Talk to your doctor, there are medications, advice that can give you a jump start or help you all the way through. Since my husband and I were both obese but otherwise healthy (no high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems, breathing problems) our doctor gave us some pills to jump start our weight loss. We had to go in monthly to be checked out and were on them for about 3 months.

Get your calories in check before starting an exercise program. (It is hard enough to cut back on calories, but even harder after an hour of cardio).

Use apps to count calories, save recipes, make meal plans and make grocery lists. I use my Fitness Pal and PepperPlate. They are invaluable to me. But you only get out what you put in. It is time consuming and tedious but work.

Cook more at home. Do not rely on prepackaged and processed food. While it is easier to calculate calories, unless you plan on eating frozen meals or shakes for the rest of your life, how will you ever learn to eat right in “real” life? It mqy be a good way to jump start weight loss, but start incorporating home cooked food so you can maintain your weight loss when you hit your goal.

Get good recipes. (I have learned from experience of cooking over 100 recipes from Pinterest that the recipes don't always work out like the pictures, especially those pinned from blogs. However I have found amazing recipes on blogs as well). Cooking Light magazine has a variety of recipes. Every issue has easy, complicated but rewarding, and budget friendly recipes plus articles on being healthy (not just weight loss). Cookbooks are also great. Look for healthy and what works for you. If you have a hectic job, try to look for easy recipes or crockpot.

Don't do diet trends. Do not get stuck doing something with crazy rules or restrictions unless you plan on doing it forever. Eat better, count calories. That being said, I do try to eat more proteins and healthy fat and less unhealthy carbs. I still eat carbs though. I eat more in moderation now.

While it is a pain in the *kitten*, measure, measure, measure and record. Get a scale, extra measuring cups, and measuring spoons. Wine glasses are marked at 5 oz with chalkboard markers at my house (comes off in dishwasher) so I do not over serve myself, and shot glasses are used to measure mixed drinks. My husband had his morning juice out of a measuring glass at first until he got used to what 8 oz really looks like. Do not guess on calorie counting or find what you think is close on your app on home cooked meals. I put all the ingredients in the recipe portion of My Fitness Pal with correct amount of servings and that gives me the real calorie count. If I cook it again, I can reuse it or edit it with changes in ingredients if I want to changes something up. It is a pain in the *kitten* but it works.

Divide your portions. I cook for me and my husband. Instead of shrinking a recipe (cooking times are harder to predict), I often cook recipes that have 4-8 servings. As soon as I am finished cooking, I plate our food for the night, and the other servings immediately go into pyrex (before eating the meal) for lunches or other meals. If I am still hungry after dinner, I don't get seconds, since it is not an option. I wait an hour and if I am still hungry I have a snack around 100 calories.

Still eat out. Maybe not at first, when you are trying to get used to your smaller calorie allowance. But again if you are going to maintain in “real” life you got to get used to it or never eat out again. Use restaurant's websites. View menus online before going out. Commit to what you are going to eat (and drink) and estimate to the best of your abilities in your app BEFORE you go. Specials will be sometimes to hard to pass up and that's okay. Do your best. After you eat readjust calories accordingly to what you actually ate and portions you received.

Plan to have fun. If you over indulge on the weekends, be extra vigilant during the week. If you are a drinker you will have to work your *kitten* off or cut back. Again, in the beginning it is easier to cut out as much as possible, but plan days you are going to drink and stick to them. Even if you are having a bad day (especially if you are having a bad day).

Count, count, count... I have seen many people not count on their “bad” days. HELLO! Those are the days you need to count the most. I am not saying not to cheat. I am saying be accountable. I have eaten and drank so much in a day some of the graphs on my My Fitness Pal don't even go that high. Do not give up from the rest of the week or think you have to start all over because of one slip up. Don't make excuses, just do it.

Rally your friends. Have someone help you. Whether they have to lose weight or not, though preferably they are in the same position as you are. Tell them your calories daily, your struggles daily, your successes daily. (Hopefully it is already someone you talk to daily.) I lost the weight with my husband and we helped keep each other in line. It's best if they use the same apps as you.

Sign up. I have climbed the stairs all the way to the top of the tallest building in my area for the American Lung Association with friends and the next year with my husband. I enter weight loss competitions at work and with friends, even if I am only trying to maintain and not win. Doing healthy activities or sharing common goals with others is great. Competitiveness makes it even better for me. I love to talk smack.

Start an exercise program. (It is much easier to do this after you are able to stay at your calorie goal. My Fitness Pal lets you add in exercise and then lets you know how many more calories you can eat and still work towards your goal). This is a great thing to do with a friend. You can go on walks, get a gym membership, get a trainer, sign up for classes, but do something! After you get started, don't get stuck just doing cardio. Build muscle, it burns more calories.

Grocery shopping. Have a list. Bring the list. Shop by the list. I use PepperPlate to make my list from my recipes and my meal planner for the week. Healthier food tends to be more on the outside walls of the grocery store not in the aisles. When shopping in the aisles I pick items by calories, protein and fiber. I try to avoid artificial sugars as they upset my stomach. Be careful getting fat-free, low calorie, sugar free options. Almost all of these will have a much higher sodium content then their full flavored cousins which should be avoided by people with high blood pressure, kidney problems, and other health issues. There is always something else added when something is removed. Read the ingredients and make informed decisions. Don't forget the frozen food section! Vegetables and fruit often retain more of their vitamins and minerals when frozen (even more than the “fresh” in the produce section). Also frozen is easier to keep on hand, won't spoil, and cooks up easily.

Black coffee. Water. Unsweetened Tea. Learn to love these things. You will eventually get used to it and save calories and/or chemicals along the way. I prefer that the only calories I get from drinking are from alcohol. I do drink diet soda but try not to drink a lot (some weeks are better than others). If you are a soda lover, try to cut back. If you have the calories to drink non diet, drink regular. If you do not have the calories and really want the soda, drink diet.

Do what works. If something works for you and it is something you can maintain (and is healthy), then do it! I don't believe in drinking juice (there are better, more filling ways to get healthy vitamins and minerals) but my husband does great with drinking juice every morning and maintaining.

Deal with the ups and down. I sprained my ankle, had 3 herniated disk in my neck, an emergency appendectomy, totaled my car, went on several vacations, went through a major house renovation all in my first year of weight loss. These caused my weight to fluctuate (because I ate over my calorie count and I know this because I still recorded it). Every time I needed to lose weight, I recommitted myself to stay within my calories, exercise more and drink less. Every time this worked.