As of today, I’ve lost 30 pounds (insert Monty Python “Yay” sound effect). I feel much better. The only downsize is that none of my jeans fit anymore. Almost all of them are too big for me now.

How did I do this? Well, here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way that have helped.

1) Give up soft drinks. If you’re from the South, that means giving up Cokes. If you’re from anywhere else, that equates to no more soda/soda pop/carbonated beverages. Even the diet sodas (you’ll be amazed at how much the craving for sweets goes down once you’ve quit the Diet Dr Peppers and Diet Mountain Dews). It’s not easy, but as I can attest after nearly 9 months without them, it can be done. Giving up these soft drinks has helped me more than anything else I’ve done to lose weight.

2) Deliberately park further away. It seems people want to wait 15 minutes for a spot that is 5 minutes closer, but if you want to get fit, buck that trend and park further away than usual. That means you have to walk further. It may not seem like much, but every little bit counts.

3) Take the stairs instead of the elevator whenever possible. Unless of course you’re going up to the 99th floor in a 100-story building.

4) Buy a reusable water. I have a Camelbak insulated water bottle with a filter that I got on sale, but any BPA-free water bottle will do. I truly believe that if you have one of these, you will drink more water.

5) I’d recommend finding an affordable pedometer. It’s not essential, but it does help to see how many steps you take during an average day. A good pedometer will also take into account how long your stride is and will also tell you how many miles you’ve walked and how many calories you’ve burned.

The key is to do something. You don’t have to start right away with a grueling 2-hour workout session the very first day. Just turn off the TV and go outside for a walk. The important thing is consistency, doing something every day. Every single step matters, because it gets you one step closer to where you want to be.

In shape.