First, you have to decide if you need a diet or a lifestyle change.  A diet (as I use the term) is a temporary change to your lifestyle (exercise and eating habits) diets are good for losing small amounts of weight that will come back over time.  If you want to lose ten pounds because you have a reunion or event coming up, you probably need a diet; hopefully, you find one that works.  A lifestyle change (which is what most of the articles I write focus on) is a complete overhaul of what you eat and how you exercise- it can incorporate an underlying “diet” but focuses on the long-term.  A lifestyle change is required for those who are significantly overweight.  Because it’s not just enough to lose the weight- you have to lose the weight and keep it off.

Examination 

The first step in making a lifestyle change is to examine how you currently live.  You can keep a journal; maybe make a blog – whatever works for you.  Record what it is you are eating and everything you are doing in terms of exercise.  You have to be honest with yourself in order for this to work.  So if you normally drink a regular soft drink but decide to write down a diet drink because you think that is somehow going to help you while you’re recording your current lifestyle, it’s not.

This step really worked well for me because I am a visual person.  I kept a notebook and for a week I wrote everything I ate and what all I did that could be considered exercise.  I usually didn’t carry it with me, I just remembered what I ate and wrote it down at the end of the day.  For the exercise I really didn’t do much, walked to the car and walked around work. Nothing too major.

Research

Taking your journal look at what you ate and what you did during that week.  If you really want to have some fun look up the calories, fat, and carbs in each of the things you ate.  You can do this on the Internet or on the packaging of most of the items you eat.  If you eat out a lot, there are many sites that offer this information for anything you order, including most websites for the restaurants themselves. It just may surprise you how many calories you consume normally.

You are also going to want to research the different types of diets. There are all kinds of diets out there. The most of them involve at least one of three components. There’s low calorie, low carb, and low fat.  You’re not necessarily going to go on a diet but at the core of your lifestyle change is an underlying diet that you need to stick to.  Personally, I chose low fat because it seemed easier than counting calories and well, I love me some carbs.  Plus, I have never understood low carb diets- I know lots of people that have had success with them but really, I don’t understand how you can eat bacon and lose weight. It’s just not natural.

Please remember that a diet is a temporary fix, but if you are looking to lose significant amounts of weight and maintain that weight loss for a long period of time diets can be beneficial. Make sure that the diet that you choose can be incorporated into your everyday lifestyle.

Looking at my first week in review, I focused on problem areas and made small changes at first. I continued to keep the journal to aide in my healthy lifestyle efforts and continued to make healthier changes as the weeks progressed.

Planning

Take a look at your journal and make a conscious decision to adhere to making healthy lifestyle changes. Once you accept that you need to make some changes, the better your efforts will be. It’s ok to start out slowly at first and make a couple of simple changes. For instance you may switch from regular soda to diet soda, and then eventually cut soda out all together. In terms of exercise you should set your goals small at first if you are not used to being active. You can make simple changes by taking the stairs at work instead of the elevator or perhaps park at the back of the parking lot so the walk to your building is a little longer. Maybe you have fifteen minutes during lunch that would allow you (and even a co-worker) to take a short walk around the building or parking lot. Walking is one of the easiest and best exercises you can do for yourself.

I started exercising slowly. I literally took it one step at a time. I did little things like walking short distances while at work or doing light housework daily. Eventually I bought a treadmill and started out walking slowly while watching television. As time progressed I was able to walk for longer periods of time, and eventually jog. Keeping with my routine I was ultimately able to run on my treadmill. So, sticking with a routine no matter how long it takes—you will eventually see some type of progress.

Follow Through and Maintenance

Once you’ve realized your need for change--stick to your plan. It’s ok to falter once in a while. Go ahead and have that scoop of ice cream! Just make sure you get back on track right away. There’s nothing wrong with having ice cream every now and then. You’re going to want to have some of those “bad” foods from time to time, and that is quite alright. The key is portion control. You can’t expect to cut out everything you’ve indulged in previously and never crave it or eat it again. That’s not being realistic. Limiting yourself to only a select few foods is not good and will just lead you to cheat on your lifestyle plan.

Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t seeing progress on your scale. There are probably going to be days or even weeks when your scale doesn’t register any change. Chances are you are progressing in other areas. Perhaps your scale says you still weigh the same, but you noticed your pants are fitting better. You’ve probably lost some inches! Maybe when you first started your exercise routine you couldn’t make it up three flights of stairs without being out of breath, but a few weeks later you have no trouble with them! Remember that this plan isn’t just a temporary change in your habits.

This plan is for you. This plan is for life—your healthier life.