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How to Stay motivated while losing weight

If you have tried to lose weight in the past and failed just because you couldn't keep yourself motivated, or simply you did not have a good motive to begin with, you are not alone. Many people wake up one day and say "I'm going to start losing weight from this day forwards". They watch their diet and exercise for a day or two, and then they forget about it. This is usually due to a lack of motivation. People are motivated sometimes and at times they're not. If you're ever going to be successful on losing weight, you will need to keep yourself motivated all the time.
Listed below are tips that you can use to encourage yourself whenever you are feeling apathetic. These tips will also help you to deal with temptation of calorific foods, laziness that comes up when it's time to exercise and when you are being a coach potato.

• Never forget the purpose you are losing weight for. If you're losing weight to look attractive, say that out loud every morning "I'm going to lose weight and look attractive". If you're losing weight to be healthy, say "I'm losing weight to be healthy".
• Never forget the benefits of losing weight. Imagine how energized you be, the level of impact it will have on your productivity, how seductive you will be to the opposite sex.
• Take a picture of yourself while you are overweight. Keep this picture with you at all times. Whenever you feel like eating fattening food, ask yourself "Do I want to be like this forever?" If you have already lost some weight, ask yourself "Do I want to be this again?"
• Keep a picture of your favorite actor/actress, player or model. Whenever you feel unenthusiastic, take a look at his or her abs, legs, hips and tummy. This will make you want to be like him or her and might give you the stimulus you need.
• Create a spreadsheet with columns: date, calories eaten, calories burned, food #1, food #2..., exercise #1, exercise #2..., and weight. Update this file every day except your weight. Weight should be updated weekly. Looking at your progress will help you focus and stay motivated.
• Look at yourself in the mirror everyday and visualize you being slim and trim that you always wanted.
• Watch fitness and exercise related TV shows every day. After looking at people working out and eating healthy, it might encourage you to do the same.
• Look at before and after pictures. Internet is flooded with these types of pictures; a simple search at Google will bring thousands of results.
• If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer. A personal trainer will not only give you training, they're also capable of keeping you motivated.
• Make the exercise a fun activity; listen to your favorite music or watch a movie of your choice while you are on a treadmill. You will be surprised how much extra walking/jogging you can do while watching a movie.
• Set small achievable goals and reward yourself on completion. Have your favorite meal, even if it is a pizza or a double cheeseburger. Losing weight does not mean that you will never enjoy your beloved meals.
• The most important tip would be to learn what works for you. It might be fitting into your favorite clothes, showing your abs at the beach, etc.

Most people have whatever it takes to lose weight. They have all the information they need, they have access to a gym. Only thing missing is their motivation. You should make motivation a vital part of your plan. You must know how you will keep yourself motivated before starting on your weight loss approach.
Follow these tips and keep finding new ways to motivate yourself constantly, and you will conquer your way to success in no time.

Best weight loss tips for Women

Believe it or not, losing weight isn’t actually a bone-crunching, life-threatening challenge. You just need to know all of the little things that can help put the weight off, and the self-discipline to put those little things into practice. Anyone can do it – keep yourself in a positive mindset, be focused and you will see the difference creeping in.

Diet Plans are hard to stick to. Gym seems to be a distant dream in a busy schedule. But being simple may do the trick for us if we are consistent. Written below, are a few tips almost all of us know but tend to ignore, running after the complexities, believing them to help us lose weight.

Remember, Mom always telling you to eat slowly. Well, it works in losing weight too. Don’t try to gulp all the food in one go. Chew and enjoy every bite. It takes a while for the brain to sense a full belly. If you adopt this habit you’ll get full with less food.

One of the largest contributors to expanding pant sizes are often snacking and binge eating. A big help would be to avoid these. The solution – brush your teeth! Brushing after major meal signals to your body that meal time is over, and you’re less open to eating when your mouth is clean and fresh.

If you seriously wish to have those extra pounds off you then you should discern among foods and chose what fits best into the idea of a smarter you. You can make choices, such as, if you wish to have french fries then do have them. But baked ones instead of fried. Similarly, you can make certain very healthy changes to your diet turning it into a balanced one. Believe me, it will help you and be fruitful in the long run.

