Eating To Lose Weight

Are you tired of losing at losing weight? Have you tried eating to lose weight with little success?

After all, you've been here before, tried a lot of different diets and always failed.

What is going to make this time different and lead to a permanent sensible weight loss?

I think there are certain essentials that must be in place before you can be successful at weight loss.

Do you believe that you can?

One of the first things I noticed at a diet center I once visited was a sign on the wall that read, "The difference between those who succeed and those who do not, is that those who succeed believe that they can."

You must make yourself one of those believers. Picture yourself at your goal. Imagine what you will be doing when you reach your goal. I like to picture myself on Oprah standing next to Colin Firth.

What is your goal?

You must set goals that you can quantify, and that are reasonable and attainable for you.

Does your goal have to be your ideal weight? Certainly not. Maybe your goal at this juncture is five or ten pounds. At that point you will take stock of what is working or maybe not working for you, reassess and set a further goal.

There is no one right way to approach eating healthy and losing weight and what applies to others might not apply to you. Perhaps you are aiming for your "happy weight" instead of your ideal weight. Go for it.

Your Eating To Lose Weight Mini-Guide

This page is a condensed version of how to be successful at eating to lose weight while using a sensible weight loss plan. For a more detailed explanation of each of the steps, just click on the links in this box.

Step 1 - Believe In Yourself

Step 2 - Evaluating Unhealthy Eating Habits

Step 3 - Smart Goal Setting

Step 4 - Changing Habits

Are you willing to honestly assess your current lifestyle and eating habits?

To be successful at eating healthy and losing weight you must be committed to being brutally honest about your current habits. Are you willing to examine everything you eat including the quantities and most important of all, when and under what circumstances you are eating.

Do you have schedule issues that result in excessive fast food?
Do you have bad habits like sucking down potato chips while you watch TV?
Are you doing more than just "tasting" while you cook?
Do you only eat at night?
Do you only eat in the middle of the night?
Are you standing over the sink eating for no reason that you can think of.

It takes awareness to make changes and it's never too late to make the changes.

Introduce changes gradually

Don't take on too much at once. You don't have to go cold turkey on all of your favorites.

When you feel deprived it's easy to give up. I remember thinking about starting a plan of eating healthy and losing weight one day during a motorcycle ride to the beach. I was eating coffee ice cream from a favorite little stand where we would always stop on the way home.

The first thing that came to mind was that I would never have one of these ice creams again and so I decided to stop before I even started.

Leave the all-or-nothing thinking behind and make small gradual changes that you can live with forever.

Plan to be successful at eating to lose weight

Investigate and choose a healthy eating plan. Find the diet plan that is right for you. One that fits your lifestyle and will be realistic for you to follow. Don't fall for fads and magical thinking.

You know those ads where they tell you if you just stand there doing absolutely nothing, the weight melts off. As tempting as that might seem, in your heart, you know it can't work.

Reminder

The difference between people who succeed and people who don't is that people who succeed believe that they can!

Instead, plan to find a buddy. Arrange for support from your friends and family. The social component to losing weight can be very powerful for many people. That's why certain diet clubs are successful. Having a cheering section is important.

In short, plan to do whatever it takes to set yourself up for success on your journey of eating to lose weight.

Return to the top of Eating To Lose Weight