A *Simple* Way to Lose Weight

Being over weight is tough on anyone. It lowers our self-esteem & confidence & is hazardous to our health in many ways. It's easy in this day & age to gain excess weight with all the "easy" foods available to us & all the modern conveniences at our disposal. But what are we to do when we want to shed some of the pounds easily? I'll tell you how I lost 15 pounds in two months & am still losing the weight.

I was up to my highest weight of 175 pounds in December of 2009. I knew I had gained a lot of weight in the last year, but when my Doctor weighed me at my last visit he told me just how much I had gained. I was shocked to hear I was 175lbs. In July of 2008 I was wearing a size 8 pants & had slowly & steadily been heading to the size 16 I was wearing in December of 2009. I knew I had to do something or I would just continue to gain & grow.

In December I took my car off the road due to some problems it was having & hoping I would save some money for a few months. I began walking the short distance to work & back 3 times a week. I also started walking to the grocery store & back. Before long I was walking to almost all of my destinations. In the beginning it was a bit difficult because I had become accustom to jumping in my car for even the shortest trips. Now I had to walk. I found myself walking 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes it was just a 10 minute walk to drop off a letter or to go to my Mom's. But after 2 months of walking all those little walks I lost 15 pounds. Now that's not the only thing I did. I knew exercise is only part of the equation when it comes to weight loss. The other very important step is to control what we consume food & beverage wise.

I realized I was eating a lot of junk. Chocolate bars & chips were eaten in the past with no regard to the fact that there is no nutritional value what-so-ever. And with it not only having nothing good for you, it is contributing to my weight. So I cut out that on the most part. I still will have nachos or a bit of chocolate if I feel I really need them. I don't feel if you want to lose weight that you have to be so totally ridged that you feel deprived. Just be sensible. Ask yourself "Is this good for me?" before you purchase any food.

I found that eating toast in the morning is healthy if you buy whole grain breads & it stops you from fasting. Always try to eat something for breakfast. If you have toast for breakfast try not to eat more bread for lunch. Too much bread each day will put the pounds on. If you like sandwiches for lunch, eat cereal in the mornings. For dinners I have been making a beef stir fry once a week & it is all vegetables & a bit of beef with rice. A completely healthy meal & so enjoyable. Make enough for a quick meal for a few nights & you'll be feeling wonderful in no time. Try to eat just the 3 meals a day. Snacking is a big problem for weight gain. If you need something try to eat fruit. An apple will give you so much more than some kind of junk food.

If you are going to start to walk pick yourself up some of the recyclable bags. They are usually canvass & can be purchased in any grocery store. Leave the car at home & head out to pick up something you need at the drug store or grocery store. Take your bags with you & you'll be doing the environment a favor & yourself too. If you walk to get some place, like a store, instead of just for exercise, you'll find you will enjoy getting to your destination & making it home. As you walk tell yourself you are helping your heart. You are doing it!!! You are on your way to feeling better, looking better & being healthier! If you work within 10 minutes walking to work - try it. You'll save on your gasoline bill & you'll clear your mind before & after work. You can do it!

If you walk more & drive less you will see a difference in a month or two. Buy yourself a scale if you if don't have one already. You can find used ones in most thrift store for about $3.00. Make sure you know what your weight is when you start out on your journey to a slimmer you & you'll know your progress.

Eat wiser, walk yourself into a healthier, happier you & feel amazed by doing so. Once you start to notice your clothes are getting a bit big you will want to walk even more & it will help you to keep eating right. Just walk & find healthy snacks & meals & you too will lose weight. Keep healthy!!!

To see more of my articles, check out my profile. Click on my name (in blue) under the title of this article. Thanks.

Cori