Wouldn’t it be incredible if every pound you lost stayed off forever and every attempt at healthier eating actually lasted? It’s easier than you think if you make consistent lifestyle changes. (A lifestyle change is something that you can truly do most days of your life without too much effort or deprivation. Everything else is just another diet!.Choose one or more of these lifestyle tips taken from my book, Scale Down: A Realistic Guide to Balancing Body, Soul & Spirit.  Start applying them consistently and you’ll be leaner, healthier and more energetic in the months and years to come.

TIP #1  Change Your Thinking

Do you really believe you can get leaner and healthier permanently? If you don’t…you won’t! Get in tune with your self-talk. Discover your lies…and replace them with truth! You believe what you tell yourself most often. So, what do you believe? In the human mind, the most dominant thought wins. If you tell yourself something long enough, your behavior will respond to it as truth. If you want to make a positive change, give yourself a new, positive message. Make a CD with the new messages you truly want to believe and play it a two to three times each day. You’ll be amazed at what can and will happen over time. Within a few months, your new self-talk could reset your “automatic pilot” and lead you down a healthier lifestyle path!

TIP #2 Increase Your Energy

The higher your energy, the less likely you will be to overeat or indulge in empty calories. Make sure that you always eat to stabilize your blood sugar. Include a good source of protein and fiber in most meals and snacks, especially at breakfast and lunch. Shoot for at least 30 grams of fiber everyday. Try to avoid highly processed or sugary foods until after lunch (if at all). This will help you maintain a more stable blood sugar that will significantly diminish cravings.

TIP #4 Burn More Calories

The bottom line to all weight management is simply: Calories In vs. Calories Out. But, most people severely underestimate how many calories they eat and over estimate how many they burn during exercise. If you only eat ten calories more than you burn each day, you’ll gain an extra pound of fat every year. It’s the small stuff that adds up over time. So, take action and reverse that equation by burning more calories each and everyday. Just a little improvement can make a huge difference over time. If you simply move 100 calories more each day and eat 100 calories less, you will be 20 pounds leaner in one year without ever dieting!

TIP #5 Creative Ways to Eat Fewer Calories

Practice portion control: Eat one-third to one-half your normal food portions whenever possible. Leave part of your sandwich on the plate or eat only half of your cookie. You’d be amazed at how this simple technique will work…if you practice it consistently.

Become a daytime eater: Try eating half as much food as you usually do after 6:00 p.m. Most Americans would be much leaner if we simply ate less food in the evenings! Think about it…we burn most of our calories in the early part of our day and eat most of our calories just before going to bed. Go figure…no wonder we’re getting fatter.

Practice substitution: Find lower calorie versions (not just lower fat) of your favorite foods whenever possible. There are so many tasty ice cream products that have a lot less calories than Ben & Jerry’s. Read labels and try new things. And remember, lower fat does not always mean fewer calories.

Practice the ten-minute delay strategy:  Whenever you have a craving for something and you’re not the least bit hungry, don’t tell yourself you can’t have it. Simply drink a tall glass of water and wait ten minutes. If you still want it, then have half the amount you usually would. This technique works most of the time…try it!