Steps to Lose Some Weight

You know losing some weight is the healthy thing to do. You've made the mental and emotional commitment to do it. And you've studied expert advice. Michael Pollan, the author of "Food Rules," has told you to "Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much." And the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans for 2010 has recommended that you eat less and move more.

Now it's time to take the steps to actually lose weight. To maintain a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle for a lifetime, take steps that you can sustain on a permanent basis.

The Step Method

Alcoholics Anonymous set the standard for others to follow with its designation of a 12-step program to help people stop drinking. In much the same way, setting achievable small steps for weight loss can help you achieve success. Thoughtful, achievable goals help you to maintain focus, provide inspiration, and offer a plan as you lose weight. Focus on the process itself and think short-term to achieve your ultimate goal. Choose one step at a time and master that step before moving on to another.

What to Eat

Establish small steps toward healthy eating. Substitute whole wheat products for refined white-flour products, such as pasta and bread. Reduce the amount of meat you eat by designating two, three or four days a week as meatless. Limit the alcohol you drink. Serve yourself dinner in the kitchen to avoid taking second helpings.

What Not to Eat

To avoid eating sugary, high-salt foods, most people ban such products from their homes. Avoid the snack and soda aisles in the grocery stores. Begin this step by throwing away chips and crackers currently in the house. David Kessler, author of "The End of Overeating," uses the same technique to avoid eating fast food, another food to ban from your diet. Kessler changes his driving route whenever possible to avoid temptation.

Physical Exercise

To lose weight, burn more calories than you eat. Small steps for getting more physical exercise include buying exercise shoes and exercise clothes, taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible, vowing to exercise five out of seven days a week, keeping on exercise diary and lifting weights while watching TV. Limit the time you watch TV for even more success. An article in the December 2009 edition of the "Archives of Internal Medicine" found that overweight adults who cut their TV time by one-half burned 120 more calories than those who kept watching.