Perfect Weight Loss Drink is found at your local tap. Yes, drink water and drink a lot of it. Water helps you lose weight. Replace all of those soft drinks and coffees throughout the day with water. You can eliminate many needless calories by doing so. Water flushes toxins and excess waste from your body. It helps you stay active for longer periods of time.
If you still want it to be better drink luke warm water. Have you ever noticed the clear and glowing skin of Chinese, Japanese and Korean people? They take warm water as a beverage after every meal. Consider washing an oily dish with cold water and yet another dish with warm water. That’s the fitness secret of the cousin nations. It could be yours too. Moreover the urges to visit the loo are an additional reason to take a small walk.

Walk while you talk!! When most people think of exercise they imagine push-ups, lunges or any other forms of exercising that is particular of a gym. Place a tread mill in your TV lounge. Chew a gum and walk as you watch your favorite program on TV. It’s a perfect example of multi tasking your body.

Yes, be active and be happy. Play with the kids at home. Wash the car yourself. Say good bye to the pool guy. Clean the pool yourself. You will save money only spending those extra pounds off you.
Imagine a smart you
It might seem funny or a weirdo. But yes, instead of a chubby you, paint a smarter image of yours in your mind. You’ll be motivated to control and organize your eating habits and life style to achieve the dream figure in your mind.

Losing weight is a big deal that can be handled by doing several small things that will help you keep the weight off. If you succeed to follow small healthy habits and an active lifestyle you won’t be left in need to worry about spending cumbersome hours at the gym.

Best Exercises for Losing Weight

It is not uncommon for those looking for the best exercises for losing weight to neglect to focus on their individual needs.

There are so many weight loss programs and exercises to choose from but the best one for you needs to encompass two things.

The first thing needs to be that it is enjoyable for you.

The second is the exercise you choose must make your body sweat. Not a dripping sweat workout but a moderate amount to let you know you is burning calories. The best exercises for losing weight encompass creativity and variety so you will stay interested in what you are doing.

For those that love to walk, this is the best exercises for losing weight for the beginner. It is the easiest to do and is the one of the most effective.

There are no restrictions on when you walk. You can pick any place to walk. No special equipment is needed. Walking will help take extra weight off the body and also boosts the cardiovascular system.

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Using a stationary cycle is also effective in losing weight. It appears to function the same as walking but the rate at which one burns calories is much higher. You can easily use this machine at home while you are watching television or a movie or listening to your favorite CD. Cycling can be done in your spare time and burn some extra calories off your body in the process.

Aerobics are very useful as one of the best exercises for losing weight. They can take pounds off the muscles of the body.  It is like dancing but with exercise steps thrown in. The idea is to move the body to the flow of the music. It assists in raising the amount of activity to the muscles and raising the amount of brain function. It is important to stay fit by doing regular exercise but do not do these exercises to the point that it causes stress and anxiety.

The absolute best exercises for losing weight is interval training. This encompasses high and low resistance workouts throughout the workout. You can combine many exercises together to make a completely unique routine. The level of intensity can also change to meet the needs of the individual as they advance in their fitness level. You are in charge of the speed and variation of the entire interval workout.

For those who take on any of the best exercises for losing weight  it is essential to also take care of your diet.

It is true that your exercises will not be as effective if you are eating the wrong way or having too much calories each day. It is best to stay quiet about your intent to lose weight. Only those close to you should know about it to help you stay motivated. Motivation is so important in any exercise you plan to do. You cannot meet your goals without it.

A successful exercise plan should be one that has realistic, rational, and obtainable goals. It should never be set for the long term so you will not feel overwhelmed and give up on any of the best exercises for losing weight.

7 Best ways to Burn Fat

The best way to burn fat is the natural form as it is the only permanent way to drop all the extra kilos and look slim, fit and confident. This is a fact that may not want to hear, but it’s true, there is no magic formula when it comes to fat loss. In fact, sudden weight loss is not good for your health. It’s much better to lose the weight slowly, but steadily.

1. Salty foods. What are you doing.

I love salty food, but if you want to lose abdominal fat you must reduce your salt intake.

The water is maintained through salt and more salt you eat, the water rather than retain.

If you want to burn belly fat say no to the drawers.

2. Cardio exercises.

It raises the lazy ass and start some cardio work.

But what exercises I can do? You can choose from a wide range of exercises such as swimming, running, aerobics, dancing, skating.
My recommendation for you: All of them, if you do an exercise, so it’s a bit boring.

3. Eating less and more.

If you really want to lose abdominal fat you need to adapt their eating pattern. You will need to eat fewer meals. If you are unsure on how to adapt their pattern of eating in touch with a specialist about diet. And do not eat sweet drink more if you really want six pack.

