But lets say you would be happier wearing more revealing summer clothes (if you weighed less).  This is an ideal time to get going on a weight management and exercise program. 

In two or three months you could be ten pounds lighter.  But that isn’t enough you say.  You might be very surprised at how much better you would feel mentally and physically if you lost 10 pounds and tightened up some of those sagging muscles.  

Many of us get discouraged because we feel we have to lose a tremendous amount of weight to make a difference.  Actually, medically, just a 10% weight loss can result in measurable differences in your health.  And just a month of exercise can make you smile when you glance at yourself in the mirror. 

What kind of diet should you follow?

Have you ever dieted successfully before?   As long as you have been cleared medically and it was a nutritionally balanced diet, just go back to that method.  If you haven’t lost weight before, go to the Department of Agriculture Food Pyramid to find out what your body needs for proper nutrition.  Then consume between 1300 – 1600 calories a day based on your size and how active you are.   Carry a little notebook with you and write down everything you eat.  You will learn a lot from just doing that.   It will keep you honest in your food intake.  

If you have been sedentary, your exercise can be two ten-minute walks each day.  You can do that without rearranging life.  Wear a pedometer every day. Set it to measure steps.  Then write down your step total each day on that little notebook you carry around.  You will find yourself trying to put in more steps each day. 

You can be successful whether you go it alone, join a program or use a weight management coach.  It is just a matter or finding what works for you. Don’t be discouraged if you have tried to lose weight before and haven’t, or have lost weight but not enough, or have lost weight and then put it back on.

Most people who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off are just like you.  They just had to experiment until the weight management program and the time was right for them.