Five Tips to Jump-start Your Weight Loss

As we start the New Year many of us will decide we need to lose weight. Unfortunately, only a few of us will actually achieve our goal. Research tells us that many dieters give up before meeting their goal because of frustration or temptation. Here are my top five ideas to help you jump-start your weight loss plan:

1. Set a realistic, attainable goal. Even if you want to lose 30 pounds, you need to set a short-term goal that is within your reach. Remember, a safe and healthy weight loss is 1 or 2 pounds per week. This means it could take you as long as 7½ months to reach your goal weight. The lofty goal of 1 pound per week may seem discouraging. But if you rethink your goal as 5 pounds per month, success will seem more attainable. After meeting this short-term goal, you can reassess and establish a new goal for the next month.
   
   
2. Get support. Whether it’s your work group, family, or simply a friend you call from time to time, you need to share your weight loss goal with someone supportive. Your support system should be available to you whenever you are tempted to deviate from your weight loss plan. They should also be there to share your successes. Research shows that dieters who identify a support system are more likely to succeed in their weight loss goal.
   
   
3. Exercise. Exercise is just as important as diet in weight loss. Exercising regularly will also help you tone your body, feel more energized, and improve your mood every day. To lose weight, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans state, you must exercise each day for at least 60 minutes (you can do it in 10-minute segments). Remember, you don’t have to join an expensive gym to stay physically active: walking up and down the stairs at home, gardening, and cleaning out those closets qualify as exercise, too!
   
   
4. Celebrate your successes. When you achieve your milestones, no matter how small, be sure to reward yourself. A food reward may seem tempting but try to give yourself some other type of reward, whether it is a new outfit in a smaller size, a manicure, or some time alone without your usual daily distractions.
   
   
5. Commit to making a lifestyle change. Remember that those who fail at diets usually do so after they've successfully lost weight, when they revert to old habits. If you’re going to keep weight off over the long haul you need to make permanent changes in your life and your diet.