Starting Your Weight Loss Journey: A Guest Post

Today's guest post is brought to you by my dear friend Megan, who is the author of LosingThisWeight.com and is on the Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge ().  She loves helping others lose weight and lead healthy lives.

First off, congratulations on starting your weight loss journey!

Whether you have a long or short road ahead of you, you've taken the most important step, the first one.  Now all you need are some simple steps to keep you motivated and able to reach your goal.

Keep a weight loss journal.

A weight loss journal is a very important tool when losing weight.  You are able to record your food and calories for the day,  keep track of your activity level and jot down your personal thoughts and feelings.  This will help you in finding the right diet plan and exercise routine.  You can find several free weight loss journals online at Spark People and My Fitness pal.

Try different diet plans.

There is no shoe that fits all feet just like there is no diet plan that fits everyone.  Try different ways to diet until you find one that you like and makes you feel good, inside and out.  I prefer meal replacement shakes but I tried going vegetarian and weight watchers before I found my way.  But remember, just because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you.

Have fun exercising.  

Working out shouldn't be a chore.  When you enjoy exercising, you will do it more often and actually benefit more.  Watching TV is not exercising!  If you enjoy dancing like I do, get some dancing DVDs or video games and move it!  Try different forms of workouts to test what you like.  If you've never tried yoga, you really don't know if you like it or not. Always explore other options aw well to keep it new and exciting.  Now go exercise!

Stay motivated.

I know, it's easier said than done but it is possible.  Write motivational quotes on sticky notes and post them everywhere. Put some in your car, on your bathroom mirror, on your fridge and everywhere you look often.  Read these quotes aloud and remind yourself that you can do it.  Keep your journal updated and stay positive!

Now you have the basic tools to start your weight loss journey.

You can do it, I have complete faith in you as you should yourself!