4. Do not skip breakfast

This technique is much higher to burn abdominal fat. You and I both know that we live in a world of stress and do not always have time to make breakfast.

5. Drinking green tea

Drinking green tea has a lot of effects that will help make your weight loss effort, but can increase your metabolic rate which means the loss of weight faster and easier to control weight. All you have to do is to drink 2-3 cups of green tea every day. Replace coffee, soda, black tea, juice and “energy” drinks with green tea instead.

6. Increase green vegetables

Fibrous green vegetables are one of the best foods that burn fat fast . Well, getting a lot of all kinds of vegetables is very important, but if you increase your intake of dark green vegetables such as broccoli and spinach, green beans, lettuce, celery and cauliflower, this will ensure you get the burning optimal fat results.

7. The high-intensity exercise

If you want the best way to burn fat, then low intensity training is boring just will not do the trick. In fact, high-intensity cardio is more effective and time efficient, and most importantly … will burn more body fat than low intensity training.

To do this, I recommend doing sprints and jogging. Sprint for one minute, then run for 30 seconds and repeat up to 30 minutes. Try this about 4-5 times a week and you’ll begin to notice some very surprising results. Other sports activities that can help in the fusion of body fat are racquet ball, basketball, etc.

How to lose belly fat fast

Would you like to shrink your belly fat, lose your love handles, and feel pretty great while you’re doing it? How would you like to get rid of your over-sized pot belly quickly? Follow these proven steps and you’ll be on your way to a slimmer stomach in no time…

1. Eat more good fats. Yes, believe it or not you probably need to eat more fat — not less — if you want to lose abdominal fat. But almost all of the fat you eat should be the healthy kind which helps to stimulate the metabolism. It also boosts your health greatly and can do a lot to improve the way you feel in general. The most-important of these fats is the omega-3 fatty acids which come from foods like fish, flax seeds, and walnuts. Other “good” fats are found in olive oil, nuts, seeds and several different nut oils.

2. Have a vigorous workout most days of the week. Exercising on a regular basis is pretty much mandatory for losing belly fat. Exercise burns calories while helping to reduce the stress that can pack pounds on your midsection. It also helps to lift your mood, especially when you workout in the mornings! For faster results, most of the workouts you do should be higher in intensity. Higher-intensity exercise not only burns fat and calories, it can produce hormonal changes (and other changes) in the body which leads to increased fat burning for hours after a workout is completed.

3. Reduce stress. As mentioned above, it’s very important to reduce stress levels if you want to shrink belly fat. High stress levels can cause your body to produce hormones — such as cortisol — that literally “redirect” body fat to the abdominal area. Regular exercise is a big stress-reliever. You should also learn some deep breathing and muscle relaxation techniques, both proven to reduce stress quickly. Finally, you might want to try meditation, which can help relieve stress, improve sleep quality, and boost overall health.

4. Eat a fat-burning diet. The best diet for losing belly fat is one based around lean proteins, healthy fats, and good carbohydrates. For fast results, you need to avoid anything with refined sugar and/or refined flour… which are found in 95% of processed foods. A great example of a fat-burning meal is a grilled chicken breast with a large salad containing fresh raw veggies and sunflower seeds, sprinkled with virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar. If most of your meals have a similar “look” you’ll almost definitely burn off your abdominal fat fast!

6 Tips to lose Belly fat

Most people have the wrong idea when it comes to lose belly fat and unfortunately they end up wasting their time. To ultimately achieve success in losing weightyou’re going to have to look at what actually works instead of focusing on the stuff that never seems to get you any results.

1. Do exercise that you enjoy. I like to golf for example. Choose activities that you enjoy this way you will want to do it. At the gym vary your exercise routines and do scissor kicks and crunches to specifically target that area.

2. Eat more healthy fats. The vast majority of people simply don’t get enough healthy fats in their diets, especially the vitally-important omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats have been shown to decrease fat-storing while increasing fat-burning. They may also be able to reduce stress hormones in your body.

3. Do exercise 3-4 times per week. Nothing reduces stress or burns tummy fat like regular vigorous exercise. Training yourself to hate exercise is a big mistake that way too many people make. Instead, try speed walking, jogging or hiking outdoors.

4. Try the Mediterranean Diet. It works because it’s high in antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats like virgin olive oil and oily fish. At the same time it’s low in “bad fats” and “bad carbs”. Even if you don’t want to make a complete diet switch, it’s extremely easy to incorporate delicious Mediterranean foods into your daily diet.

