Successful Weight Loss

I have read too many articles and books about the magical cure for quick weightloss. There is no magical cure or magical pill. Anyone can lose weight. Like any other goal or challenge in life it takes time and commitment. There are three little words to remember: diet, exercise and patience.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from starting a weight loss journey, on the contrary, I want to inspire people to begin their journey based in reality. Cutting calories to a realistic level for your build, weight and activity level is essential. Getting your butt up off the couch and moving is also essential. Remember that your current physique was not built in a day and practice patience, patience, patience. The pounds that have taken years to accumulate will take weeks, months and in some cases years to disappear. However, as you begin your journey, you will have more energy, mental clarity and results if you stick with those three little words.

Start slow. If you have never power walked then don't start by attempting to run 3 miles, this is not logical or safe. If you're a couch potato then start slowly by parking further away at the mall, use stairs every change you get rather then the elevator and even bring laundry up and down stairs in many trips rather then opting for the lazy man loads!!! When you put away your groceries use your leg muscles and perform squats when putting things in the lower cabinets. When you're stuck in traffic do butt squeezes to start tighting that rear end. Standing at the crib waiting for baby to drift off....do some standing leg lifts. My point is that you can fit in small amounts of exercise where ever you may be. Try these exercise finding options for a couple of weeks. After that start walking outside at a brisk pace for 1/2 mile. After two week of this distance add another 1/2 mile while continuing your whenever exercises.

Remember to consult a physician and get some baseline tests done. Health and fitness can be tracked in other ways besides the scale. Get your cholesterol figures taken and remember to write down your beginning measurements. When the scale doesn't move you'll most likely see inches disappear.

As far as dieting goes again it's common sense. Anything prepackaged or labeled quick and easy is the least healthy option. Eating healthy means being prepared. Determine the calories you need (consult a physican). Then base your menu around that. It's best to eat 5 small meals a day. This keeps your blood sugar levels even and consistent throughout the day. You want to avoid starving yourself, you need to feed the machine!!!!

A sample day follows:

Breakfast english muffin with sugar free jelly, 4 oz cottage cheese

Snack: piece of fruit and 100 calorie granola bar

Lunch: Large salad with fat free dressing. 6 slices of lean turkey and one slice low fat cheese on 100 calorie pita with mustard (sorry no mayo).

Snack: 60 calories of yogurt with 10-12 peanuts and a 1/2 cup of fruit

Dinner: 4-6 ounces of lean chicken, 3/4 cup of brown rice and lots of veggies (frozen or fresh-no canned please)

As you read you can see this is all common sense eating. Don't reward yourself with food. If you're still starving (which you shouldn't be) add another piece of fruit to our day.

Try to stop eating before 6:30 pm and remember to drink 8-10 glasses of water. A treat can be a diet soda.

This is it. There are no miracles and there are no chocolate only diets. Common sense and commitment combined with diet, exercise and patience will get you to your goals.

Good luck!!