Today marks the beginning of Week 52. At the end of this week, it will officially be one year since we started Health Happenings. Do you want to lose weight? Are you sick and tired of feeling the way you feel? Then let me tell you the number one most important factor in getting started.

It's the mindset

Over the past year I've lost about 70 to 75 pounds, while eating hundreds of burgers and pizzas for reviews. Even when I was a big boy I was health conscious. I grew up on a farm, I understand good food and good produce, and I played a lot of sports as a kid. Knowing what's healthy was never the problem. Committing to it was.

You have to commit. This doesn't happen overnight. You don't try for a day and wake up thin. It takes hard work and dedication, and you have to push yourself.

You're stronger than you think

It's amazing what we can accomplish once we push ourselves. When you start, you learn your boundaries, and believe me, they're a lot farther than you think. When I started, I was short of breath just getting out of bed.

Goals, short and long

I set short-term goals to keep improving, and one long-term goal: step on the scale after one year and see 179 pounds. Last week I was 180. Today: 176.6. Down 3.4 pounds and below my goal, almost one year in.

How did I get there? By finding reasons, not excuses. And 179 isn't where I want to end. I'm not sure where that is yet, but the journey keeps going.

If you want to surround yourself with people working on the same thing, join the Health Happenings group on Facebook.

Joe is not a doctor or a dietitian. This is his personal journey. Talk to your healthcare provider before making big changes to your diet or exercise.