5. Do simple things like cutting out cream in your coffee this is easy and effective. Try and exchange sugar for honey in your coffee or if that does not work for you try to replace the sugar with something you are comfortable with.

6. In the morning eat fresh fruit. By the way vary your fruit. Cut up some grapefruit. Before you eat it - drink warm water with lemon. Then eat some whole bran cereal and have whole wheat toast with honey.

75 weight loss tips that really work

We suggest printing out each page and hanging them on your fridge, desk or other prominent place. 
Get Moving  
The tough part with exercise, of course, is getting out there and doing it. Here's how the successful get going: 
1. Prioritize.  
The beds might not get made, but Amy Reed, 36, still makes time for exercise. That's how she's kept off more than 80 pounds for 13 years. "I have to schedule it in and let go of other things -- like a perfectly clean house," she says. 
2. Find a passion.  
"I have a dance background and when I found jazzercise, I said, 'Thank God.' If somebody told me I had to go out and run five days a week, I'd still weigh 185 pounds," says Anne Geren, 41, who lost 55 pounds and has kept it off for 13 years. 
3. Keep an Exercise Log.  
It makes you more accountable. Norma from Dallas, TX, who hangs hers on the refrigerator, checks off six workouts a week dutifully. "If I miss one day, I make that my day off for the week." 
4. Set a Goal.  
Sign up for some fun runs and try to improve your times. "I went from a 5-K to a 4-miler, then a 5-miler, then a 10-K. As I was building miles and speed, I was getting fitter and losing more weight," says Therese Revitt, 42, who lost 80 pounds and recently ran a marathon. 
5. Get Pumped.  
"It wasn't until I put on more muscle through resistance training that I was able to keep the weight off -- almost effortlessly," says Verona Mucci-Hurlburt, 37, who went from a size 18 to an 8. The reason? Muscle burns more calories around the clock. 
Eat Smart  
6. Make changes for the long haul.  
"I learned how to eat and live with it for the rest of my life," says Barbara Miltenberger, 42, who lost more than 40 pounds and hasn't seen any come back in three years. 
7. Stop dieting.  
"The best thing I did was quit dieting," says Reed. "I'd always find ways to cheat. So instead, I stopped forbidding myself certain foods and just started eating less of them." 
8. Get a grip on reality.  
"When I started keeping a food diary, I discovered that I was eating somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000 calories a day," says Rebecca, 46, who found the number shocking. 
9. Eat minimeals.  
Having smaller, more frequent meals can prevent you from getting ravenously hungry and overeating. On average, weight loss winners eat five times a day. 
10. Follow the 90% to 10% rule.  
"If you watch what you eat 90% of the time, the other 10% is not a problem," says Mucci-Hurlburt, who learned this tip from a fitness professional. 
11. Dine at the dinner table only.  
If you eat in front of the TV, then every time you nestle in with the remote control, it's a cue to eat. Instead, designate an eating spot for all meals and snacks. "Even when I want potato chips, I set the table just like I was going to sit down for a full course meal," says Kathy Wilson, 47, who took off more than 100 pounds. "I put a handful of chips on the plate, put the bag away, and then sit down to eat. I never just stand at the counter and eat now." 
12. Think before you bite.  
Creating rituals -- like Wilson did or the old standby of waiting 10 minutes before giving into a craving -- can stop you from eating when you really aren't hungry. "Nine chances out of 10 the chips go back in the cupboard, and I just walk away," says Wilson. 
13. Drink up.  
"Drinking lots of water keeps me from snacking when I'm not hungry, and it gives me more energy," says Revitt. "It also stopped what I thought were hunger headaches, which were probably due to dehydration. " 
 
