Do these things every day to lose weight!

Losing weight is about doing things differently. It’s not about never eating any five foods. It’s not about eating special foods in special combinations or swallowing a load of glop to give you non surgical mini gastric bypass results.

The things you need to do differently are not big things. They’re little things. They are things everybody can do and when you do them consistently, they make a big difference!

1. Set little goals for yourself everyday. Little goals are easy to achieve and help you to feel successful. Make them meaningful. 

A 5-minute is better than saying, "I don't have time to exercise."

A 5-minute is better than saying, “I don’t have time to exercise.”

Example: Getting up an hour earlier in the morning to workout is a big goal and hard to achieve. Losing that hour of sleep could make it hard to get through the afternoon. Make a very little activity goal. Getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning for a brisk 10-minute (4 mph) walk is easy to do. You’re not taking away a whole hour of sleep. Do it every morning you’ve added an hour and ten minutes of activity into your week. If you can’t do 10 minutes, do 5! It’s better than not getting any activity because you “don’t have time.”

Be spontaneous with your little goals. If you think of something that will support your progress, make it into a goal! Little successes grow up to be big successes.

2. Have a serving of fruit or vegetables with every meal.

Nutritious, flavorful, high in fiber, low in calories! What better way to make a meal bigger and more satisfying?

Nutritious, flavorful, high in fiber, low in calories! What better way to make a meal bigger and more satisfying?

Just eating fruit and vegetables isn’t a reliable weight loss strategy on its own. The benefit of eating fruits and vegetables besides the obvious good nutrients they provide is they can make your meals bigger and more satisfying without adding a lot of calories. The fiber content can help control your blood sugar levels – the highs and lows – and help you stay feeling full and satisfied longer. That in turn can help you to eat fewer calories and that is how weight loss happens.

3. Give yourself a morning pep talk.

You're an awesome human being with an amazing amount of creativity and tenacity. Nothing can stop you from getting to your weight goal! Nothing!

“Good morning, You! You’re an awesome human being with an amazing amount of creativity and tenacity. Nothing can stop you from getting to your weight goal! Nothing!”

It might be hard to get started. It feels silly. If that’s true, that is an indication that you really need to get in the habit of giving yourself supportive messages and eliminating the critical and negative thoughts you give yourself. Repeat after me…

  • I’m awesome!
  • Every problem has a solution, every problem!
  • I can always find a solution to any problem that tries to stand between me and my weight loss goals!

4. Review the day mentally each night before going to sleep.

"Today I was frustrated and angry at work. I wanted to eat a bag of chips to calm down. Instead I put it aside to enable myself to stick to my food plan. Jolly good job, Boy!"

“Today I was frustrated and angry at work. I wanted to eat a bag of chips to calm down. Instead I put it aside to enable myself to stick to my food plan. Jolly good job, Boy!”

Focus on the things you did well. If there are things you didn’t do so well, make a plan to avoid repeating the action.

Jackie Conn

About Jackie Conn

Jackie Conn is married and has four grown daughters and four grandchildren. She is a Weight Watchers success story. She's a weight loss expert with 25 years of experience guiding women and men to their weight-related goals. Her articles on weight management have been published in health, family and women's magazines. She has been a regular guest on Channel 5 WABI news, FOX network morning program Good Day Maine and 207 on WCSH.