How do I start to lose weight?

You have become fatter over the years and you have decided that action is required but you are not sure what you should do. Your weight has risen steadily over a period of time. Like a good number of people you probably consume a lot of processed foods and ready meals that you buy from the supermarket that contain high volumes of sugar and fat. In addition you are probably not doing as much exercise as you ought to.
So where do I go from here?
First of all you need to understand that the key to weight loss is maintaining a balance between your calorie consumption and the amount of calories you use working out. If you use up more calories than you consume you will lose weight. If you are using less calories than you take on board your weight will increase.  It really is that straightforward!
How do you begin losing my unwanted weight?
To begin with you need to decide precisely how much weight you want to lose. You should also decide upon a sensible time scale to achieve your fat loss goal. It is a well known fact that if you lose weight too rapidly it will more than likely return again which is not the object of the exercise. Most experts consider that a losing weight in the region of one to two pounds per week is a practical target to try and achieve.
Willpower and motivation
Reducing your weight does require a considerable amount of willpower. To lose weight effectively you will most almost certainly need to modify your basic diet and exercise routine. If you are not committed to losing weight you will fail!
This is where setting targets and goals can play an important part. Set yourself a number of small targets to aim for. If we assume for example that you need to lose around about three stone your first goal could to be to lose 7lbs. Setting small achievable goals will motivate you to continue. You are far less likely to give up if you can keep celebrating your successes. Allow yourself a small treat whenever you achieve your goal and then set another goal and begin once more.
Are there foods I need to avoid?
It is extremely difficult to make changes to your lifestyle simply because you want to lose weight. Making relatively minor changes can however still be effective. Read the labels carefully on the foods you buy from the supermarket and see whether there is a lower calorie alternative that has less calories that you might like. Try and include extra fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet. Cut out items such as crisps and colas as these generally contain a very high amount of calories (A 25g bag of crisps for example typically contains around 130 calories and a 330ml can of soft drink is likely to contain in the region of 140 calories).
If you consume one bag of crisps per day and drink just one can of soft drink the calorie content of these two items alone adds up to 270, 1890 calories a week. To put this into perspective 3500 calories equates to somewhere in the region of one pound in weight. Just by removing these two items alone from your diet you could lose over half a pound a week.
Is exercise important for weight reduction?
Exercise of some sort is crucial for the sake of your health. Exercising is a terrific way to lose weight. Exercise helps to raise your heart rate and quicken your metabolism. When your metabolism quickens you will automatically burn off some of your existing fat. The exercise you do does not have to be arduous. Simply taking a brisk walk two or three times a week will be extremely beneficial.
As you can see it is not essential to make radical changes to your life style in order to lose weight. What is important is to be determined and committed and you will then have a good chance of succeeding.