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I began to do research into weight loss and pinpointed the things I was doing wrong in my first diet. There were certain things I had to learn in order to effectively lose weight and keep it off, here are 10 things you can do to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Healthy is a Lifestyle, not a Goal

This includes your diet and staying active, one of the first mistakes I made was to set a goal of losing a certain amount of weight then once I reach that goal to go back to my normal habits. I reached my targeted weight then stopped running 3 miles every other day and watching my diet, as soon as I went back to my bad habits I gained all of the weight back.

If you are not drinking enough water, you are wasting your time

I cannot emphasize this enough, I have tried this weight loss thing 3 times over the past two years and the only time I noticed a difference was when I began consuming a lot of water. I have gone as far as to run 3-4 miles a day and eat cabbage for lunch and had limited results, but now I maintain a balanced diet and have lost more weight than ever because I drink at least a gallon of water every day.

The general idea is to drink an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, at first it will seem like a lot at first and you will be running to the bathroom every 15 minutes but you are giving your body what it needs. When your body feels as if it is not getting enough water it will store the little bit it does get, that is where those love handles come from. Then the liver has to kick in and help the kidneys rather than its function of metabolizing the body and you are not burning off the food you consume like you should. So do yourself a favor, drink more water!

Have Fun!

Working out is useless if you are not enjoying yourself, there are a plethora of activities that you can do to keep yourself in shape. I personally cannot STAND running on treadmills so I only run outdoors. I enjoy lifting weights because of the feeling and the confidence I get from the results but lets take it a step further; If there is a sport you enjoy then there is no better workout, I am a football junkie and since I never played I figured hey.. why not join a flag football league and see what I can really do?

The result: I have lost 5lbs since I started the league, 5lbs that I have been struggling to get rid of and I feel like I am in high school all over again.

It's okay to use your Imagination

As pathetic as this may sound, when I work out in my mind I am training for the NFL, I even know what position I am training for. (running back) It may sound dumb but it makes me train hard and keeps me motivated. Figure out what motivates you, is it that guy or girl at work that you would like to notice you? Take it 88 yards to the end zone like Reggie Bush? Explode to the basket and finish like Lebron James? Forget reality, use your mind and let that motivate you and I guarantee you will be satisfied with the results.

You do not have to be a Nutrition Nazi

As I stated before I was eating cabbage for lunch, barely taking in 1200 calories a day and running miles.. I was hurting my weight loss goals more than I was achieving them. Not only does this work against you but its unhealthy and just plain stupid.

What do I do now that allowed me to lose 25lbs? I eat realistically, there is no way I could maintain a 1200 calorie diet over a long period of time. Now I eat lean meats high in protein such as grilled or baked chicken and periodically Salmon. (hey I am running a business here) Some days I eat more than others, I basically listen to what my body tells me and if I over eat then I know I need to work out that much harder. About every week or two I splurge and may eat an entire pizza or a big dinner and strangely my body responds positively.. it loves it and in a day or so I burn it off plus some. A couple of other tips on nutrition:

Do not eat after 7pm - your metabolism slows down significantly later in the evening

High Protein Diet - It works, I do not know why but it just does so take my word for it.

Breakfast, Never Skip it - Never EVER EVER skip breakfast! I just said your metabolism slows down significantly later in the day, well if you skip breakfast it will be that slow from the beginning of the day.

Sugar, cut it out! - Replace soda and Fruit Juice with water, you will cut your caloric intake significantly, put the sweets down and if you must have it then snack on fruits like Strawberries, Grapes, Bananas, etc.

Fried Foods - I'll keep it simple, do not touch them. If you eat out a lot avoid the french fries.