Perhaps you don’t always eat the right foods, but each week you make a conscious effort to adjust your eating behavior. You have realized that progress is better than perfection. If you haven’t quite got it yet, hang in there, it’ll happen. These next five steps are going be a big help!

6) Commit to the Long Haul.

If you haven’t already done so, you need to commit in your mind that you are going to stick to this new life forever. It’s the new you and it makes you happy. When you were eating whatever you wanted were you happy?

So how can giving up and eating those old nasty foods that led you to where you were be a good thing? Commit to the long haul and you will learn the greatest secret to success with weight loss. (And anything else for that matter)

** When Failure is not an option, success is inevitable. **

When you grasp that, you begin to see that your weight loss adventure is a journey through hills, valleys, trees, mountains, and even past a few doughnut shops, but it will work out as long as you keep on walking. Speaking of walking…

7) Get Moving (Exercise)

The late great Dr. Atkins said that if he could invent any pill in the world, he would invent a pill that makes people exercise. All Doctors, scientists, and gym teachers agree: Exercise is an important part of any healthy life strategy.

WARNING: DO NOT BEGIN TO EXERCISE UNTIL YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR EATING HABITS, DOING SO MAY CAUSE YOU TO STRESS OUT AND QUIT BOTH.

I recommend you have 2 or 3 weeks of eating right under your belt until you begin exercising. That way you’ve already adjusted your lifestyle and exercising won’t be such a shock, it’ll be the next logical step in your journey.

Exercise breaks into two main categories:

Cardio

Weight Training

I have selected two links that talk more in depth about each aspect, make sure to go to those pages for more detailed information. This article is broader and focuses on getting you started, I’ll let these other sites get into more detail on the specifics.

Both Cardio and Weight Training are important and vital to healthy living. I suggest you join a gym or get some free weights and a treadmill. I lift weights 3 times a week and do cardio 3 times a week.

I also attempt to play sports at least 1 night a week if not 2. Racquetball has become one of my new favorite past times, you should play it sometime, trust me, it’s a lot of fun!

If you think you can’t afford a gym you can at least begin by jumping rope, walking around the block, always taking the stairs, jumping on a trampoline, etc. Doing anything is better than doing nothing.

8) Don’t Be Afraid To Eat Out.

If you ate out before you began your new eating habits, odds are you’ll still want to eat out. So what’s the best thing to do? Keep on eating out by all means! If you don’t you’ll never make it. When you go out opt for salads, chicken, and no fried foods. I didn’t say it was gonna be easy, but it is very possible.

When I eat out I usually have Caesar salads, fajitas with no tortilla, pizza toppings, chicken breast, and other fine low Carb foods. I made sure I could eat foods I like when I picked my new eating style, so make sure you do the same!

9) Find A Partner

Everything is easier when you have someone else helping you. Find someone to join you in your eating plan and find someone to go to the gym with you, or to go with you on a walk. It’s much better to have someone else you can talk to and that can hold you accountable.

You and your “accountability partner” can keep each other in check and if either of you is feeling down, you can inspire each other by your actions and positive words.

10) Grow As You Go, or Die If You Don’t Try.

Always remember it’s a gradual process. Getting to your goal weight will happen when you commit to it happening. If you won’t quit, then eventually, no matter what, you will see that magical number on the scale you’ve been aiming for.

Don’t get discouraged! See each day as a new opportunity to work towards your goal.

When you weigh in each week, take into account muscle mass, water, and what time of day you weigh. It’s best to weigh in wearing the same clothes at the same time on the same day of the week.

No matter what happens from week to week, promise yourself you’re going to keep on going.

Success comes to those who don’t see failure as an option. Your weight each week isn’t a sign of success or failure, it’s only a tool for determining what to change, keep, or fix. The best sign of weight loss is your clothes.

As you stay with your new eating plan, your clothes will feel looser. So look forward to buying new clothes! Just make sure they fit the new you…

11) Last Thing: Submit Your Before Pictures!

I’m going to make a gallery of all the people who have read this article and lost weight. I’ll have my picture on it as well as others. So, get out the digital camera and email me your picture.

Let’s make it our goal to lose 1 ton as a team! Send me your picture, name, and total weight loss goal. You don’t have to say how much you weigh now, just how much you want to lose. Let’s do this! E-mail Me at Mike[at]OnlyOneMike[dot]com

Mike is constantly challenging himself and those around him to live life to the fullest. He has put together a free newsletter that reveals some of his greatest advice, never before revealed on the internet. Sign up for the Free Newsletter now by going here: http://www.onlyonemike.com/blog/signup

Most of you that read this will more than likely skim through the article, think to yourself how you already know most of what is said, close the webpage and go on with your life. If that’s you, this entry isn’t meant for you. I’m writing this for those people that find it next to impossible to lose weight.