Set Yourself Up for Success  
14. Do it for yourself.  
"My doctor told me for years that I had to take the weight off. But you've got to want it yourself," says Wilson. "As long as somebody else is pushing you, no matter what you do or what you try, it'll never work," adds Victoria Bennett, 39, who shed 60 pounds and has kept them off for five years. 
15. Take it slow.  
We all want to lose it yesterday, but slow is the way to go if you don't want to see those pounds again. "It took me a year to lose 100 pounds this time," says Rebecca, who's kept it off for eight years. "I had lost 100 pounds twice before, in less than six months each time, but I didn't maintain it." 
16. Customize your approach.  
What worked for your best friend may not work for you. And what works for you today may not work six months from now. You need to decide what you need. Mucci-Hurlburt joined a structured program for accountability. "I needed to know that I was going to get weighed each week," she says. But for others that's exactly what they don't need. 
17. Learn from the past.  
Everyone we talked to had tried to lose weight before. Part of their success this time was that they learned from past failures. "Before, the more I focused on weighing, measuring, and preparing food, the more I ate," says Wilson, who finally succeeded with a program that offered prepackaged foods. 
18. Set small goals.  
"My first goal was to lose only 10 pounds," says Rebecca. "I had very high blood pressure, and my doctor said if I would just lose 10 pounds, he believed that I could get off the pills. Every other doctor before said I had to lose 100 pounds, and I thought 'I can't do that.' But 10 pounds, I thought 'maybe I can do that.' Doing it one bite at a time made it more achievable for me." 
19. Make changes you can live with.  
"Before I'd go to bed I'd ask myself, 'Is what I did today something I could do for the rest of my life?' If I felt deprived, I'd do it differently tomorrow. If I thought, 'Yeah, I could do this tomorrow,' then I was on the right track," says Revitt 
Control Portions  
20. Go back to school.  
Joining a weight loss class or working with a dietitian can help you learn proper portions, even without weighing and measuring. "If you get a half cup of cottage cheese, it should look like a tennis ball, a quarter cup should look like a Ping-Pong ball," says Wilson. "Now, I know what appropriate portions look like." 
21. Don't toss those measuring cups, though.  
"I usually misjudge portions of salad dressing, mayonnaise, and ice cream," says Revitt. "They're really high in fat and calories and cause the most damage if overdone. So I still measure them." 
22. Cook for your family, not an army.  
Even for low-fat foods like grilled chicken, Bennett stopped overfeeding her family of four. "I stopped making six or seven breasts, thinking that everybody had to have two or three," she says. "Now I make just one for each person." 
Take Some Cooking Lessons  
23. Plan ahead.  
An empty fridge after a stressful day begs for pizza. The now-slender crew doesn't leave meals to chance. Many of them plan their menus a week or more in advance. Others even cook ahead, freezing meals for the week in individual containers. 
24. A little dab will do it.  
If you just can't pass on some high-fat favorites, stick to the most flavorful ones. "A single slice of bacon is enough to flavor eggs or a potato," says Helen Fitzgerald, 61, who lost about 51 pounds. Her husband's lost more than 150 pounds. 
25. Fake fry.  
Try"frying" with calorie-free cooking sprays instead of oil. Spray sliced potatoes and roast them in the oven for french fries that taste fried without the fat, suggests Miltenberger. 
26. Stock frozen veggies.  
With pasta or stir-fry sauces, they are diet saviors. "I've been known to eat a whole bag of vegetables -- and with only a quarter cup of sauce, it's only about 3 grams of fat," says Mucci-Hurlburt. "It's saved my butt many times when I was really hungry and had to eat now." 
27. Flavor up.  
Rice, beans, and other cooked grains are the staples of many successful dieters. For variety, Fitzgerald cooks them in different liquids -- tomato juice, apple juice, beef or chicken stock. "Rice done in pineapple juice is especially good for rice puddings and Chinese dishes," she says. 
Don't Go It Alone  
28. Find the right support person.  
A nag won't do. Neither will a partner in crime. Look for someone who can empathize and support you in a positive way. When Reed finally succeeded in losing weight, her fiance was a big help. "We didn't focus all our socializing around food. We went bike riding a lot and played tennis instead of going for pizza." 
29. Join a support group.  
"Hearing someone say she lost 50 pounds would be real motivating," says Revitt. "I'd think, 'She's just a normal person like me. If she can lose 50 then I can do it too.'" 
30. Create your own group.  
"I started my first women's group when I first started exercising. It was just a bunch of women that got together once a week, and we would compare notes," says Debra Mazda, 44, who's 135 pounds slimmer than she was 13 years ago. 
Don't Boycott Dining Out  
31. Be picky.  
"I'm not afraid to ask for dishes to be prepared differently," says Bennett. "My philosophy is that every restaurant has a grill and an oven. They don't have to fry everything." 
32. It's not the Last Supper.  
This is not your last chance in life to have a particular food. "Those french fries will be there in a half hour if I really have to have them," says Mucci-Hurlburt. Or they'll be there next week. 
33. Don't wait to doggy bag.  
"As soon as the waitress puts the food down in front of me I cut the whole portion in half, put it on my butter plate, and ask her to wrap it," says Revitt. If you wait until the end of your meal, oftentimes you pick at it until the waitress returns. 
34. Tackle buffets.  
"I get only one tablespoon of everything," says Rebecca. "Usually I don't even fill my plate, but I at least taste everything so I don't feel deprived." 
 
