Step 1

One of the first, most important lifestyle changes I made had more to do with what I was drinking than what I was eating.

I used to drink AT LEAST 1 diet Mountain Dew a day. Lots of sugary fruit drinks, like those large lemonades from the pretzel place in the mall that was conveniently located across the hall from the store I worked at. Fruit juices were a big thing, too.

I'm here to tell you that stuff is MISERABLE for you.

If you are drinking regular soda, STOP. If you are drinking diet soda, STOP. I honestly cut these things out completely at first and made a conscious effort to take in 8 8 oz. glasses of water a day.

Now, I hate water, so I had to get creative. For me, Crystal Light packets get me through. The energy ones are great for supplementing some of the caffeine I need without me resorting to soda. Some of my favorite flavors include:
Pink Lemonade
Grape w/ energy
Cherry Pomegrante
Raspberry Ice
Sunrise Orange is a great substitute for orange juice at breakfast.
Mango with energy.

I know there are Mio brand and other water flavorers that are low calorie as well but I never liked the Mio. Find what works for you.

Another bonus to the energy ones, if I take one about an hour before a work out, it's just as good as taking a supplement like Jacked, which I'm a little weary of the effects of since it made me feel like I was on Adderall.

Drinking your water ice cold, with ice helps as well. Water will also help keep you full and reduce your need to snack as much.

For work outs or traveling or even shopping, I use a Camelbak or a Nalgene to take my water with me. This reduces the risk of me running to the pop machine quickly because I need a beverage. I also keep one of those plastic cups that look like to-go cups at work, and several at my house. It keeps expense down and makes it more convenient.

Once you get into your work outs, you're not going to want to feel the full feeling soda provides. Also, when you're putting junk into your body and working out more, you're going to get to a point where you feel that during the work outs and its going to make them miserable.

As alternates to water: tomato juice, V8's to supplement fruits or veggies you may not get in your diet. They're a great place to keep your vitamin C levels higher. I can't really spice this one up for you much more, the reality is you just need to drink it. If you do drink something else, make sure you account for it in your daily calorie count.

*An added bonus for me is that I've always had terrible skin. When I went strictly water, it improved immensely!