They say the best things come to those who wait – and it is true that patience is a virtue. That is because taking your time allows you to weigh up the options and eventually pick the right one. With that in mind you should think carefully about how you are going set about a weight loss routine.

Before starting a weight loss plan a visit to the doctor or a dietician is well worth considering. These people are trained in what you should and shouldn’t do to lose weight and will give you free advice on how to get started and how much weight you should target to lose every week. Government websites are also good sources of free information. So you don’t need to buy weight loss books just start searching the internet.

Taking the time now to think about how you intend to lose weight will pay dividends in the future. Get to grips with the information out there and you will be taking the first steps towards speedy weight-loss.

You can’t change something that you don’t know about. So as part of your plan you need to start looking at how many calories you currently consume. So with that in mind take some time to consider what you are currently putting into your body.

To get started you need to record everything you eat and drink. Not only that, it is a good idea to record portion sizes, times of day when you eat and the length of time you spent eating. It is a fact that the length of time you spend eating does affect the efficiency of your digestion and so your weight gain or loss. So get a notebook or use your journal and start recording all of it.

Be honest with yourself and complete your journal truthfully. There is no point in continuing to try and lose weight if you cannot be true to yourself.

After two or three weeks of recording sit down with your journal and review how much you consume in a normal week. By this point you should be desperate to lose weight quickly so tick off the foods that you need to reduce your consumption of or even eliminate completely from your diet.

For example you may notice that you are drinking a lot of sodas. If that is the case then just cut down on the number you drink and drink water instead. Your task is to identify the healthier options you could be using instead of the ones that are causing you to carry too much weight. So if you are the type of person that likes ketchup on your sandwiches try mustard instead.

Nowadays almost all foods come in low calorie and low fat options and many are unprocessed and tasty. At meal times try and avoid red meat, such as beef and pork, and have turkey, chicken or fish instead. These are lean meats and are better for your health in general. Certain fish are not only low in fat but also contain high levels of antioxidants. Fish like salmon, fresh tuna and sardines are all excellent for your health.

A little of what you fancy is not going to do you much harm. In fact the odd food treat every now and again can actually benefit you from the release of endorphins that can result from it. The problem is when foods like chocolate stop becoming a treat and become a habit or daily part of your diet.

Make chocolates a luxury and not a routine. Chocolates are not or at least they should not be a part of your diet. So do not indulge too much in them. Even the bitter chocolates are not good for you because though the sugar is less there are still concentrations of saturated fat in them. Also some chocolate snacks are better for you than others. Sweet manufactures have created healthy options such as chocolate chip cereal bars. Think about the alternatives that are out there.

As mentioned earlier you do not have to completely deprive yourself of everything. Just think smart about what you are eating and avoid getting into bad habits.

When it comes to healthy ways to lose weight quickly patience really is a virtue.

Hang in there with your plan. After two or three weeks you will start to feel better and soon you will see changes. Your clothes will feel that bit looser and you will have more energy.

One of the most difficult things about changing your eating habits is staying motivated. We all have “bad” days where healthy eating is the last thing on our minds. There are times too when you never seem to lose any weight or even put some back on.

Everyone one goes through this process not just people trying to lose weight. Stick with it. Just look at your plan and see if there is anything you should do to make some more changes to your diet or find some new way to get a bit more exercise. Or maybe you just let your current plan slip a little and you need to try a bit harder?

Etta Moncur spends a great deal of her time helping people around the world combat weight loss and fitness problems. Her work has led her to finding one proven weight loss program that is being used with great effect by many people. To obtain a complimentary report on Think Yourself Thin go to www.think-yourself-thin.com.