The first thing to do when starting any diet is to figure out what you're trying to achieve, and set goals around where you want to be. Do you want to diet to lose weight? Do you want to diet to improve your health?
The goals you make will determine how you should approach your diet, but more than that, setting the goals gives you something to work towards - it's easier
to achieve something when you commit yourself to a specific goal.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that your goal should be reasonable - losing weight too quickly or losing it the wrong way can lead to either health risks, or can set you up to gain it back more easily.
The most successful diets are the ones that allow you to pace yourself. Losing 1-2 pounds/week is more than enough, it took a long time to put on the weight, be patient taking it off if you want to remain healthy, and be successful.
Before you set specific weight goals, it's important to determine the ideal body weight range for your height - this can help you to get an objective idea where you should set your goals.
Our reference page contains a BMI (Body Mass Index) chart that can help you determine your ideal body weight.
