Keys to Sticking to Your Goal!

It's easy to say "Starting Monday I'm going to eat better and start working out!" I know I've said that line many times in my 30 years. That first Monday you're all pumped up, but once Wednesday rolls around the motivation can somewhat fade. Then it gets harder and harder to stay motivated.  Sticking to a healthier lifestyle can get confusing and frustrating, especially in the beginning, but here are some things that have really helped me.

1. Find a Workout You Can Enjoy - Knowing you need to workout for the day can be daunting at times, especially if you don't enjoy the workout.  Whether is running, aerobics, riding your bike, make sure you enjoy it.  I personally have come to enjoy Chalene Johnson as a fitness instructor and have loved TurboFire and Chalean Extreme, so working out is a little easier for me to start, even on those days I really don't want to exercise.
2. Spend Time at the Grocery Store - After spending hours at the gym and not seeing results did it finally hit me, my diet had to change.  I couldn't just exercise 1-2 hours a day and expect to see the results I wanted, I needed to change my eating habits too.  Once I changed the way I ate, the pounds dropped off.
   
   In the beginning figuring out what and what not to eat can be extremely frustrating.  I suggest spending some time at the grocery store and finding items you might like and really reading the labels.  Things to consider:
   
   - Amount of calories PER SERVING
   - High in fiber and or protein (these keep you fuller longer)
   - Low in sugar
   
   When in doubt consider the ingredients.  Ingredients you can't pronounce?  Lean towards food that are not so processed.  After spending some quality time at the grocery store you will find items that you enjoy eating and your food list will just grow every time you go back to the store.  Here are some of my "go to" items. 
3. Share Your Goal with Others - They'll be asking you about your progress and looking for changes, a little pressure does help.  Accountability can be that little push you need sometimes.  Plus, I've noticed that those who know will often be very helpful too.  When going out to eat, at times friends will take my diet into consideration and choose places where there are more healthy items to choose from.
4. Be Accountable to Yourself - Only you can push yourself to make the changes.  If you mess up one day then just start again the next day.  Don't give up.
5. Patience is Key - Gaining weight is easy and can happen quickly but losing the weight takes hard work and determination.  Don't beat yourself up if you haven't lost as much as you think you should have.  Concentrating only on what the scale says can be deceiving.  You might not be seeing that scale go down but you could be gaining muscle and losing inches. 

I wish everyone the best in their weight-loss journey.  The hard work will pay off!