Weight Loss Help

Where Do I Begin?

By Mary Ann Senatore-Your Weightlosing Friend

 

We have made the decision to lose weight. We are mentally and emotionally ready to begin our journey, but we need a place to start. Since we want to develop good healthy guidelines that can stay with us as we make lifestyle changes, we are going to begin with the basics. To start with our new lifestyle goals are to:

1.      Start with our physician for a basic beginning check up

2.      Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products

3.      Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and

4.      Select foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars

5.      Make smart choices from every food group.

6.      Find balance between food and physical activity

7.      Get the most nutrition out of calories

8.      Stay within daily calorie needs

9.      Portion control

10.   Treating ourselves like company by making food fun and exciting

 

 

Sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? Starting a new adventure is always exciting, and can be overwhelming. Trying to change our poor weight gaining habits to healthy weight habits is not going to happen overnight. If we try to change everything at once, we are going to set ourselves up for defeat. Change one thing at a time, slowly and gradually. Change will happen if we focus on one event at a time.

 

We are going to move forward with our healthy lifestyle changes in small increments and phases that could include:

 

1.      Setting small goals with our total weight loss as the ultimate prize

2.      Each goal will be 5 pounds, and each goal will have a non-food reward

3.      Explore food groups for two weeks making choices for what we like and at least once a week try a new flavor, taste, recipe, or a food that we have never tasted before

4.      Explore new activities until we find one that we like, enjoy, and look forward to doing at least 4 times a week

5.      Start small with a walking program perhaps

a.      10 minutes a day for the first week

b.      15 minutes a day for 5 days the second week

c.      18 minutes a day for 5 days the third week

d.      20 minutes a day for 4 days the fourth week

 

 

We didn’t gain weight overnight and we cannot fool ourselves into believing that we are going to lose weight overnight either. Start small, start slow. Keep goals realistic and stay focused. Trying to conquer the world in one battle will set us up to lose in an instant. The best part of success is the reward and benefit of seeing such things as clothes fitting better, making healthy choices naturally, hearing the doctor say that our cholesterol is down significantly, getting a hug from a loved one and noticing that their arms fit around us with ease, and finally our own increased self confidence.

 

Remember, you are never alone in your journey.