Getting started on a healthy lifestyle can be overwhelming.  I found that making small, attainable goals is helpful for motivation and breaks the process down so it is manageable.

1)  Increase water intake.  Instead of aiming for the minimum of 64 oz. a day, start small.  Add 1 8-oz. glass every day for a week.  Then add another, and another, until you have made it a habit.

2)  Move.  Every single day.  If you can afford to go to the gym, start with a couple of days a week for a short time.  Then increase it each week until you are where you want to be.  If you are going to walk, start with 5-10 minutes if that's all you can do.  Every week add another 5 - 10 minutes and you will be surprised how quickly your stamina increases!

3)  Eliminate trigger foods.  Sweet?  Salty?  Fatty?  What foods do you eat that make you want to eat more?  For me, it's sweets.  I eat dessert once a week on Sunday.  My boundary is a day of the week.  But I also learned candy and cookies are things I cannot eat at all right now.  Once I start, I can't stop.  Maybe for you it is salty foods.  

4)  Eat a healthy breakfast.  Figure out what you realistically have for time in the mornings.  Can you take the time to make breakfast?  Does it need to be "grab and go"?  There are many options for healthy breakfasts for whatever your way of eating will be.  You can make your own instant oatmeal packets.  You can make hard-boiled eggs to grab in the morning.  Fruit, granola bars, and yogurt are all quick breakfasts.

5)  Plan your meals!  Knowing what you are going to eat in a day eliminates poor last minute decisions.  

6)  Think of ways you can avoid temptation.  I need to either walk quickly through the bakery section of a grocery store or avoid it all together!  And most important - DON"T BRING UNHEALTHY FOODS INTO THE HOUSE!  It is easier to make the decision once at the grocery store than to deal with it every day at home.  Are there healthier alternatives for the people in your house?  Put the food in a place you won't see often, but others can get to, even if it's an unusual spot.  I have put snack items in shoe boxes in a pantry closet on the lower shelf so I can't see it.

Some of my other goals are not eating in the bedroom or car.  No eating after dinner.  

Think of steps you can take today to make progress toward a healthy lifestyle.  Every change you make is going to make a difference!