by Dondi Barrowclough

Created on: February 24, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Diets don't work. Quite simply, they're "quick fix" ways to shed pounds quickly...pounds that you will gain back, probably even more quickly, when you go off of the diet or, even worse, diet pills or supplements that are, for the most part, legalized and repackaged speed. Unfortunately, the best way to lose weight, like anything else worth doing well, takes time and dedication. First and foremost:

-Keep a food journal for a week. After that week go back through and decide the changes you need to make to increase the nutritive value of your diet and decrease the intake of unhealthy or high-calorie, low-nutrient substances. If you don't know enough about nutrition or don't feel comfortable deciding what changes to make on you own, consult a qualified nutritionist. A good one will help you devise a plan for creating delicious, healthy meals and snacks as well as helping you make healthy food choices to begin with.

-GET MOVING! Make 30 minutes of exercise 3 times a week your number one priority, and base your exercise on your current weight, weight loss goals and general health. If you are dangerously overwight or obese, consult with your physician before undertaking any exercise to ensure that you don't do anything that might endanger your cardiovascular system, thyroid or other systems. Otherwise, GET MOVING! Even if it's playing with your kids outside for thirty minutes, hey, that's a great aerobic workout! As you build stamina, increase both length of time exercising and number of times weekly, based on your energy levels, time commitments and, of course, amount of weight your want to lose. But thirty minutes three times a week is a good baseline, and something almost everyone can commit to.

-Size up your emotional health. Are you happy? Unhappy? Stressed-out or stress-free? Somewhere in betweeen? Your emotional wellbeing affects you on the deepest levels and will have a lot to do with your motivation to get into shape, so ensure that you take that into consideration and, if necessary, make changes to better your emotional well-being. Consider seeing a therapist for a consultation and/or regular treatment, getting into a self-help program that fits your beliefs and lifestyle and/or meditation or deep breathing exercises.

-A few tiny little things you can start IMMEDIATELY to impact your weight loss:
-Replace all sodas, sport drinks and other beverages that are not 100% water or 100% fruit juice with plain old water. If you don't like the taste of water (I don't)

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