I had a girlfriend who was overweight. At one point she tipped the scales at 230 pounds. Great girl. She had a lot of guts. I helped her lose a ton of weight. She has kept most of the weight off to this day. I’m going to outline her program for you here. Here are 7 surefire tips on how to lose 80 pounds fast.

Step 1: Get clear with yourself that this is going to happen. For you, failure is not an option. Be strong. Do this by creating a weight loss journal. Write down your starting weight and the weight loss amount for which you desire to arrive.

Step 2: Begin by walking, or cycling, 30-minutes a day, five days every single week. Unlike resistance exercises, this is something that you don’t need instructions for.

This will help you lose weight quickly by kick-starting your metabolism.

Step 3: Do not eat within 2-hours of your bedtime. New dieting method: this is where you start. You’re not going to cut the bad foods out cold turkey, but you can discipline yourself to stay out of the kitchen before bed.

Trouble sleeping? Take Melatonin. It’s found in your health food store.

Step 4: Increase your water intake up until 2 hours before bed. Drink 10-12 glasses of water throughout the day, but stop drinking fluids before bed to avoid having to get up in the middle of your sleep.

Stay sleeping. This will help fend off those midnight snack demons.

Step 5: Join a gym, and go to that gym. You really want to know how to lose 80 pounds fast? Join a community, become a member of a gym. Hold yourself accountable and get to that gym 5 days a week, even if it’s just to walk on the treadmill, for now.

You must be diligent on this one. Push through any known insecurities.

Step 6: Dieting tip. Cut back desserts to just one day a week. This is another tough one. If you can’t do one day right away, make it two days. The 3rd and 7th day of each week, this builds discipline.

When you’re feeling stronger make it just one day. Then decrease the bad foods.

Step 7: Lose weight faster. Be progressive. When the activities on this list become manageable, stretch your efforts further. Not so far that your progress suffers, but make a push to do more. Always be on the lookout to get better.

Add more exercises, get some personal trainer assistance and begin resistance training.

My girlfriend knew the real secret on how to lose 80 pounds was simply sticking with it. She didn’t do any exotic. No crazy dieting. No weight-watching counselors, no weight loss extravagance. She just decided she was going to do it and then carried out her weight loss plan. You should do the same.