan off course. It’s important to see any challenge as part of the learning process. Every obstacle tells you more about what you need to do to be successful at maintaining a healthy weight and solutions can be incorporated into your short-term goals. For instance, you can set a task to have a healthy snack or meal before each social occasion to help you fend off the temptation of not-so-healthy party foods.

Losing weight is a different experience for everyone. Individual challenges, needs and capabilities can differ greatly so it’s important to gather as much information as possible. An Accredited Practicing Dietitian (APD) can provide advice on diet and an exercise physiologist or personal trainer can give guidance on physical activity. Before starting a new exercise plan or making big changes to your diet, it is also important to talk to your doctor to ensure it’s the right healthy weight loss strategy for you.