Let’s face it, losing weight isn’t easy. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to meet the goals you have in place. Coming from a person with experience living on the larger side of life I can tell you that it is still possible. The tips on this list have helped me to lose 30 pounds over the last year, and I’m hoping they can help you too. Now, I can’t promise you that using these tips will make you look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, blessed be thy gains, but they can help push you in the right direction.

(Pictured here: not me)

1. Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is high in protein, low in sugar, low in carbs and can aid in satiation after eating. In other words, it makes you feel full faster. This can help curb overeating and snacking during the day. It is also rich in vitamins, minerals and probiotics. It also tastes great with a variety of foods ranging from fruit and honey to chicken and rice.

2. Drinking Water, A LOT of Water

Water is vital to our health. It lubricates our joints, aids in digestion and kidney health. Drinking enough water every day is necessary for the weight loss process. Drinking two liters of water a day can boost our metabolism about 30 percent. It also keeps our energy levels up which slows down fatiguing during exercise. This will help you working harder and longer for a workout.

3. Weights, Then Cardio

The first video above this section is of The Mountain from "Game of Thrones" breaking a 1,000-year-old record by carrying a 1,400 pound tree on his back. You can feel the joy and pride radiating from a person who pushed his body to new limits through hard work and determination. The second video is marathon runner collapsing at the finish line and losing control of his bodily functions. If you can’t tell by my descriptions of these videos; I love lifting and I hate running. However, they are both extremely important to your health and weight loss goals. By first exercising with weight training you burn through your immediate energy reserves and increases your metabolic rate. Doing cardio before strength training also makes it more difficult to get a quality weight lifting session which means less calories burned. Doing both will help maintain skeletal, muscular, heart and mental health in the long term.

4. Elliptical

As I just mentioned, I hate running. So in order to get a decent cardio workout without having to run I began using the elliptical. This machine takes stress off of your joints and actually burns more calories than jogging. If you weigh 150 pounds you will burn close to 400 calories in just thirty minutes, and that number is higher the heavier you are. The high calorie burn 30 is attributed to the fact that the elliptical requires you to run and propel yourself forward by pulling levers to gain momentum.

5. Epic Rap Battles of History

The concept of Epic Rap Battles of History is fairly self explanatory. It is a Youtube series that mixes music, comedy and historical figures both fictional and real. To date the series has over two billion video views and 10 gold records. The series has also featured Snoop Dogg, Key&Peel, Weird Al and a slew of Youtube celebrities. These videos make the list because I typically watch them while doing using the elliptical, and they actually benefit the workout. Most of the videos feature music with a high amount of beats per minute. Higher BPM distracts us from the amount of physical strain we are doing. The aspects of comedy and historical fiction gives these videos an added element of a short story with music. With nearly sixty videos to choose from there’s something for just about anyone to use as a distraction during their least favorite part of exercising.

Here are some of my personal favorites:

Like I said at the beginning of this article I can’t promise you that you’ll look like a professional bodybuilder. What I can promise you is that using these tips can give you a push in the right direction. Good luck!