1. Believe in yourself. Believe you have the power to make the changes necessary to lose weight. Believe that this time, you will succeed.
2. State aloud your desire to lose weight. Daily affirmations begin with a truthful revelation and bring forth your true desire. Keep out negativity and feelings of defeat by reaffirming your resolve and your commitment to fulfill your desire to lose weight.
3. Form a plan of what you need to do to lose weight. Making a mental plan is the beginning of realizing your goal to lose weight. It turns a desire into the foundation for a life-changing event.
4. Make a commitment in writing. When you write down your commitment, it sends a definite message to your brain that a contract has been established and that this is serious business. Now you have partnered with your brain, an effective ally when you want to lose weight.
5. Keep a women’s fitness journal. It has been proven time and again that people who maintain a journal of everything they eat and drink lose far more weight than those who do not. Record your exercise workouts too, it’s a great way to stay challenged.
6. Plan your meals in advance. Don’t go through the day not knowing what you plan to eat next. This opens you up to all sorts of temptations and makes it almost impossible to follow an effective diet plan. Plan your day’s or week’s meals with a variety of foods. This way you can be sure to get plenty of vitamins and nutrients without overeating, binging or starving.
7. Align your grocery list with your plan to lose weight. When making out your grocery list, have your meal plan in hand. Choose foods that can be eaten throughout the week so that you get the best value for your dollar and still stay on a healthy diet.
8. Eat an apple and drink a glass of water before heading out to the grocery store. It’s hard to make sensible choices when your stomach is hungry. Best to feed it a healthy snack that will keep you satisfied for a longer period of time. This way you can go to the store and still have time to prepare some lunch when you return. It’s a much better alternative to tearing open a bag of chips or devouring a fast-food burger on the way home.
9. Prepare meals in advance. Especially if you have a busy schedule and like to take foods on the go. You can have some pre-cut carrots, a fruit smoothie or some other healthy snack, pre-packaged and ready to go. Anything you can do, to stay in control of the food that you eat will help you lose weight faster and keep it off.
10. Plan dining out events so that nothing interferes with your diet plan. Most restaurants will cater to your needs like asking for sauces on the side, or asking for an entrée without the cheese. Many restaurants have low calorie meals or meals that come in smaller portions. How you decide to handle eating out is entirely up to you. You may decide to throw caution to the wind on the few times that you dine out. Of course, this is fine. But if eating out at restaurants is a more common occurrence in your lifestyle, make your food selections and portion sizes carefully if you really want to lose weight.