Weight Loss Checklist

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were some miracle pill that could help us shed unwanted pounds without lifting a finger or adjusting how many calories we consume or increasing our activity level? Wouldn’t it be great if you were the inventor of this magical pill that could make us/keep us thin? Well, don’t dream about this for too long because, unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. For permanent weight loss, you will have to change your lifestyle and eating habits…that’s all there is to it.

Weight loss takes time, work, motivation, and positive thinking. Forget those “Lose 10 pounds in 2 days” weight loss schemes. Oh, they may work in the short term, but how long can one drink only juice and stay alive? Or take a pill and only eat once a day, if at all? Let me tell you: not very long. And guess what? Once you start eating and drinking normally again, those pounds you lost will come right back…quicker than when they came off!

Permanent weight loss takes time. You don’t know how I hated to admit to myself that the following statement is true: “It took time to accumulate the weight, so it will take time to take it off.” I thought it wasn’t true, but it is. If you steadily gained 10 pounds over 6 months, it’s going to take at least 1 to 2 months to get those pounds off. You will also have to invest time in finding the right exercise plan for you and time to determine how you want to eat in order to maximize your weight loss efforts.

To get those pounds off, it will also take work. That’s right: work. By that I mean exercise. Yes, study after study has shown that activity is key to weight loss and keeping the weight from coming back. There’s no getting around it: you will have to exercise if you want optimum results.

To get optimum results, you will also need motivation. You will be surprised at what motivates you. It could be your doctor telling you that you need to lose weight because your blood pressure and/or cholesterol are high. It may be a comment made in passing by a friend or loved one about how you have “let yourself go.” It may be those clothes in your closet that you haven’t worn in years that are beckoning to you, screaming out to you to please wear them again soon! Whatever your motiviation is…do whatever it takes to keep it in your mind at all times. Put a picture of yourself from your thinner and healthier days up on your frig or on your mirror. Write about your weight loss journey every day in a journal or notebook. Repeat your goals to yourself at least three times a day. Find a weight loss buddy. Whatever it takes to keep you motivated, do it!

Another important key to permanent weight loss is positive thinking. In addition to changing your eating and activity habits, it is imperative to change the way you think. You cannot let negative thinking get in the way of your goal…a thinner, healthier you.

So the weight loss checklist includes:

Time

Work

Motivation

Positive Thinking

These 4 things are key in reaching your weight loss goal.

Jennifer Murray is a Certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Specialist, the Healthy Foods Editor for BellaOnline, http://healthyfoods.bellaonline.com, and the owner of http://www.weightlossinfocenter.com.

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