Deliver Yourself from Temptation  
35. Stay busy.  
Do something that's not conducive to eating. The folks we talked to aren't sitting around thinking of hot fudge sundaes. They're singing in choirs, taking classes, running marathons, leading weight loss groups, and more. 
36. Keep 'em out of sight.  
Overwhelmingly, weight loss vets control foods like chocolate, ice cream, and potato chips by not having them around. "It's easier to fill the house with treats for my kids that I don't like such as Oreo cookies," says 30 year old Tammy Hansen, who trimmed off 60 pounds. 
37. Moderation is key.  
But they're not depriving themselves, either. "If I want a piece of cake, I'll have one," says Mazda. "Then I just won't have another one for a week or so. Knowing that I can eat something and no one's going to say 'you can't' works for me." 
38. Indulge and enjoy!  
Go for the best brand of ice cream or the best cut of steak. "If I'm going to blow 500 or 600 calories, I want to make sure that I'm enjoying it to the max," says Mucci-Hurlburt. "Often desserts look much better than they taste. If it tastes like cardboard, forget it. It's not worth it." 
39. Limit portions.  
"When I have to snack, I put my hand in the bag or box and whatever I can grab, that's what I eat -- only a handful," says Fitzgerald. 
40. Buy individually packaged snacks.  
Cookies, chips, even ice cream come in single serving sizes. "If I want some cookies or chips, I grab one little bag instead of a whole box," says Reed. 
41. Keep reminders around.  
A note on the refrigerator reading "Stop" kept Reed from raiding it. Underneath she listed other things to do, like "take a drink of water" and questions such as"Are you really hungry?" 
42. Find alternatives.  
Chocolate is still a favorite even for successful dieters. But they've found ways to enjoy it and still keep their waistlines. Bennett makes fat-free chocolate pudding with skim milk. For Sarah, who lost 40 pounds and has kept it off for two years, a cup of sugar-free hot cocoa (about 20 calories), topped with a little fat-free whipped cream does the trick. 
43. Don't give in to peer pressure.  
If the cookies, chips, or ice cream you buy for the rest of the family is sabotaging your efforts, stop buying it. "My daughters carried on for about a month, but after that they got used to the change," says Bennett. 
Escape Emotional Eating  
44. Know your triggers.  
You have to know which moods send you to the cookie jar before you can do anything about it. Once you know your triggers, have a list of alternate things to do when the mood strikes. "When I get tired or discouraged, I get an 'I don't care attitude,'" says Rebecca. For those times, taking a walk or reading affirmations can help. 
45. Quiz yourself.  
Determine if you're really hungry or eating for other reasons. "I'll ask myself 'Do you really want this, or is it something else, like boredom or depression?' About 80% of the time it's not hunger," says Geren. 
46. Call a friend.  
Talking about what's eating you can keep you from eating. "I had to be willing to call my support people at 9 o'clock on a Friday night," says Barbara, 46, who's kept off 46 pounds for more than 15 years. 
47. Stop worrying.  
Remind yourself that you only have control over you -- not your spouse, boss, parents, or friends. If you can't do anything about it, just let it go, several people suggested. 
48. Take an emotional inventory.  
Ask yourself: "What do you feel guilty about? resent? fear? regret? What are you angry about?" Then deal with it, says Barbara. Confront the person involved, talk to others, or write a letter -- even if you don't send it. 
49. Get spiritual.  
If religion isn't for you, try yoga, meditation, or relaxation exercises. These are especially helpful if you tend to eat when you're stressed, says Barbara. 
50. Challenge the power of food.  
Ice cream is a poor companion if you're lonely. "If I eat the whole bag of chocolate chip cookies, am I going to be any happier? Probably not," says Wilson 
 
