So, you’ve decided to lose weight. And hopefully, you’ve read my first post in this series and have taken the initial steps to Set a Baseline. Now that you know where you are, how do you move forward and begin your weight loss quest? Well, you’ll need a set of tools to help you along the way.
1) Fitness tools. Will you work out at home, at a gym, with a trainer? What is your plan for cardio? What is your plan for resistance training? Whether it’s an exercise video like the 30 Day Shred
2) Nutrition aids. Will you simply count calories, follow a specific eating framework, or outsource your food to a service? Again, there’s a wide variety of ways to tackle nutrition. You can use common sense and count calories, you could join Weight Watchers or purchase Precision Nutrition for more specific guidance and support, or you could rely on a service like Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig to provide your food. While I’m not a huge fan of food services, I do think that it’s possible to use them to lose weight, and then gradually transition from the service to a plan that relies home food preparation. If they help you get started, and you can afford them, then go for it!
3) A journal. It can be a personal diary, or an online journal on a blog or a post on a message board filled with friends or other people who are also trying to get fit. A plus of online journaling is that it can give you access to a support network that will jump in to help you when you are struggling. What to journal? Daily updates that cover your eating, fitness, struggles, cravings, success stories, and questions or ideas are a good start!
4) A support network. You may be able to go it alone, but why? When the going gets tough, have someone to provide you encouragement and lift your spirits. This could be a workout partner, a good friend, or a spouse. If you don’t have anyone in your life that can serve this role, join a group of like-minded people on the internet for your support. Whether it’s groups on Sparkpeople or motivators on DailyBurn, you can find the right way to get support even if there’s no one supportive in your life.
In my next post, I’ll talk about how to keep yourself on track, after you start.
* Links to Amazon, Turbulence Training, and Precision Nutrition are affiliate links. If you purchase the items after following my links, I will receive compensation for your purchase. (Amazon = 6%, Turbulence Training = 75%, Precision Nutrition = 25%) Please see my “Referrals” page for more information.
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Really enjoying this series! This is a great resource, now when someone asks you for fitness advice you can point them to your site.
[...] for getting started to lose weight. First, you have to Set a Baseline. Next, you have to choose The Proper Tools. But once you’ve gotten started, one of the most challenging parts of weight loss can be [...]