My sales manager used to tell me You must learn to walk before you can run.

At first I was offended by his statement. After all, I was 22 years old and I was smart! However, over the years those wise words have helped me be successful in many endeavors in life, both big and small.

Apply this philosophy if you have 10 pounds to lose. Even if you could stand to lose 50 pounds, think of the weight loss in 10-pound increments. Beginning with a baby step weight loss program will increase your chances to lose more weight.

Tell yourself I have 10 pounds to lose and set you goal at that number. Since the first 10 pounds are often mostly made up of water, you should be able to achieve the goal of 10 pounds to lose in a short time. Doing so will give you a great sense of accomplishment and joy and this will help propel you to on your journey of another 10 pounds to lose.

Eating Habits

Start your weight loss program by thinking about your eating habits. How many meals do you eat every day? Many nutritionists recommend that you eat MORE meals. The theory here is that to lose weight you need to increase your metabolism. If you consume one or two meals per day you will actually slow down your metabolism. Eat four to six small meals a day instead.

Eliminate the desire for junk food

I love taco chips. I also love myself. One has to go. Get rid of junk food from your diet. I find that when I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and do some exercise my craving for junk food usually disappears. My vegetarian friends tell me they have no craving for meat any more. I quit smoking three years ago and that terrible craving went away after a month. Get the picture?

Get your metabolism into gear!

The equation goes like this:

Increased metabolism = fat loss

Its not easy to lose fat from your body if your metabolism is always low. You need to find out ways to increase that metabolism. Get that lazy body moving! Work up a bit of sweat. I recommend that you try lifting weights. Sound awful? Just try it. I promise the experience will not be as painful as you first imagined. It could actually turn into a pleasurable and fat-losing experience for you! Lifting weights will increase your cardio and this, in turn, will burn off ugly fat. If you cannot lift weights, try Yoga. Yoga has a side benefit: peace of mind. You get two goals with one effort. Walking is a great pastime but it is not especially good exercise in a weight loss regime. My friend told me he get into a walking program of a fast three miles a day. After a month of that he gained three pounds. Ugh! I have similar experience with walking. It might be a very pleasurable and worthy experience, but I did not lose weight that way. The problem is, I think, that it is difficult to get the cardio effect.

I work on my computer all day long. This is a terrific way to gain a lot of weight. My metabolism is always low when I am sitting down. I can FEEL it. To counteract this I will get up and walk a couple of hundred yards every half hour. Baby steps to a greater goal.

Drink enough water

Drink at least 64 ounces of water each day. Your body must get rid of water before it loses fat. If we are dehydrated we hold back releasing water from our system. Dehydration increases the chance of losing muscle tone. This also decreases your metabolism and puts a dent in your weight loss desire. Having said that, drinking too much water is proven to be inefficient or even dangerous. Stick with 64 ounces in addition to your normal fluids intake unless you do a lot of sweat-producing exercise.