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At the beginning of this year, I vowed to lose some weight and get back in shape. I had mentioned that I wanted to lose at least 20 pounds by the end of the year. I’m glad to say that I accomplished this goal half-way through the year and am working hard to ensure I can maintain my new weight level.

I started out the year weighing in around 205 pounds and by the start of May I was at 190 pounds. Although that sounds like a 15 pound drop, it was due to the fact that I had started working out consistently but I could not drop anything further. This is when I decided to change another aspect of my regime and drop weight faster. As of today, I weigh about 178 pounds and am still dropping weight and feeling healthier day by day.

Here’s What I Did

• Run about 1.5 miles for 4 - 5 days a week
• Play tennis for about 1.5 - 2 hours 2 times a week
• Eat healthier by watching the amount of calories being ingested per day

Watch What You Eat

The most important thing I realized while trying to lose weight is the need to watch what you eat. The problem with many people is that they work out daily but eat poorly throughout the day. Too many people drink soda or juices with high calorie count. Many of these people also eat “snacks” that are loaded with excessive calories and claim that they are healthy (e.g. cereal bars). The golden rule to remember is Burn more calories than you eat per day. For the most part, that’s all you need to remember.

Avoid Soda and Juice

You know that can of Coke or Pepsi is bad for you? Those drink have about 140 calories per can or serving. Did you know that the juice you drink also has a similar amount of calories per serving. So don’t drink soda or juice. If you want to drink soda, drink diet and if you don’t like the taste, get used to it. And be sure to buy “light” juice because it will have fewer calories. While the Atkins promotes low carbs, I promote low calories. In my opinion, carbs are very important and low carbs are best for couch potatoes. In my opinion, and from my experience, the best way to lose weight is to exercise and ingest fewer calories daily.

Always Exercise

No matter how effective your diet plan is, it will never be as good as it can be if you were to combine it with a good exercise regimen. So how do you develop a good program? If you’re like me and can’t afford a personal trainer, the solution is extremely easy. You just have to remember to choose exercises that require you to breathe greatly such as running/jogging or playing basketball. All I did, for the most part, was just run everyday and pretty soon (within a week or so) I was seeing results that were motivating me. Weight training should not be done until you feel comfortable with a current exercise plan. I suggest running for about two weeks before adding weight training to your agenda. This allows your body to adjust to the running environment and helps it transition to other tasks much easily. I’m no expert, so be sure to consult a professional before starting any new diet or exercise plan.

Never give up because every small step you take brings you that much closer to realizing the results you want/need. Most of the time, you don’t have to spend any money to lose any weight. In fact, you could actually end up saving tons of money because you’ll be eating less unhealthy foods and living a healthier life-style. What are some steps you are taking to lose weight or attain a healthier lifestyle? What has worked for you in the past and what has not worked?

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