Now that you’ve read My Weight Loss Story it’s time to focus on you.

• Some of you have been trying to lose weight for years and for whatever reason you have been unable to succeed.
• Some of you looked in the mirror this morning, looked at their mid section and, with disgust, exclaimed, "Where did you come from!?!?!"
• Some of you looked at the calendar, saw the year 2010, did some quick subtraction and, with disgust, exclaimed, "What happened to the 1990s?!?!?" After that you look down and see the Pringles you ate last night making your silhouette look like the Michelin Man (or the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man for all you Ghostbusters fans). Then you are sure you remember eating Pringles in the 1990s without them parking themselves in your hips (aka "Love Handles").
• Others of you woke up this morning, started to get dressed and a reenactment of the Battle of the Bulge began. Then you start to wonder if someone put a high powered steamer in your closet that indubitably shrank your pants because It couldn’t have been the bag Oreos!

This series is for all of you and any else looking to lose weight.

Believe me when I say that there are definite right and wrong ways to accomplish this task. Take some of the celebrities that we have witnessed battle their weight for years (Oprah, Kirstie Allie, Kelly Clarkson, Jarod Fogle). All these celebrities at one time or another dropped a lot of weight but inevitably put it right back on. Some of you have experienced the same misfortune.

I am going to share some of the guidelines I followed when I lost my weight. I still follow these guidelines and have been able to keep off the weight for almost 8 years. Sure, there have been times over these 8 years when I became lax and have gained a few pounds here and there, but I’m talking 5-10lb swings and not 30-40lb swings. During those fluctuations I have still comfortably maintained a 32" waist. There are also more that I have discovered since; those I will share as well.

My goal for this series is to help you realize that losing weight, getting healthy and increasing energy is quite possible, and possible without the aids of dangerous diet pills or fad diets.

To quote Rob Schneider in every single Adam Sandler movie, "You can do it!"

To kick things off, tomorrow’s post will explore the first, and, in my opinion the most crucial guideline of them all. It is also one often overlooked. However, I am convinced that this one thing sabotages the majority of weight loss goals.

Stay tuned tomorrow for:

Weight Loss Guideline #1: Stay Positive

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”