Like most of us I'd love to shed those few kilos that have been creeping onto my waist line in the last few years but I'm not a fan of diets as they just don't give the results I'm after - they end up adding to the unwanted kilos.

I know that it's much more about lifestyle than fad diets that creates positive long term weight loss results but creating those changes can be the challening bit - putting together all the components that bring about the success I'm after.

So when I came across the book The Metabolic Clock and started flipping through it I knew I had to explore this idea more with Julie Rennie, the author. Julie has written a book about how to lose unwanted body fat healthily through lifestyle changes, explains how to work with your own body's natural rhymths for more energy while increasing your metabolic rate (the energy and fat burning internal engine). Included are over 100 recipes as well as shopping lists - all there for you!

We caught up with Julie to find out about her health journey and what it was like writing a book.

How long did it the journey take you from when you first started discovering the first lessons of increasing your metabolism to when you’d started seeing a loss in weight and a gain in energy?

It only took a couple of days before I noticed increases in my energy. The first changes I made in my daily routine were to eat breakfast every day and get some before midnight sleep. This boosted my energy very quickly. Then I began to follow the ‘what to eat and when’ part of The Metabolic Clock and this is when my weight really dropped off. The funny thing was that I was eating more food.  

You say in your book that the secret is balance. Balance can be a very challenging thing to learn, what is your advice for someone struggling to understand what is balance in their own life?

One of the first things I discovered was that I often put myself last. I would wait until the end of the day to do something for myself and by then I was too tired. Any wonder I often did not feel happy or balanced. I began to get up early and have ‘me time’. I began to put myself first and this gave me a happier outlook throughout my day. Make sure you do something that you like to do at the start of each day. 

For many of us that negative inner voice has such an undermining power of it’s own that it can be a real challenge pushing past it. What are your tips for moving away from it?

At these times it is important to listen to the voice inside your head and challenge it. Whatever you say to yourself your body will respond with a feeling. These feelings will either motivate you or demotivate you.  Identify the negative opinions and write them down. Then reform them with positive words. Read them out aloud several times and you will create more motivation and empowerment. When that voice says that is not real, ignore it and be like an actor. Keep practicing and it may take a little while to replace the old opinions. Be positively persistent.

You can only hold one thought at a time in any second. Keep choosing the good ones.

Did you find that once you lost some weight and had more energy you started including exercise more in your daily routines?

One of the things that were holding me back from exercising was that I always felt tired. After a week of this new lifestyle I started going on walks and enjoying them. It wasn’t long before I was exercising regularly and it made me feel so good about myself that I never stopped.

How did you find the writing process; was it easier or harder than you thought? Did you need to set times for writing or did it fit in around other parts of life?

I really enjoyed writing the book. I was so excited with each piece of research that I found. What is really interesting is that I was my most creative at two times of the day. The first was really early in the morning and the second was mid to late afternoon. These two time frames are the creative and energetic times frames as part of circadian rhythms energy cycles and they were my most productive times of the day.

Something I really like about your book is how practical and helpful it is with plans, checklists, recipes, tips but also, how openly it is written; it seems like you found the development and writing of the book a very positive experience.

Many people ask me what I do to be slim and healthy so I am simply sharing what I do on a daily basis. I am really happy to share all the tools I have developed that make this easy and enjoyable for me. 

I feel that you’ve purposely designed The Metabolic Clock to be a book that’s very easy to delve into for information, inspiration and help. Was it your intension for it to be one of those books to be kept on hand just for that reason?

Yes. I have done extensive research over many, many years. It is certainly a passion of mine and I wanted to make it easy for people to have a balanced approach to their overall health.

Do you find that this healthy, metabolic focused lifestyle is much easier to maintain now that you understand how interconnected the mind; body and spirit all are with food and activity?

Yes it is so important to approach your health from the mind, body and spirit. You can have a healthy body, however be prone to negative thinking. You can have a motivated mind and burn out because you do not take the time to nurture your soul. Your mind, your body and your spirit all need attention for you to feel balanced and healthy.

What would your advice be to someone who is daunted by creating a lifestyle change but really wanted to shed kilos rather than having them creep up?

Look at the big picture and set a goal then break it into smaller pieces and start. Gather more information and explore. In this exploring you will find something that inspires you enough to get started.