Getting started on your weight loss journey

Have you been reading about people dropping insane amounts of weight? Are you getting SPAM emails telling you about what foods to eat (or not eat) to lose belly fat? If both of these things are happening to you, chances are you are interested in losing a few pounds.

Like everything that you want to be successful, you have to start off with a plan. The plan itself can be is simple or as detailed as you want - but you really should start off with a personal plan. It is really up to personal tastes, habits, etc on which works better for you. The plan itself can be written down on paper, recorded in digital form, or whatever works for you.

The first part of your plan should outline your personal goals. In business, we use the acronym S.M.A.R.T. as the criteria for good goals. S.M.A.R.T stands for:

• Specific - the goal must be specific enough to understand it.
• Measureable - you need a way to track your progress towards your goal.
• Attainable - this is one of those "be real" kind of things.
• Relevant - this means that it needs to be consistent with the environment or conditions you are in. For example, for most people, replacing all of the food in your pantry with low cal, low fat versions is not economically feasible.
• Time based - you should have dates set (don't worry - you can adjust those later if necessary). This creates a sense of urgency about the goal - it will happen by this date.

The plan itself should focus on what you are GOING to do - not what you are NOT GOING to do. I know that sounds simple - but it is a key element in being successful at weight loss. For example, don't say things like "I am not going to eat buttered popcorn at the movies". Change it to something like "I will budget 150 calories for snacks".

Most people do MUCH better (both short term and long term) if they do NOT think of this as a "diet". One way to get the word "diet" out of your head is to think about your plan as a way of life - not just a temporary thing.

Another consideration is getting in all the nutrition so that the plan itself is sustainable. I am a HUGE advocate of using supplements. Those that have read earlier posts know that I am a huge fan of Xyngular products - I will dedicate a post or two in the future on each of their products, what it does for you, etc.

My point about nutrition is one you shouldn't take likely. For your plan to work, your body needs to get all of the vitamins and minerals necessary to support your bodies function. It also doesn't hurt to eat foods that will help encourage your metabolism, regulate blood sugar, manage cholesterol, and more.

The short version of my personal plan is as follows:
Goals: I will get to 12% body fat by 6/2014. I will be able to play golf (walking and carrying my own clubs) summer of 2013. I will be wearing pants with a waist band less than 40" by June of 2013.
Plan: I have computed my BMR at 2700 calories a day. I will target 2000 calories a day. I will exercise 6 days a week - 4 days of strength training and 2 days of cardio. I will eat lean - targeting the following:

• Protein: >150g per day
• Carbs: 100g per day
• Fat: <50g per day

If you are interested in the long version, leave me a comment and I will send it to you.