How to Lose the First 20 Pounds

When you have a large amount of weight to lose, one of your first goals may be to lose 20 pounds. However, even though the 20 pounds is just the start of your journey, it can seem overwhelming. I should know. I began my weight-loss journey at 268 pounds. I'm happy to say that I have taken off over 20 pounds and I feel great. More importantly though, I've made changes that I've been able to live with. I know there are a lot of people out there with the same goals and thought I would share some of the changes I made that worked best for me.

Give Up Soft Drinks

It may have been one of the hardest things I've ever done for my health, but I'm happy to say that it's been over five months since I've had my last pop. There was a time I would drink six cans of soda a day. That's close to 1,000 calories in pop! It doesn't take a genius to see that by cutting out soda, I was able to greatly reduce my calorie intake. If you find yourself drinking a lot of soda, coffee drinks, sweet tea or even juices that are high in sugar, try cutting back or cutting these drinks out completely. Not only will you save a massive amount of calories, but water is much healthier and aids in weight loss.

Eat Half Servings of Junk Food

I won't lie. I love food and found it impossible to give up my favorite snacks. What I've found that works for me is to have a half serving of the snack. Portion sizes are out of control in America and, most of the time, a half serving is all you need to be satisfied. One of the best examples I can give you is I eat a half serving of potato chips at lunch with my sandwich. This is an easy way to cut calories without feeling deprived.

Start an Exercise Plan

If you haven't been active in years, an exercise plan can see daunting, if not impossible. I know when I tried to do a fitness test to see how many pushups I could do, I couldn't even do one. I didn't let that stop me. Instead, I looked for other ways to be active. I began a strength training workout and started taking full advantage of my gaming consoles. One of my favorite ways to get in a cardio workout is to play tennis on the Wii. A 30 minute Wii tennis workout burns around 200 calories. The exact exercise you do doesn't matter. You simply need to find something you enjoy and will stick with.

Bulk Up Meals With Fruits and Vegetables

I've always been a big eater. When I started my weight-loss plan, I was disappointed by serving sizes; my meals looked so small. However, I found that if I started adding fruits and vegetables to my meals, I was able to have much more food without a significant increase in calories. More importantly though, vegetables and fruits require more chewing, which leads to more satisfaction.

Take Advantage of Every Minute of Every Day

I certainly got weird looks the other day while doing heel lifts in the checkout lane. Personally, I could have cared less. The simple truth is, I could have stood there doing nothing, but I chose to burn calories. Whenever you find yourself waiting for the dryer to stop, stuck in line at the grocery store or even getting your oil changed, take advantage of that time and exercise. You might take a walk, do wall pushups or any other exercise that can be done at that moment.

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