Win the weight loss wars

Are you trying to lose your first 10 pounds or hoping to finally shed your last 5? Whatever your goal, know that it's possible to blast that fat and start your journey towards a healthier - and better feeling - you. From nutrition news to setting your fitness goals, we have all it takes to help you on your journey to successful weight loss.

First, find out what you should know before you start your weight loss journey. Then, find out what foods you should add to your diet. Learn the keys to maintaining fitness motivation and discover the sneaky habits that can pack on the pounds.

Ready to lose weight? Here are six questions to ask yourself
Consider your goals and motivations to ensure weight-loss success.

Thinking of shedding a few pounds? Losing excess weight will help your health and your self-esteem. It can be tough to do, but it's even harder to pull it off if you're not prepared.

"When you're trying to make any kind of a significant change to improve your health, it's not a simple task," says family physician Dr. Shahebina Walji at the Calgary Weight Management Centre. "Most of us have experienced very real challenges around trying to maintain those types of changes in the long run."

What can help is setting realistic goals, planning your moves and tracking your progress.

10 foods that will help you lose weight
Trying to lose weight?

Instead of thinking about what you shouldn't eat, focus on the delicious foods that will help keep you satisfied. Find out the top 10 picks for foods that can help you lose weight.

7 tips for maintaining fitness motivation
Maintain momentum and stick to your fitness goals with this motivational advice.

If one of your goals is to start a regular exercise program, there's no better time than now to start working towards it. To help you, we asked Peter C. Siegel, a sports and peak-performance hypnotherapist who has worked with professional athletes, such as hockey players Alexei Yashin and Tie Domi and tennis player Anastasia Myskina, and winning teams, such as the New Jersey Devils. Siegel shows them how to use visualization techniques and positive self-talk to improve their confidence, overcome negative conditioning and perform at their best.

The top 8 things you're wasting your calories on
You could be using up all your calories and not even realizing it. Find out what your worst enemies are when you're counting your calories.

Are you spending your calories in all the wrong places? Not sure which foods are worthwhile nutritional investments and which foods are empty calories all dressed up as delicious? If you need to cut corners, look no further than your day-to-day eating habits and you'll probably find large holes in your diet pockets.