We all have been told for years that a healthy diet and exercise will help us lose weight, but those are pretty broad terms and extremely hard to follow, especially with no direction or idea on where to start.
This isn't about another fad diet scheme, special drink or pill because those will sometimes help you lose weight quickly, but are not for the long run.
Who can live on diet drinks and pills for a lifetime anyway? No one, that's why they don't work.
This is really simple, give it a chance, be open to this new idea and give a serious try, you have nothing to lose, except that extra weight of course.
You already have everything that you need to get thin and stay thin.
It's all about your mind and understanding what it means to live a balanced lifestyle and here are the steps you need to take to get there.
In life, when we do too much of anything, it causes negative results.
But trying to keep your busy life in balance can seem almost impossible.
Let's really think about this.
You can want to be thin, but until you get yourself to truly make the commitment and believe in yourself that you can be thin, it will never happen.
The first step to getting thin and staying thin is to walk over to a mirror, naked if possible, and take a good, hard look.
Not just at your body, but also your face.
I know this hard to do, but you must get in touch with yourself before change can happen.
No one can change what they don't acknowledge, right? Ask yourself, am I happy with the way I look and how I feel? And if the answer is no, take that moment and commit to living a more balanced life no matter what it takes.
Until you devote yourself to yourself, nothing will ever change.
When you start to live for you, everything in your life will be better.
You will be a better wife, mother, employee, friend, sister, brother, daughter or son.
This isn't about being selfish and there shouldn't be any guilt, because you will be able to give more to the people you love once you find your equilibrium.
When you live in balance with exercise, you will be as thin as you can genetically be.
For instance, rather than putting pressure on yourself to exercise everyday and then not exercising at all because you don't have the time, start with twice a week and work your way up as time goes on.
Choose those first two days, maybe a Tuesday and Thursday, and mark them on your calendar, just like you would a dentist appointment, with a time and place.
It could be early in the day, before work and before everybody else gets up in your house, so it's uninterrupted time.
For instance, write on your calendar "7am taking a 2 mile walk".
This would be your first step to living a more balanced life, going from no exercise to some exercise.
The trick is to never let anything get in the way of those two days, ever.
If you have to move them around a bit on your calendar, that's fine, but those days stay scheduled from here on out no matter what, for the rest of your life.
Not only will the exercise itself help you start to look better, it will also help your mind feel better.
Plus, you made a commitment to yourself and you stuck with it, there is no better feeling than that.
You are going to have a beautifully balanced body in no time.
The next step to getting thin and staying thin is eating in a more balanced way.
You will never over eat again because that would be imbalanced.
Thoughtful and mindful eating is the next commitment you will make to yourself.
You will have to take the time and go through your cabinets and refrigerator to look at what you have bought in the past and make the commitment going forward to be more mindful of labels and the contents of your food.
The best rule of thumb here is to buy fresh low fat proteins and lots of vegetables.
The more simple your food is, without all the sauces and butter, the better.
All of your carbohydrates from here on out will only be whole grains from pastas to breads, you will never buy white flour products again, ever.
You will also be more aware of the sodium content because too much salt will bloat your body, low sodium labels are what you are looking for when shopping.
Other than what you buy and prepare at home, when you are faced with an office birthday party or a restaurant menu, always take that piece of cake or order what you really want off of the menu, just don't eat all of it.
No one should ever be deprived of foods they love, that would be imbalanced, just be mindful of what you are putting in your mouth.
Maybe eat three or four bites of the cake, a little bit of the frosting and throw out the rest at the office party.
Order the nachos off the menu and enjoy them with your friends at the restaurant, but don't eat the ones covered with all the cheese and try to pile on more salsa than sour cream.
Mindful, thoughtful, balanced eating will change your body for the good.
The answer to being thin and staying thin is being aware and awareness equals balance so it will be impossible for you to ever be fat again.
Commitment to yourself is key and is the only way to live a life where you are happy with how you look and feel.
This is a lifetime commitment, it takes work, but just keep reminding yourself when faced with daily challenges what constitutes balance and it will get easier as time goes on.
Life will change for the better.
You will add more exercise days to your calendar and be even more mindful of the foods you are buying and eating because you will feel so good that you will never want to live imbalanced again.
When your family recognizes how serious your commitment is, they will support your efforts and maybe get themselves involved, which will make for a healthier life together.
Why not start the rest of your life today and wake up tomorrow with a whole new outlook on yourself? Live a balanced life, get thin and stay thin forever.