Those people that think they’ll always be fat because they don’t have enough self control, will power, or desire. This is for those people that that feel like losing weight is an uphill struggle, a hopeless quest for an imaginary goal.

Why am I qualified to reveal this secret?

Let me begin by saying that I am someone who has not only been there, I am still there. 5 months ago my life changed and I’ve been losing weight ever since. So far I’ve lost 50 pounds and I’ve been going to the gym 3 days a week too.

During this time I have had a chance to figure out a lot of things, and the secret to weight loss is one of the things I have learned. So, if you will, sit back and read this advice and if you’re ready for it, let’s begin.

Ancient Proverb: The Journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.

So let’s begin with the basic fundamental truth. Your current situation and size is the realization of your past decisions. The foods we eat either contribute to weight gain or help lose weight. Each day we make the choice to gain more weight or lose weight by deciding what foods we eat. So step 1 is the easiest step of all. And yes, this is what I did, and yes it did help.

1) Your new lifestyle begins by devoting 2 weeks to eating whatever you want and as much of it as you want.

If you want to eat chocolate for every meal go for it. Don’t hold back, if you want it, eat it. You won’t gain that much weight; you’ll only get rid of the “forbidden fruit” mentality. Setting your mind free is the most important step. You will quickly see that food isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

2) After your 2 weeks are up, step on a scale, take measurements of your waist, hips, bust, biceps, thighs, etc. These numbers don’t mean anything. They are just a tool to determine your next step.

3) Write down a goal weight. Set a target weight and target date. Make a chart like this:

Begin by writing the target date down with a statement. (Ex. I will weigh xxx pounds by January 1, 2007). Next take your total weight loss amount and divide it by 10. So if you want to lose 80 pounds you would divide that by 10 and get 8. All you have to do is lose 8 pounds 10 times and you’ve reached your goal.

So let’s say your beginning weight is 250 pounds and you want to weigh 170. That’s 80 pounds. Make 10 boxes below your weight/date statement. Each box represents 8 pounds. Every time you lose 8 pounds, mark off a box like you do when marking off a calendar day.

Each time you lose 8 pounds, you’re 10% closer to your goal. Give yourself something each time you cross off a box. Maybe a new outfit, take a vacation day from work, go see an old friend, something you’ve been putting off that you really want to do. Write these things down in the box so you don’t forget. This gives you incentive to lose the weight.

4) Begin!

The hardest part of any weight loss is getting started. That first step can seem impossible. That’s why you’ve already gone through 3 steps that weren’t too difficult. You’ve already picked up some steam and you can use that as inspiration to take this next step.

I began by choosing a way of eating I could live with for life. That’s important. I use a mixture of a few different plans that work for me. I like eating less carbs and more proteins, which also helps me in the gym too, as protein is needed to achieve muscle gain. When it comes to diets most work IF you can stick to them, unfortunately most diets don’t work because they are next to impossible to stay on.

After you have found a new way of eating, you can begin. Wake up with the mindset of eating right. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to begin. Also, make sure you start taking some vitamins and supplements. I’m trying out some right now that I may end up selling in the future; I’ll let you know how that goes. In the mean time, take some vitamins, even a cheap daily from Wal-Mart will do for now.

5) At the end of the week, weigh in and see what the scale says. If you lost some weight, great, keep doing what you’re doing. If you didn’t, that’s great too! You’ve grown closer to finding what foods are preventing you from losing weight. When the new week starts, decide on ONE thing you’re going to change and change it.

I was eating chicken wings with bleu cheese dressing for the first few months and I consistently didn’t lose as much weight as I’d have liked to. So, when I’d lost some weight and found new foods that I liked, I stopped eating them. I haven’t had wings now in almost 3 months. The funny thing is that if I had tried to quit them from day 1, I probably wouldn’t have stayed on the plan. Like the Bill Murray movie “What About Bob” Baby Steps are the key.

Ok, these steps are enough to get you stared. Remember that each week you’re not trying to lose all the weight, you’re just trying to lose something. If you ever feel tempted by certain foods, you can give in and eat them if you want, just be prepared to not lose weight that week. If that’s what you want, that’s fine, but remember the consequences. As you continue on each week, your will power will grow stronger because you’ll have lost some weight.

The important thing is to get started! And with this plan it’s easy! For two weeks eat anything you want and get all the cravings out of you. You’ll be tired of your favorite foods by the time you begin, trust me.

Part II will be released soon and it has 5 more steps and goes into more detail about exercising, attitude, eating out, and dealing with temptations. Be sure to check back for it real soon!

And if you think this can help someone you know, send them the link!

Make sure to check out Part 2 in this series…..

Mike is constantly challenging himself and those around him to live life to the fullest. He has put together a free newsletter that reveals some of his greatest advice, never before revealed on the internet. Sign up for the Free Newsletter now by going here: http://www.onlyonemike.com/blog/signup