Your goal is to lose weight. But if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten. And in this scenario, it is added pounds. Just what you don’t want.

Successful “losers” know that ACCEPTING SUPPORT and TAKING DIRECTION to implement new strategies and ACQUIRING WILLINGNESS to face their fears and resistance leads to positive results. Stepping out of a familiar box may feel uncomfortable at first, but taking those baby steps is all you need to do to jump start your program.

Remember, it takes 21 days to adopt a new habit. Losing weight is a journey, not a race to the finish line.

Here are some helpful and healthy ideas. Go at your own pace so you don’t get overwhelmed.

• Make losing weight your top priority.
• Keep a daily food journal. Keep track of the feelings you had when you ate and how far apart your meals are spaced.
• Pick one goal each day and do whatever it takes to accomplish it.
• Make a grocery list of healthy foods.
• Search for healthy recipes that compliment your food plan.
• Categorize your trigger foods – the reds are the ones that you can’t ever eat in moderation and the yellows are ones that are somewhat difficult for you to control.
• Schedule exercise into your daily routine. If you’re new to exercise, your goal is to work up to some form of aerobic exercise 30 minutes a day (at least 5 days a week), and as you get leaner and stronger, or if you already have an exercise program, turn one of those sessions into a cardio-vascular session of 60 minutes or more.
• Sign up for E-diets online. They have some excellent articles that will keep you motivated.
• Weigh in at least once a week at the same time, on the same scale. Some people prefer to weight themselves every day so they can lose any added pounds as fast as they appear. However, because small fluctuations in weight may simply mean water retention or increased muscle mass (if you’re working out with weights), don’t let the scale drive you crazy. Concentrate on inches lost and the way your clothes fit.
• Set reasonable goalswith built-in rewards. A new article of clothing, a different haircut, going to a place you’ve always wanted to go, buying something non-practical and out-of-the-ordinary, signing up at a gym or putting a set amount of money into a jar for every pound you lose are just some of the ways you honor your achievement, Remember, you are worth it.
• Get rid of the old, "fat-sized" clothes. This is a powerful step because it shows you have confidence in yourself to lose and keep off weight.
• Select an “accountability buddy,” someone who is also trying to change their habits. Check in with them often.
• Newspapers and magazines are full excellent How To articles about losing weight. Some are researched and others are written out of life experience. Whichever type resonates best with you, include it your reading list.
• IF YOU FALL OFF THE HORSE, GET RIGHT BACK ON. WHO HASN’T MADE MISTAKES OR VEERED FROM THEIR PATH? WINNERS ARE THOSE THAT DON’T DWELL ON THE DOWNTIME. THEY SIMPLY DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO REACH THEIR GOALS.