I made a Goal., && i'm going to reach it! Options

[DeadlyKitten]

Starting today i made a goal to myself to lose some weight and become healthier. I plan to work out every day that I can. I want to get a good body the old fasion way...WORKING MY ASS OFF! lol I tried the easy route (starving myself) and only ran into health problems. I plan to do this for 60 days. Ill have to lose between 2.5 and 3.5 pounds to reach my goal. Anyone have any possitive addvice? I really want to stick to it.

[Smarmosaur]

eat three decent, healthy meals. this includes some type of protein, bread, and fruit. decent means not huge but more than normal. you should snack atleast twice a day, maybe three, depending on your meals. one between lunch and dinner (this is when your body really need the extra boost to keep going), and one before you work out. optional would be between breakfast and lunch. your snacks should be a couple peices of fruit or something easy to munch on but gives enough to you. granola bars (special K bars are amazing) and trail mix can give you a nice benefit, too.
do some sort of Aerobics workouts atleast 5 days a week. also remember to stretch AFTER you work out. stretching before strains the muscles more than what's good for them. stretching after your work out is good because your muscles are warmed up by then and can take more good impact from the work out.
OH. it's also best to make a long term goal, like over a year. and reward yourself. when you lose a few sizes, reward yourself a new pair of jeans or something to benefit your workout-maybe a small peice of equipment or new tennis shoes.
start your workouts small, like 30 minutes, for one week. gradualy increase by 10-15 minutes each week. this gives your body time to adjust. remember the workout shouldn't be over the top. it should be challenging but if you're majorly struggling, slow it down. don't try something and just because it's not hard keep going with it. i do suggest walking a few miles once a week, although that works best in nicer weather. or you can always go walk around your local mall-most places don't have a problem with that.
also, ALWAYS have a water bottle with you. like 100% of the time. and take a BIG drink every 5-7 minutes!
last thing, i swear. the most important. tell anybody and everybody you can. the more you tell and talk about it, the more seriously people will take you, and the more support they'll give. give details, don't just say "i made a goal to lose weight". tell them your exact plans, such as workouts and eating.

sorry for the book...