Advice part 2

I try not to complicate things too much for people, so yesterday's tips were the essentials, but a bunch of other stuff came to mind when I closed my computer yesterday. Other things I did that were essential to my success in losing weight. So here are a few other ideas:

1. Educate yourself, often. While I believe in taking small steps at first in losing weight / getting fit, I think it is imperative to continuously do research, ask others questions, and seek advice from professionals. Most of the weight I lost I lost on my own, so I needed to know what I was doing. A lot of people have a lot of wrong nutritional info and think they're eating well when they're not. My basics are first: know how much of each nutritional element you need (i.e. how much fat content is too much, same for sodium, sugar... and how much protein is great, calories you need etc) then read alllllllll food labels. A safe bet is to start eating only homemade meals as much as possible, and slowly replacing unhealthier options with healthier ones.

2. Reach out to people for help. I was lucky someone suggested blogging because it became my support system. My friends who are supporting me would read it. But you could just as easily try to find a good friend/family member who you have to call/write to every day to report to. For people like me, the guilt of reporting failures to someone else is enough to keep me moving.

3. Most people go to gyms to lose weight, but if you can, find a sport/dance class/activity you LOVE and try to do that at least once a week for exercise. That won't feel like exercise because it's fun and it becomes a kind of "reward" for all the hard, boring work you're doing to lose weight. Oh, and do web research to find free classes (like I find on trainingmobs.com, which unfortunately is only in Montreal for the time being). Also look at group buying sites like Groupon, Teambuy, etc., for super deals on gyms/classes etc. This is a great way to try out new stuff, maybe discover something you like to do as a workout, and challenge your body to something different. And, if you have the means, I would say consult a personal trainer for a while... who knows, you may get a hot, amazing boyfriend out of it, like me! ha!

4. Be forgiving of yourself, but don't be too easy on yourself either. And if you've ALWAYS had a real weight/health problem, try looking into the real reasons behind that, whether by getting a medical checkup, consulting a therapist or doing some soul searching on your own. That's the only way you'll ever manage to maintain your weight loss in the long term...

Over and out.