So I am part of this fabulous group on facebook for those who love exercising to Leslie Sansone walking videos, and a woman asked me if I could post some of my Weight Loss tips. So, as a woman of my word I am posting my tips here in this blog, for all to read.

1. Positive attitude!!!! Biggest way to reach and get to your goals! Trust me I know it's hard I know it's not easy! At my heaviest I weighed 220, wore a size 12-14, and felt disgusted with myself and pretty down in the hopeless dumps. The minute you stop beating yourself up is the minute weight loss begins to occur!! Self loathing and self pity is a major mental road block. You won't exercise as much as you could, or eat as healthy as you could because in the back of your mind you are already telling yourself "I can't do it so why try?" Well you can do it and it will happen! Negative energy holds us back! Let go, let go, and let go of the negativity and you will see all your goals are more attainable than you thought!
2. Small mini goals!!! You want to loose 40, 50, even 80, 90, 100+ pounds! Great! And it's great to keep your overall get set in the back of your mind! But your overall final goal, keep that in the back of your mind! If you think of the overall amount of weight you want to loose without giving yourself mini goals the mind becomes overwhelmed. When the mind becomes overwhelmed our brains natural reaction is to give up, or to set back in order to ease the stress. So, depending on what you want to loose overall set smaller goals from there. 20-50 pounds? Set 5 pound increment goals. 50-100 pounds? Set 10 pound increment goals? 100+? Set 20 pound goals. Numbers between 5-20 seem much more attainable to the mind than a big overall weight loss goal. And the mini goals will keep you motivated!!
3. Have mini little indulgences. Craving fries? Cookies? Ice cream? Chicken wings? Studies have shown that eating a tiny bit of your craving in small, yet slow bites is so significant in pleasing and satisfying that craving without ruining your diet for the day. Craving an oreo? Have one Oreo with say, a glass of almond milk and eat the Oreo slow. Fries? Eat two individual fries at that slow pace. Chicken wings? Eat one wing. The slow pace with small bites allows time for the body to send signals to the brain. Those "feel good" hormones will kick in thru the nerves, sending the signal to the whole body which is why by the time you finish those two individual fries, or one cookie, or a spoonful of ice cream, the body will be satisfied.
4. Aim for some kind of small exercise daily! As Leslie Sansone always says "the body was made for motion," while you could think she says that as a selling gimmick (granted if you only have just started with her I could see someone thinking that) but really, it's true. We weren't given the hundreds of bones and muscles we have to sit around in bed or on the couch all day! And again, exercising daily does NOT mean you have to go to the gym daily and burn 800 calories, and run 8 miles. A brisk one mile walk with some light yoga, for example is all you need. As Leslie Sansone also says, any time you just move and get yourself off the couch, you made a good choice! And it's true. But again daily exercise does not mean you need to do triathlon athlete styled workouts! A mile of brisk walking daily is all you need, that equals about 20 minutes a day of brisk exercise.
5. Listen to your body!!!! It knows what it needs! We are smart creatures, our minds and bodies are always giving us signals as to what we need! The body lets you know when you need to rest, stretch, eat, when you're getting ill, etc. Ignoring body signals is not a good way to try and reach goals! If you need to rest, take a 15 minute nap or break. If you have hunger pains, eat a light cheesestick and an apple! There are appropriate times to push, but don't push to the point where your body is breaking down! It's all about finding that happy medium!
6. Every bit of movement counts!!!! Grocery store? Park in te furthest parking spot from the store! Going to your office on say, second or third floor? Take the stairs instead of the elevator! Taking little shortcuts such as these really add up so much throughout your day! 
7. Build your exercise up gradually! Again, this is to prevent burnout and frustration. If you haven't worked out I  say, 4-5 years and you are just getting started again, you don't want to jump right in to 2-3 hours of heavy exercise a day. You will get frustrated and you will want to give up! I always recommend to people just starting to start with either 1-2 miles of brisk walking a day, and, only if the choose, maybe add one pound hand weights. This averages to around 20-25 minutes of exercise a day. Which is attainable and something we all can do! 
8. Be patient with your body! It takes the body on average about two weeks to really take to the changes you are making to it. Say you aren't big on eating things like vegetables, unsweetened beverages, etc. Don't instantly give up on them! The taste buds are known to adapt to change! By two weeks you will start to actually enjoy the foods you never thought you would like! Same with exercise! Takes the body about two weeks to get used to a routine!
9. Do not change both diet and exercise habits on the same day!!! Or even in the same week! Too much change too quickly is actually counter productive on the body. The best way to go with diet and exercise is to change your diet first, and give the body two weeks time to get used to the new foods, and then on day 14, begin with the exercise. This way it won't feel so burdensome on the body! 
10. When going out read menu items closely!!! Of you are out at a restaurant, but watching what you eat, be sure to really READ what is in the dish you are getting. Especially with salads! Just because you getting a salad does not necessarily mean it's aitomatocally better for you. If this salad has cheese, croutons, creamy dressing, fried chicken on it, then really it is not any better than a Big Mac or a whopper. Always order salads with dressing on the side! Any dressing, whether it's the sauce on a sandwhich, dressing on a salad, etc it's always beat of it is on the side (or you could ask for it without sauce, which is always the best option because it is a step closer to the food in its natural state). Also if you see words or phrases you don't understand always ask the server! I tend to find most of the things I don't know tend to be something creamy or fried! Croutons, I would stay away from as well! They're tony but their calories add up very quickly!

That's all for now, I'll post more later. Stay forever healthy and forever fit!