All the other guys...

I have purchased them all.. 6 week body makeover, Weight Watchers, South Beach, YOU Diet, Grapefruit Diet, Herbalife and the list goes on and on.  I have bought weights, bikes, belts, dvd's, wii games, steps, gym clothes, and athletic shoes. Why is it that none of this worked before? The fact is they did. I lost a pound here, a pound there. What happened during the holidays, or when on vacation? I gained weight and lost my motivation and in turn gained my weight back. Once you stop following the diet, stop taking the pills, stop drinking the shakes you gain weight.

This time I plan on doing it my way the best way with healthy food and hard work. Weight loss isn't just about diet and exercise but also being mentally ready to lose weight. You can drink the miracle shake but if your not ready to lose weight, you will gain it back. I know now, that I am ready to lose weight and keep it off.

Tomorrow is an important day; it is weigh in day. I am really hoping to reach my first goal of 10 pounds gone. If not this week it WILL be next. My first goal weigh is 174.4 As I said before this is also 38 pounds down from all time high. This is a Nikki. I have almost lost a Nikki. Okay I know she is a small person but added to my thighs, back, tummy, hips, and heart that is a lot of weight gone. On my way to losing a Jasmine, and will end with a Kayla. I love you girls but tired of seeing you on my thighs, hips, and butt.

It is hard to mentally get ready to lose weight. Here are a couple weight loss tips I have found:

• Tip #1 - Set Goals -- Setting goals is an important step for the achievement of success in any area of your life. If you want to lose weight sit down and write out out your fitness goals. Do you want to lose 5 pounds? Do you want to exercise more regularly? Do you want to eat a healthier diet? Having written goals makes it 10 times more likely that you will achieve your goal.
• Tip #2 - Prioritize Your Time -- Okay so you don't have time? I am here to say you do. Do I really need to list everything I do and yet I still find time. Consider writing in exercise as an appointment in your calendar. In addition, plan out your shopping list and meals in advance. Come up with ways to better use your time and commit the necessary time to improving your health.
• Tip #3 - Don't Go For the Quick Fix -- Patience is a virtue, but it is almost always lacking when it comes to weight loss programs. There are 2 main problems with seeking the quick fix. First, the tendency to want something for nothing leaves people disappointed and de-motivated. There is no way around putting in the work. Something for nothing does not exist! The second problem with seeking the quick fix is that it often addressed the symptoms and not the cause of the problem. Go slow and steady because consistency is really important.
• Tip #4 - Think About Changing Your Lifestyle --Healthy Eating and Exercising Regularly are like taking a bath. You only experience the benefits if you continually do it on a regular basis. So many people say that diets don't work because when people go off the diet they gain weight back. But, the word diet actually means "way of life" not restriction. Everyone is always on a diet, it's just that every one's way of life is different.
• Tip #5 - Commit to Your Routine -- Once you have goals, you must commit to your eating and exercise routine. Your level of commitment will determine your results. If you just kinda commit, then you'll likely have low results. However, if you fully commit to your routine and put your all into it, your results will likely be much better.
• Tip #6 - Keep a Workout and Food Journal -- Keeping track of your progress and activities is a great way to keep you moving in the direction of your goals. We all think we exercise more than we actually do, and we all think we eat less than we actually eat. A workout journal and food journal will help to give you a less biased opinion about your activities. The better you can determine how your plan is going the easier it is to modify it to reach your goals. This is hard for me but I use fatsecret.com to track everything. Great site!
• Tip #7 - Forget About Moderation Strive for Excellence -- Everything in moderation except moderation. I understand the statement "Everything in Moderation", but the problem is that everyone has a different definition of moderation. For some people drinking alcohol in moderation is 1 drink a week, and for others it's 4 or 5 drinks 3-4 times a week.
  
  If you want to be successful in anything you have to strive for excellence in that endeavor, and do your best all the time. If a habit is bad for your health, then you should likely always avoid it. Here's an analogy. Would you ever tell a child, "lying and stealing is okay but only moderation"-- of course not. So why do we talk ourselves into doing things that we know are not right by using well it's okay if I do bad stuff only in moderation.
  
  Now, I know that no one is perfect, I am not, but striving for excellence is all about truly doing your best to make the best decisions all the time. You and your body deserve the best.
  
  How you think determines what you do. And what you do determines how you feel. So set goals, prioritize your time, commit to long-term success, and strive for excellence. We are going to do this. If we want it we will get it.