For many people, losing weight and keeping it off is one of the biggest challenges in life. Even for very successful people, who have done very well in other areas, weight remains an issue. Changing our eating habits and how we think about food can help us to manage our weight and nutrition so that we feel good and live a long, happy life. Here are some tips.

Time
It took you time to gain weight and it is important to develop a good system for managing the time to lose it. This involves scheduling time for the following things in your calendar:

1. Exercise.
2. Learning about good nutrition, calories, and portion control.
3. Preparing the right meals.
4. Specific times of the day to eat so you can stick to your system.
5. Finding healthier restaurants in your area.
6. Finding prepared meals that are healthy and in your calorie range.

Convenience
Convenience and wanting immediate satisfaction are among the reasons why losing weight is challenging for people. It is easier to get fast food than to learn to prepare healthy meals. However, once you get used to preparing good meals, your pallet will change and you will no longer crave junk foods.

Keep healthy food at home and in your office. Limit how often you eat out and, when you do, pick healthy meals from the menu. Many restaurants even have nutrition information for their meals that you can ask them to give you. And remember, you don’t need to eat an entire meal all at once, you can save food for later, especially if you are not very hungry.

Comfort
Eating something delicious can be a temporary source of comfort for some people, which is another reason why we have a hard time losing weight.
But this temporary comfort does not solve the root of the problem, which may be boredom or anxiety about something.

Think about food as fuel instead of as a source of comfort, and when you catch yourself wanting to eat food when you are not hungry, have a list of other activities to do instead of eating.

Commitment
Staying committed to wanting to be at your target healthy weight more than wanting to eat food is what will ultimately get you to your goal.

Rather than thinking about losing weight, focus on visualizing how you look and feel in your ideal body and how great you feel. When your body starts to change and you have more energy and feel good, keep focusing on that feeling of well-being. You might even use a daily affirmation such as:

“It feels good to be undergoing a positive transformation in my body.”

Measurements
In your weight loss calendar, record your daily calorie intake and do a weekly weigh-in. Make sure that you are eating the right amount of calories to lose weight. If you feel very hungry all the time, then you may not be eating enough calories. Trying to lose weight too fast often backfires because you feel so hungry that you can end up eating a lot of food.

You can find online health calculators that will help you to calculate the ideal number of calories to eat per day for your particular age, gender, activity level, etc.

Rewards
Don’t forget to schedule rewards! Having a weekly treat can help you to resist temptation and reach your weight-loss goal.