Blast Off a Plateau  
51. Up the ante  
"I started out walking, and eventually tried running, which was the key to my success," says Revitt. "I couldn't even make it around one lap (1/26 of a mile) in the beginning, but it was just enough to make the weight loss continue." 
52. Go back to basics.  
"I'd go back to more strict measuring because you can sneak away from reasonable portions and start fooling yourself," says Mucci-Hurlburt. 
53. Stop starving yourself.  
"As soon as I saw the weight coming off, I thought, 'If it's working at this rate, I'll try eating less so I'll lose more,'" admits Miltenberger. "Then I'd stall or even put weight on because I was undereating and my metabolism slowed. I'd start losing again when I'd eat a little bit more." 
54. Look how far you've come.  
"By keeping a graph of my weight, I could see that the line would go up and down and up and down, but overall it was going down, so there was no reason to throw my progress away," says Rebecca. 
Stay Motivated  
55. Don't give up.  
"There are plenty of times when I've wanted to give up, but I didn't," says Mazda. "I realized a long time ago that entrepreneurs fall and rise up every time they lose a venture, but they just keep getting up." The same is true for weight loss. 
56. "You can do it. 
" Repeat this to yourself. Many people post affirmations around their homes or offices as constant reminders. One dieter even programmed her computer screen to keep her on the right track. 
57. Get inspired.  
"I read a lot about other people who have come back from obstacles and really made it," says Mazda. Their determination can make you feel like you can succeed too. 
58. Envision your svelte self.  
"If you can actually visualize yourself as the person you want to be, you'll become it," says Wilson. "When I felt like I couldn't do this one more minute, I slipped in a motivational tape. Step by step, it would walk me through a visualization exercise so I could see myself as I wanted to be." 
59. Find new measures of success.  
When she lost some weight, trying on her old, too-big clothes further motivated Miltenberger. "I also bought myself a size below what I was wearing," she says. "I'd see if I could get the pants on, then if I could zip them, and finally when I could wear them comfortably 
Feel Good About Yourself  
60. Learn to like your trouble spots. 
Peggy Malecha, who's lost about 75 pounds, dresses in a black leotard and, standing in front of a mirror, she points out everything about herself that she doesn't like. Then she counters that. For instance, "I hate my legs, but they work," she says. "I can walk and dance. I have no control over the way they look, so it's silly to obsess over them. Don't dwell on it." 
61. Pamper yourself. 
Take baths and get massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures. "They make me look good and feel good," says Mazda. 
62. Stop negative talk. 
"If you make positive speech a long-term goal and stop using 'I was bad (or good) today,' you'll begin to feel better about yourself," says Mazda. 
63. Don't compare yourself to others. 
Instead, think "I'm better or just as good as anyone else is. Once you start thinking that about yourself, believe me, you get real cocky," says Mazda. 
64. Look in the mirror and say, "I look good." 
You may not believe it now, but you will. "When I first started this, I avoided mirrors," says Bennett. "I never wanted to go into a dressing room, so I'd get various sizes, take them home, and then try them on. If they didn't fit, then I took them back. But now I'll look in every mirror 
 
Be Realistic 
 65. Stay flexible. 
Many people who have kept the weight off never reached their initial goal weights. Instead, they've gotten to a realistic weight that they can maintain. "In 13 years, I've never gotten down to my initial goal weight, but I'm very happy and feel very good even though I didn't reach it," says Reed. 
66. Quit the numbers game. 
Mucci-Hurlburt is 5' 5 1/2" tall and weighs 152 pounds -- by society's standards she's heavy. However, she can slip into a size 8 thanks to the fact that most of her weight is muscle. "It doesn't matter what the scale says, it matters how I look," she says. 
67. Reject others standards. 
"Thin is whatever you think thin is. Next to Roseanne Barr, I'm thin. Next to Twiggy, I'm fat," says Mazda. 
Get Back on Track 
68. Stop being a perfectionist. 
"Look at it like walking a tightrope," suggests Revitt. "The goal is not just to stay on without falling off. The goal is to get to the other side, and if you know that you can fall off as many times as you want as long as you get back up again, you're gonna be successful." 
69. Start fresh, ASAP. 
If you have a slip, don't wait until Monday or even tomorrow to get back in line. Revitt uses water as a cleansing ritual to end a binge. When she realizes what's happening, she drinks a water to signal that the eating is over, and she's back on track immediately. "It's made my lapses shorter and shorter," she says. 
70. Practice early detection. 
"I weigh myself about once a month," says Reed. "If I start inching up, I increase my exercise a little bit." 
71. Enlist professional help. 
Many of the people we talked to used dietitians, personal trainers, and even psychologists to help them deal with problems that were hindering their efforts. If you feel like you can't do it on your own, seek help.