First of all, set yourself a goal and write it down! Studies show that less than 3% of us actually write down our goals, but when we do, we are far more likely to achieve them. Take stock of where you are just now, and where you’d like to end up. If you are seriously overweight or have not attempted this type of extreme training before, you be doing yourself a favor by visiting your doctor first, but once cleared, begin!

Make sure you do this type of training at least three times a week. Some people like to train 5-6 days, using different exercises to work different muscle groups. This is fine and you may want to get there eventually, for that will increase the cardio work you’ll be getting and rev up the metabolic machine even higher, thus hastening the process, but at first be sure to have a routine that you will stick to. An abandoned kettlebell routine will not help you lose much weight at all!

Make sure to craft not only a challenging workout routine, but a sensible food plan as well. Eat plenty of protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, and watch those simple carbs. Everyone is different, and your food plan won’t look like mine, but just be sure to make sure this will be a plan you can stick with for some time. Some people who dive into this type of training go for an extreme diet plan, and while this may yield short term results, you may have difficulty sustaining the process.

Some of the more popular kettlebell workouts for weight loss include exercises like cleans and snatches, Turkish Get-ups, most any of the swings, (especially these!) and windmills. Some of these may be difficult for a beginner, so make sure you have an instructor or workout partner with you to not only maintain proper form but to minimize the chances you’ll hurt yourself. Kettlebells exercises for weight loss are best performed with heavy weights, low reps, in several sets, with an active rest between sets. An active rest can be as little as walking or jogging in place, or as active as jumping rope. You’ll soon see what you can handle.

Kettlebells can be a terrific tool for weight loss. Just be sure to combine them with
a sane eating plan and a set of written down goals, and you’ll soon be amazed at the kind
of results you be seeing! Or not seeing, as in the extra weight!

I think most if us would agree that kettlebells resemble a more “native” approach to physical conditioning, one that would have been employed by our long-gone ancestors had the had the need to do this. However their time was taken up by having to do this type of physical labor in earnest to survive. Moving that stack of rocks to construct a shelter, and so on. Kettlebells mimic that kind of core conditioning and strength. So why should we get so extreme when it comes to diet? For fast, short term solutions, a particular diet may bring a desired result, though that result may not last.

My take on this is that if we eat a balanced diet, filled with as much natural and unprocessed foods as we can find, we will not stray far from the path that nature intended. For each individual the amounts and number of times we eat during the day is going to vary, and we should be aware of this.

Here are some of the guidelines I follow, and you can use these as tips or fodder for further thought on your own diet plan. I totally ignore the government’s “food pyramid”. In fact, I invert it. They’ve got it totally backwards in my view. Research has shown that excessive carbs raises the blood sugar and are converted to simple sugars, not the building blocks of muscle and strength that we seek. While I do use sweets and some fats sparingly, the core of our diet needs to be meats, fruits and vegetables, with either end of this pyramid de-emphasized. This will give us the best chance at using these foods as the core builders that they are intended to be.

I mean, think about it. Did our early ancestors have latest soy shake and count on it to survive? No, the answer lies in staying as natural as you can, and avoiding fast foods and other processed foods like the plague. (Because they are!)

One of the sources I respect for nutrition and fitness is Dr. Al Sears. (Do a Google search, and you’ll find plenty to read) Combine this knowledge and use more common sense than fad and soon you’ll have developed your own diet plan that will not only keep your weight where it needs to be, but also promote the best possible fitness you can achieve!