Tamra's Fitness Tips: Where to Start

Tamra Judge has always been in amazing shape. Especially since she opened CUT Fitness with husband Eddie Judge in 2013.

But for those who want to live a fit lifestyle but have a lot of weight to lose, the hill in front of them can seem too steep to climb. This week, in her series of fitness tips for the Dish, Tamra offers her suggestions for starting a healthy regimen.

Krissy Jordan asked, "Can you recommend where to start for someone who needs to lose a considerable amount of weight? I have over 100 pounds to lose, and I've lost weight many times, but never in a healthy way. Can you give me the basics to start with?"

This is one of the most common questions I get and it's not one that is easy to answer. I want to scream, "CLEAN EATING AND EXERCISE." But I understand that it's not that easy for someone starting out.

First of all, there is no EASY way to lose weight that is going to stay off for the long run. Keep in mind that if it comes off fast chances are really high that it will come back fast. To lose weight, you can start by learning what to eat that will not only satisfy your eating habits but reduce your calories. Learn to eat the foods that will not only help you lose weight but make you feel better. If you need help on what to eat, I recommend the book Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food. Once you have that under control, then think about exercising to build all-around strength and cardiovascular endurance. Start out slow and be consistent. Last year I had emergency abdoninal surgery and I was not able to do my normal workouts for about six months. So what I did was walk -- I would walk my neighborhood every morning and before too long I was walking six miles a day. One thing that motivated me was a free app called RunKeeper. All I had to do was download it to my iPhone, plug in my earbuds and click "Start." RunKeeper links to your playlist and gives you updates on your progress (calories burned, distance covered, etc.) as you're walking/running. The best part is RunKeeper stores your information and sends you an email with your results. What happens is you start to get competitive with yourself. Each week, it's rewarding to see how far you have walked and how many calories you have burned. Before you know it you will be jogging six miles a day.

I know that losing weight is not easy and sometimes quite depressing, but don't let it define who you are -- take control and show it who's boss. Think of this as a journey to the new you. It will not happen overnight and you will be a different person one year from the day you start.

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