So this is the big day! Congratulations are in order! Today is day one of week one of you taking charge of your health. You are literally tired from being obese, sick from overeating, and cannot stand another day of lying on the couch like a blob completely drained of all energy due to malnutrition and an overextended belly. This is the day you put things back into perspective, get off the couch and monitor every little taste that goes into your mouth.

Today is the day your life changes for the good! And you deserve it!

This enthusiasm you feel is not unusual. Many people who start a new weight loss program experience this hope, where it suddenly does not seem impossible to lose 5 lbs in a week. You are full of enthusiasm and pumped with high expectations. You have thoroughly explored the demands of your program and are confident you will follow through to the end. More importantly, you can not wait to start reaping the rewards for all of your hard work.

You may very well start off with a huge bang. You may actually lose 5 lbs in a week or maybe even a little more. Stepping on the scale and seeing yourself so close to 10 lbs gone in just a week is going to be exhilarating. You will feel even more motivated and confident and burst with energy to get on with week two.

I recommend you slow down and pay attention to this feeling. Soak up every ounce of energy bursting from every cell of your body and feel that confident smile stretch across your face as you step off the scale for your first weigh in. Really pay attention to this feeling that there may be hope for you after all, because I can absolutely guarantee that it is going to fade!

You are going to hit a period of time where every workout is a struggle and all you want to eat are donuts and chocolate. You will groan at the sound of the alarm and want to hit snooze rather than going out for your morning walk. Though you may blow this warning off because you feel so confident and sure of yourself here in the beginning, I urge you to listen and plan ahead.

Remembering this feeling you have right now is very important because if you can somehow pull it up from memory when those rough times hit you can remind yourself of why crawling out of bed a half hour early is worth it and why eating a salad instead of a double burger is worth it.

For most people, week one is very different from week eight. There will be low points where you do not have the same energy and your desire seems to fade, but for long term success you have to push through these times to get to those hopeful days again.

Those hopeful days where you feel it is possible to drop 5 lbs in a week and keep on singing feel so good. They are worth fighting for, but you have to struggle sometimes to get back to them. So be prepared now, right from week one.