* Everyone’s body is different. What works for one person may not work for you. Some people lose weight by counting calories, some by joining a weight-loss program with pre-packaged meals. Some lose weight by taking pills; others just get hyperactive taking them. Some diets can make one person lose a lot of weight in a month, and other people may just lose a pound or two. Don’t get discouraged!! Find the right diet for you, and stick with it.
* Restaurants are evil. Ok, that’s an exaggeration, but the portion sizes in ANY restaurant are waaaaay too large! Having said that, you should NOT stay at home while you are dieting; going out to dinner with friends and family is party of our social culture and it’s important to know how to order food in a restaurant while you are dieting. Keep in mind you are not obligated to order an entire entree when you go out to eat. You can order an appetizer instead of a full entree for your main meal, and not feel guilty about it. Just inform your Waitress/Waiter you’d like your appetizer served as your entree, and you’ll feel much better about not blowing your diet by overeating.
* Super-size NOTHING!! Equate super-sizing your meals with super-sizing the size of your clothes. If you MUST eat at a fast food place such as McDonald's, and you don't want a salad, just order the Kid’s Meal instead of a Big Mac. There are no Kid's Meal Police that only allows children under 12 to purchase one. If nothing else, you'll save ton of calories & you’ll get a cool toy, too!
* MOVE. Get up and DO something every single day. The is no way of getting around it. And it's for the rest of your life. Move your body by doing at least SOME type of exercise every day. Do at least one thing, even if you never break a sweat doing it. At least it’s better than sitting on your butt all day. Take a walk around the block. Do a mile on a treadmill. Vacuum your carpeting. Damp Mop or Sweep your floors. Wash your Windows. Do a load of laundry. Walk around the room while talking on the telephone. The simplest, little bit of movement is better than just doing nothing, especially if you're not 'into' going to a health club or a gym to exercise. So MOVE your body and DO something every day.
* Shopping is so much fun when you can buy smaller sizes. Do it as often as you can afford to. Don't wear clothes that are too big once you start losing the weight. Flaunt your success, but don’t put yourself into credit card debt in the process.
* Stop using food as a reward!! Every time I say, 'I was good on my diet today, so I'll have this slice of cake.’ (…or whatever YOUR favorite snack may be) I try to say, 'I will have HALF of this slice of cake because I WANT to eat it, but I will need to walk twice around the block to work it off.’ With that type of thought process, you won’t feel guilty about eating a snack, or you won’t even EAT that snack, knowing you must ‘work’ for it. But regardless, you should NEVER use food as a reward!! EVER!!
* Water is your friend. About 2/3 of the human body is made of WATER. You should drink at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water every single day of your life. Soda, beer, wine and alcohol are NOT considered ‘water’, even though they are in liquid form. Water will keep your body hydrated and healthy, and it will also keep your hunger pangs at bay. If you’re not ‘into’ drinking lots of water, try to jazz it up with ice or squeeze a fresh lemon or lime into it. There are lots of zero-calorie water based drinks on the market that are flavored, and they will help you to meet your daily water requirements!
* Surround yourself with people who are positive influences. Anyone that tries to sabotage your efforts to stay on your diet should be removed from your life. Ok, so you can't just wipe them off the face of the earth, but decide if it's really worth keeping a friendship with someone who WANTS to see you fail. Some of these people may be heavy themselves and don’t want you to lose weight, or they'll feel pressure to diet as well. Jealousy is ugly. Trust me; I speak from experience. Staying on your weight loss program isn’t difficult, as long as you surround yourself with positive people that will encourage you to succeed.
* It's ok to have setbacks. Just don't let a setback turn into a downward spiral. Good luck!!
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