Office Walker

(Today’s Weight: 211.5, Total Miles Walked: 178.5)

I know when I’ve tried to lose weight in the past, I generally over-think the problem and start searching around all over the net for tips and tactics. The truth is, the magic formula is ridiculously simple: Calories in must be less than calories out. In other words, if you want to know how to start a weight loss program, you either need to become more active or eat less. Or both.

Tips For Starting A Weight Loss Program

Track your progress, although it doesn't have to be every day.

One big thing that helps me is to keep daily tabs on my weight. I don’t let daily fluctuations bother me, because it’s not that hard to gain 3 or 4 pounds overnight if you had a huge dinner or are carrying a lot of water weight. But, it helps to monitor the trend over time. Also, measure your waist, hips, neck, legs, and arms just to get a good starting point idea.

Don’t tell anyone your ultimate goal! Studies have shown that revealing your target weight to a friend or blog is actually detrimental to achieving it. This seems counter-intuitive, but it is true. You can announce short-term goals if you’d like, but I don’t recommend it. Know the goals yourself, maybe write them down somewhere private, but don’t tell anyone else!

Weight Loss Program – Calorie Monitoring

Keeping tabs on your calorie intake is also a great way to know how much you need to cut back. If you sit behind a desk all day, it should be obvious that your body doesn’t need a whole lot of calories to stay at your current weight. I used to think that because I was 6 feet tall, I could easily eat 2500 calories per day and not gain anything. Well, after I hit 220 with that philosophy, I realized that was probably a bit too high for my metabolism.

One thing I noticed is that I could generally eat fine during the day, but whenever I went to the bar with my friends, my beer intake would skyrocket the overall calories. This led to an entire week’s worth of “eating right” being canceled out in a single night. Lower your soda and alcohol consumption if you aren’t planning on greatly increasing your activity level, and switch to drinking more water.

Now, I’ve never been a huge vegetable guy. In fact, if you ask my mom, I think I refused to eat veggies for pretty much my entire childhood. After discovering good Chinese stir-fry, I started getting used to them, and I have since learned to truly enjoy many vegetables.

The great thing about fruits and veggies is that they are generally lower in calories than a “snack bar” or most other processed foods, and they tend to fill you up faster, primarily due to higher fiber content.

You may want to consider trying other low-calorie foods such as the so-called zero-calorie noodles to see if that type of trick works for your body. Not everyone enjoys them or can get full from them, but it can’t hurt to try.

Weight Loss Program – Increased Exercise

Not everyone is able to install a treadmill in their office to use every day (unfortunately). But, everyone should be able to squeeze in some extra walking each day. Park further away from the store or office, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or just go for a nice relaxing walk in the woods.

It’s amazing how much more active your brain becomes when you are physically active during the day. I used to sit at a desk non-stop every day, but after only 28 days of walking 3-8 miles per day, I’m down 7 pounds.

Weight Loss Program – Other Motivation

I mentioned earlier to track your weight and measurement progress often, but for some people, that can be a big de-motivator. If you get discouraged when you see the scale swing back upwards a few ticks, then perhaps it’s better to only weigh yourself every few weeks or even every month or two. But, write it down and put a date next to it. Over time, you’ll see that the trend is headed in the right direction.

Once you’ve hit a short-term goal, give yourself a treat. No, not a food treat, but do something that you’ve been meaning to do for a while. If you can afford a small vacation, take it. Or, go to a sporting event. Just do something to tell yourself “thank you”, and then think about how silly you look when your friends or family see you talking to yourself.

Speaking of friends and family, having a “weight-loss buddy” is a great idea, too. When I lost all my weight the first time around (years ago), it was largely due to a small wager among some friends in my office. Whoever lost the most weight over a period of 4 months was the winner, and we had an official weigh-in once per month. This kept us motivated since we all ate lunch together most of the time, so we could encourage each other not to overeat.

Bottom Line On How To Start A Weight Loss Program (Without a Treadmill Desk)

As I said, the magic formula of weight loss is easy: Do more stuff, and eat less calories. But, that is much easier said than done.

Hopefully some of my advice will help you if you’re struggling with shedding some pounds. Become more active, eat smarter, drink less, and you’ll reap the benefits. And remember, you can lose lose weight walking!