by Irene Preklet

Created on: April 03, 2009

You have just stepped on the scale and are shocked by the numbers! How can it be you ask yourself, where did all that extra weight come from? You vow to eat only fruit and vegetables and exercise until you drop.

The infomercials we see on television can set up some pretty unrealistic weight loss and exercise goals. Who hasn't seen the ad that promises a 10 pound weight loss in just 7 days or just a few minutes of exercise a day to get a 6-pack?

Hold on, take a deep breath and unzip those too tight pants. You did not gain the weight overnight and you are not going to lose it overnight either and it is not healthy to go from being inactive to trying to be superman or superwoman at the gym.

You want this to be about changing your lifestyle, and there is no quick solution to becoming healthier and in better shape, it takes time and commitment.

First off, be kind to yourself, do not beat yourself up over your extra weight, and secondly ease into your weight loss and fitness goals.

In order to lose the weight you will have to change what and how much you eat and get your body moving to burn extra calories. Losing about a pound or two a week is considered a realistic amount, and your diet will be a key component on your weight loss journey.

Instead of drastically changing your diet, start off with little things like cutting out sugary soda or fried potato chips. If you can not go without soda, try a diet version of your favorite, have baked potato chips over the fried ones and instead of ice cream have some low-fat yogurt.

Then as those changes start to become easier, try adding some more. Fill up on whole wheat pasta or bread instead of the processed white versions, drink skim milk or 1% over whole milk, and start adding more fruits and vegetables.

Be careful about liquid calories! Some coffee drinks are as high in calories and fat as milk shakes and one or two a day can help you pack on the pounds if you are not careful.

Now that you have put those changes in place, try cutting back on your portion sizes, but again be realistic, you need food to fuel your body for your workouts. If you eat too little your metabolism might start to slow because your body goes into starvation mode. A tool that will make this easier is a food scale which will help you understand what a serving size should actually be.

Do not be afraid to eat some of your favorite foods now and then! You can still have a piece or two of chocolate or a cookie, just be mindful of how much you are eating. You do

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