1. Imagine Yourself Thin – Look for old photographs of yourself when you were thin and post them on the refrigerator or at work as inspiration. Picture yourself six months or a year down the road when you have lost weight and imagine how good you will feel and all of the new experiences you can have since losing weight.
2. Small Goals Equal Big Accomplishments – When you make a few small goals instead of one big goal you are more likely to see progress and stay motivated. You also want to start slowly and not try to completely change your life over night. You will end up frustrated and no closer to your goals. Instead of setting your initial goal as “Lose 100 pounds” you can set small goals that will result in you achieving a large goal. An example a few small goals would be to start exercising 3 days a week, eat 5 servings of vegetables a day, and only eat fried foods one time per week.
3. Get Support – We all need a friend or someone that we can go to when times get tough. Join a Transitions 12 week program instead of trying to lose the weight on your own. If you connect with someone on a regular basis then you are much more likely to stick with a program and reach your goals.
4. Create an Action Plan – Planning ahead will prevent you from falling into the situations that are most likely to get you off track. Pack your snacks ahead of time so that you will be less likely or less tempted to eat the wrong kinds of foods. Schedule your exercise like you would an appointment. If you plan to workout with a friend after work or early in the morning then you are less likely to skip out on your workout because you will be letting down your friend and yourself.
5. Journal – Journaling will help keep you on track because it will keep you accountable as well as give you a record of your behavior. You can journal what you eat, when and how much you exercise, your emotions and your weight and measurements. Keeping track of this information helps to promote positive behavior because you don’t want someone to see that you ate that piece of cake or didn’t work out for a whole week. Journaling keeps you accountable.
Adopting these 5 tips won’t cause you to lose 10 pounds over night, but they will help to increase and encourage the good behaviors that put you on the path to weight loss. The Transitions™ program is a tool for weight loss and can help you reach all of your goals but only if you are committed to the lifestyle and to making the changes in your life, your head and your behavior.