Week #1: Are You Ready for a Change?

Most diet plans tell you to start losing weight right NOW. Never mind that you're working 70-hour weeks or you're taking care of two toddlers and a sick parent, and that right now, quite honestly, is not a very convenient time to start to follow a strict diet and hit the gym every day. What you really need to do to lose weight successfully is figure out what's realistic for your "real" life. (Are you ready for a complete lifestyle overall right now? Take our quiz.) No matter what's going on in your life, a good first step to making healthy diet changes is starting a food diary where you record everything you eat and drink-and how many calories these foods and beverages contain. Do this for a week to get a sense of what you're eating now.

Articles, tips and community discussion:

• *Are you ready for a change? Take our quick quiz to figure out if this is a good time for you to start a diet.
• *Consider the pros and cons of making a strong commitment to losing weight.
• *Learn why starting your food diary is so important.
• *Community discussion: Tell us what you've learned from self-tracking.

Tools to help you this week:

• *Track your weight
• *Find calorie counts
• *Quick tips for eating out

Featured recipe: Paprika Shrimp & Green Bean Saute

EatingWell Diet Challenge

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