Beginning Your Weight Loss Journey

Beginning your weight loss journey is a positive step to a longer, healthier life. Obesity is a huge problem in the world today. Our lifestyles are so busy that we do not always have the time to sit down and have a healthy meal. Fast food restaurants, and drive throughs seem to be the choice of foods when we are in a hurry. Fried foods, sugary sweets, and salty foods seem to be an unavoidable part of our lives.

For those of us who have decided to turn our bad eating habits around to win the battle over obesity, congratulations! We need to set up goals that will help us on our weight loss journey.

How Much Weight To Lose?

Before starting any weight loss program, you need to consult your physician. They will probably require you to get a physical so that they can make sure that you are healthy enough to continue on your journey. They can also advise you on which approach to weight loss you should take. They will also help you calculate your ideal weight. Remember not to panic if you have a lot of weight to lose, your goal is to become healthy. You didn't get that way in a week; it will take you awhile to lose it.

Preparing for Your Weight Loss Journey

Now you know how much weight you have to lose. You will have to figure out what steps you will need to take to be successful. Below are a few ideas:

• Prepare yourself mentally and decide what steps you are going to take before you take them. This means don't run out and have a food fest with all the things you think you will be missing. You don't want to start your weight loss journey with extra pounds to lose, do you?
• Think Positive! Don't reminisce about your diet failures. The past is behind you, and you can't change it. Live in the now. Think, just for now, I won't eat that chocolate candy bar. If you mess up, so what, because right now this minute you can change. You are not a failure!
• Before starting your weight loss journey, get rid of your unhealthy snacks in your kitchen. Don't eat them, give them away, or throw them away. If you have a family, then put their snacks out of site where you cannot see them, or buy the ones you don't like. Prepare your house so that you will not be tempted. The best solution would be to keep the foods that tempt you the most out of the house until you get further along in your weight loss journey.

Your Weight Loss Journey

The 7 steps below will help you achieve success in reaching your weight loss goals.

1. Start and exercise program. Make sure to check with your physican first for any health issues.
2. Take a before and after picture of yourself. Take pictures of yourself often so You can see your success.
3. Take your measurements. Write them down. Try to make your measurements at least once a month.
4. Decide the best time for you to work out. Write it down on the calendar and make an exercise date with yourself.
5. Plan! Plan! Plan! Shop and prepare your meals for the week beforehand.
6. Get motivated! Join a fitness center. Make your weight loss journey a family event. Have your friends walk with you.
7. Reward yourself. Remember to reward yourself for the small successes as well as the bigger ones. A word of advice: Don't reward yourself with food!

Achieving Your Goals

Making The Commitment

Telling yourself that you will start your diet on Monday, or after the holidays has probably never worked. You need to make this commitment to yourself. The time is Now, don't let it pass you by one more time.

Realistic Goals

Remember to set realistic goals for yourself. A realistic goal is one that is healthy, not the weight of the skinny model in the magazines.

Losing one or two pounds a week, and keeping it off with healthy eating habits with exercise is realistic. The key to losing weight is by making a lifestyle change that you can live with for the rest of your life.

Take baby steps to lose weight. This means to break your weight loss into smaller, more achiebable goals. If you have one hundred pounds to lose then break it down into 10 pounds incrememts, or something smaller if 10 pounds seems like a lot. Reward yourself for reaching each and every goal.

The mistake that is made by several people is that when they reach their goal, they think that they have come to the end of their weight loss journey. The think that they can go back to their original eating habits. WRONG! If you go back to enjoying your junk food, soda, potato chips, and chocolate bars then you will start packing on the pounds that you worked so hard to lose.

This is why you need to make a commitment to yourself and use self control while you are on your weight loss journey.

We here at I Choose Thin wish you success on your weight loss journey.