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How to Take Your First Steps on the Weight Loss Journey

So, you’ve realized that you need to lose weight but you have no idea where to get started. Well, you came to the right place! This post will look at the first things you need to do/know when starting your weight loss journey.

# 1 - Know the dangers of online weight loss information

The internet is like a bad library where anyone can submit a book without having it reviewed or monitored. There is no regulation and everytime you open a page someone is trying to sell you something.

This is the big problem; the money aspect of online information hunting. Unless you have a very keen eye you will find it hard to spot the information that is genuine and free, and the information that is trying to suck you into buying a product.

So, when you are reading about weight loss on the internet you should be wary of everybody. Take some time to investigate why they are writing the article. Are they sponsored by a big weight loss pill company and if so are they being pushed to promote them?

# 2 - Gather as much weight loss information as you can

Having talked about the dangers of online information I should also say that there are HEAPS of quality resources out there. Many websites are published by people who want to help and who are really interested in weight loss. If you find a site like this you should bookmark it and visit it regularly.

Information is important for weight loss because you need to know where to focus your efforts. Many people give up the journey because they are not making any progress and they are not making any progress because they are doing the wrong thing. This stems back to bad information.

If you armor yourself with proper information you will always know what to do. You will know how to exercise and eat and how to allow yourself to lose weight with ease. It will not be as much of a struggle.

# 3 - Find a good weight loss community

I have just set up a Women’s Forum because I realized how important community is for realizing our weight loss and fitness goals. Without the support of friends and people who have done what we are trying to do the task becomes a whole lot harder.

Even if you do not learn anything new from the people in the community it is a useful tool because it keeps you focussed. When you could be tempted to stray off track you could visit this weight loss community and get refreshed and inspired. It could remind you of your goals and how important they are.

# 4 - Set REAL goals

This is probably the most important step in the weight loss journey. If you can get this step right everything else will fall into place naturally.

A REAL goal is one that has a few essential elements. It must:

• have a date by which you want to achieve it;
• have a clear statement of what you want to do;
• have a clear method of how you are going to do it;
• have a reward for doing it.

If it does not have these four elements to it then I suspect that your weight loss journey will be slower and more difficult. An example goal would be something like this:

I WILL lose 20 pounds of fat by June 30th by going to the gym three times a week and as a reward I will spend $500 dollars on some new clothes.

It is vital that you state what you want to do very specifically. For example, it is not good enough to say “I want to lose weight” you must say “I WILL lose … pounds…”. This second example has the positive wording of “will” and a set amount so it is not some vague figure. Make sure you get this right.

Once you have set that goal read it out a loud everyday. You need to keep the motivation active in your thoughts. Put it on the fridge and read it everytime you open the door. This is a massive secret to making sure your goal comes about.

# 5 - Find an exercise you like to do

Beginners often read weight loss information on the internet and think that they have to go running or bike riding to lose weight. This is not true. Any cardiovascular exercise where you increase your heart rate will help you lose weight.

A very common reason people give up exercising is because it is boring and hard. That is why finding a weight loss method you enjoy is so important; it will be easier to stick to in the tough times.

One especially good idea for beginners is to play a team sport. The team atmosphere is very infectious and it is helpful on the hard days as you always want to do what is right by the team. You aren’t going to miss an exercise session (game) because you don’t want to let everyone else down.

But, there are so many exercises out there that are excellent for burning fat. Real Women’s Fitness is well over 200 posts now and many of them have been on forms of weight loss exericse. We’ve looked at:

• dancing;
• kick boxing;
• boxing;
• pole dancing;
• skipping / rope jumping;
• swimming;
• hill sprints;
• high and low intensity running;
• pump classes;
• bike riding;
• hiking;
• circuits;
• so on

The list really is endless. Don’t feel like you have to do the traditional weight loss cardio like running and walking because you don’t. Quite often they are boring and will cause you to lose motivation. But, they do work well so if you can get into it then by all means go for it!

# 6 - Cut out sugar

Refined sugar really is most women’s biggest obstacle to weight loss. It is in EVERYTHING! America in particular has a real problem with their processed food. Almost anything you can buy at the supermarket will have sugar in it. Some of the things you will find it in are:

• breakfast cereals;
• snack bars;
• sodas;
• milk drinks;
• chips;
• candy;
• bread;

However, the one that always gets people angry is the fact that they add sugar to low fat foods. Foods that are marked as low fat are not always a good weight loss choice as they might be full of sugar! How annoying!

It really is important to get sugar out of your diet. Not only does it make you fat it makes you unhealthy. Sugar leeches out all the good nutrients and makes your body function at a much lower standard. You will feel so much better when you cut it out.

Conclusion
These are the basics you need to know when you are trying to start your weight loss program. I will be writing more posts for beginners in the coming days and weeks so stick around. Feel free to write any suggestions or comments that you might have about the difficulties people face in the intial stages of weight loss.

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