Cardio exercise can be a simple jog outdoors, a run on the treadmill, or even performing aerobics along to a video. Strength training includes weight lifting, as well as activities like pushups, pull-ups, and crunches. It s up to you to find the right mix of exercises that will challenge you and keep you motivated. Simply type in weight loss + forums and using the above guidelines find one you feel will fit your needs. Using a forum is simple. You just sign up with a new account then log in with your username and password. It s wise to post an introduction thread telling the members about yourself. If it is an active and quality forum then you will soon have countless replies welcoming you, pointing you to helpful posts and asking about your plans and progress. It is important for you to set your goals so they are obtainable. They must be set high enough to be a challenge, but yet low enough so you don't get discouraged quickly. If your doctor tells you to lose 50 pounds, you need to break those 50 lbs down into bite size chunks. (Pun intended) An example of doing this would be to set a long term goal of losing the 50 pounds over a six month time frame. It stands to reason then that calorie counting must be accompanied by consistent exercise. Calorie counting forces you to take a closer look at the foods you consume on a daily basis. You also will become acquainted with the quantity of calories each food contains. This is something that might be very surprising for you. Another thing to remember is that these centers help to ensure that you are able to not only lose weight and become the perfect size for you, but also aim to help you work towards maintaining that weight, so that you do not simply gain it all back. This can be quite beneficial, both for your health and your self-esteem. The most common causes of weighing too much are a lack of exercise and eating too many of the wrong foods or simply eating in an unhealthy manner. If rapid weight loss matters to you because a special event is coming up then the first thing you need to do is to start consuming more water on a daily basis.