For me it’s a combination of simple manageable healthy habits that are changed one step at a time.

1) Prayer - To begin this healthy transformation I believe one should begin with prayer. We ask God for everything else in our lives, such as healing when we become sick, so why not ask God to help us become healthy before we become ill?
2) Set Goals – Kevin Carroll encouraged me to set small manageable goals not only concerning weight loss, but also physical goals. When a goal is reached, then reward yourself with something non-food. Also you should have a large ultimate goal as your focus to strive towards as each of your smaller goals is met. My smaller weight goals have been in five pound increments with my largest weight goal at a grand total of 80 pounds lost. My physical goals started out with being able to walk a mile, then two miles, then three, and eventually to be able to run a mile, and so on.
3) Eat Healthy – Rebecca Katz has taught me how to read nutritional labels and to have a better understanding of what certain ingredients may do to our bodies. Basically, I stay away from any foods that contain MSG and high fructose corn syrup, and I try to eat between 1400 and 1700 calories per day. I keep a list of the foods I eat each day and the calories consumed in a journal. All of the foods that I eat are either baked or grilled and are in their most natural form. I always eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and supper. A typical day may be something like this: oatmeal, strawberries, and toast for breakfast; some cashews for snack; turkey salad and yogurt for lunch; orange for snack; grilled tilapia, baked sweet potato, and salad for supper. Always prepare the day before so that you won’t be so tempted to snack on unhealthy foods throughout the next day.
4) Exercise – Theresa Rowe has been so inspirational to me in encouraging me to understand the benefits of exercise. I dreaded the E word until she helped me to see the spiritual aspect of it. When I began exercising all I could do was barely walk a mile, and it took about twenty minutes. Theresa encouraged me to enjoy my time walking with God, thanking Him for all He has given us. As I grew stronger in my physical walks I also grew stronger in my spiritual walks. Today I walk six miles each day in less than an hour and a half, and I love that time that I get to spend alone with God. …and He walks with me, and He talks with me…
5) No Negative Self-Talk – When Julie Hadden first came to Louisiana with Guideposts in order to start me on my New Healthy You program she pointed out to me a negative comment that I had made when pictures were being taken. I guess I have said things like that so often that I didn’t even realize I was doing it. Later that day she made me say out loud that I was worthy, and she helped me to realize that we have to envision ourselves being the healthy person God created us to be.
6) Journal – Julie also taught me the importance of keeping a journal of calories consumed versus calories burned. By journaling we become much more aware of what we put into our mouths and how often we exercise. In order to lose weight we must consume fewer calories than we burn. As I keep my daily log with a running total of the calories burned each day it is usually right on track with the actual weight that has been lost. Remember that 3500 calories burned equals one pound of weight loss.

These are my six simple steps to a healthy new lifestyle. But unlike fad diets, don’t expect the weight to come off quickly. Anytime I tried one of those fad diets I lost weight quickly, but as soon as I got off the diet I gained it all back even quicker. Not so with this new healthy lifestyle. It has taken me about a year to lose fifty-five pounds, but with the healthy habits I have now incorporated into my life I know those pounds will remain gone.