Losing weight can be difficult and frustrating. Many of us are overweight and wish that we weren’t. But trying to do too much at one time is defeating the purpose before you even begin.

Start with Small Baby Steps

Give up something small but reward yourself with something else in its place that is healthier and has less calories. If chocolate cake is something you crave, after dinner light a chocolate cake candle instead of shoving your face directly into that devil’s food cake box without even mixing it first. Carrot sticks and celery sticks are for rabbits. Use scents, oils or healthy snacks that actually have some taste; rather than the fat, calorie filled splurging you might do on a regular basis.

Get Up Off Your Fat A__

You know what I mean. Did you know that a mere 30 minutes of brisk walking everyday greatly enhances your chances of losing weight and becoming a more fit and healthy individual? 30 minutes! Don’t tell me you can’t afford to set aside 30 minutes a day if it will help you look better and live longer. Everyone wastes up to 30 minutes a day doing something stupid; more likely than not, far more than 30 minutes in fact. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just take a little chunk of the time that you waste and put it to good use in helping yourself? Take your dogs for a walk. Take your cat for a walk. Take your pet ferret for a walk; just get up off your butt and walk. Moving on to other exercises from there will be a little bit easier if you do.

Know ahead of time that frame of mind is everything. Just as with anything else you have to want your weight loss and fitness regime to succeed. Wanting to lose weight isn’t enough—heck we all want that. You have to want to work at it.