Alex Neilan Shares 3 Steps to Sustainable Weight Loss

Sustainable weight loss can sound like a fantasy to many women over 50. How can you become your best self after years of putting others first?

That’s not to mention the labyrinth of working out how to fix a slow metabolism or how to lose weight during menopause. Nobody would blame you for feeling daunted. But what if anticipation and doubt are the fuel you need to ignite the spark of self-improvement?

Alex Neilan, ‘The Sport Dietitian’ and founder of the largest public free support group, has rethought women’s weight loss from the bottom up with a 98% success rate. So far, over 3,000 individuals have lived longer and happier lives—though Alex has committed to helping one million.

“People always focus on quick fixes but rarely talk about sustainability,” he elucidates. “There’s no point in losing a stone in a month and then regaining two the following month. It’s not about what we achieve temporarily but what we can sustain.”

Over 20 years, Alex has honed methods to help ladies over 50 lose weight and keep it off, underpinned by a belief system that empowers women to take their health into their own hands. He shares three salient pieces of information that all but guarantee sustainable weight loss and much more:

1. Seize self-doubt

This tip might sound like a strange starting point, but following it is fundamental to your transformation. Many people tread water at the start of their fitness journey. They hesitate and overthink. Meanwhile, fear creeps in, and they talk themselves out of making a positive change. It’s self-sabotage.

Alex Neilan has a different perspective on the mental aspect of losing weight. As opposed to being a barrier to your progress, he believes feeling tentative is evidence of your desire to change. In short, uncertainty and fear is a weapon.

“You can’t build confidence by never doing anything that scares you a little,” Alex says. “Confidence is a skill set that can be taught. Stepping through fear soon teaches us that our wins and micro-accomplishments compound and are achieved not by avoiding fear but despite it.”

That’s what makes fear a superpower and an essential ingredient. Many people don’t know what they are truly capable of, and they underestimate themselves throughout their lives.

“If you don’t have self-doubt, then you’re thinking too small,” Alex adds. “Waiting until you don’t have self-doubt is like not having your first driving lesson until you already know how to drive. You can only address self-doubt if you start, or it will just continue to spiral.”

2. Connect with a community

With £108,000 raised for charity and a track record of helping individuals overcome various health struggles, Alex Neilan knows the importance of giving back to the community. Your journey to sustainable weight loss parallels many others worldwide. Engaging with like-minded people and sharing insight makes the experience more fulfilling and keeps you on track to your long-term goals.

Alex’s Facebook group has over 68,000 members, and the opportunities that arise from its thriving discourse are manifold. Recipes and mindset tips are available to participants, while dietary and psychology clinics occur weekly.

Feeling isolated is one of the most overlooked aspects of losing weight, and staying motivated can be challenging without others to inspire you. Looking at weight loss as another opportunity to put yourself first, rather than a chore, is critical to sustaining your progress and enjoying the journey. 

And Alex believes you do need to enjoy it. It may take a few weeks, but it’s hard not to take some satisfaction when you keep seeing progress.

3. Participate in a program

Reaching a healthier weight is a self-development journey as much as a physical one. A professional can help answer your questions about how to lose weight during menopause and fix a slow metabolism with actionable steps and clear guiding principles.

“Our 98% success rate is simply due to these four pillars: dynamic and personalized nutrition, progressive overload and resistance training, one-to-one accountability and support, and mindset tools and behavioral change strategies,” Alex, a qualified dietitian, says. “Ingraining new habits and giving you tools to make it an easy process means you can’t fail.”

This philosophy is why Alex has an entire team of health professionals—it has to be multifaceted. The values behind this methodology are four-fold: sustainability, overdelivering, instilling belief, and care.

Losing weight is about more than just the scales. It’s about being there for family, not being a burden, protecting your mobility, and continuing to do what you love for as long as possible.

It’s also about having headspace again, being in photos, feeling proud, not embarrassed, and having an active retirement. Alex’s Sustainable Change Programme, enacted by specialists such as dietitians, physiotherapists, and personal trainers, aims to be different by focusing on sustainable steps rather than damaging distractions.

Few trailblazers would freely share their wisdom with the world, but Alex Neilan revels in it. Every woman’s challenge is different but requires a forward-thinking and unwavering desire to help. The right blend of informed advice and tailored planning could turn your weight loss journey from an uphill battle into a fulfilling and empowering stride forward.

Sustainable weight loss is doable. And if Alex and his team have helped over 3,000 people lose weight and, most importantly, keep it off, is there any real reason you can’t have that either?