It seems that most of the people that I talk to are either trying to lose weight or maintain their weight loss. So, I thought that I would give my top seven tips for doing just that.

#1 First and foremost: Don't diet!
Going on a diet is a temporary thing and therefore the weight loss that comes from it is also temporary. If you want to change your weight for good, you need to change your eating habits, but don't go on a diet! Diets may work in the short term, but who wants to be on a diet for the rest of their life? Not me!

#2 Track your intake for a few weeks.
First you need to figure out what and how much you are currently eating. The best way to do that is to write it all down or use an app created for just that reason. Check out myfitnesspal if you haven't already. Track your intake for at least a week so that you can see what eating patterns you have developed and what changes need to be made.

#3 Eat what you like.
You need to change your eating habits, yes, but that doesn't mean eating things that you don't like. If you try and switch outright to a healthy diet (based on someone else's standards of healthy), you will probably last a few days to a week and then fall off the wagon and go back to eating the exact same way you had been before. Instead, figure out which of the meals you are currently eating are the most healthy, keep those in your weekly rotation and cut out the rest.

#4 Eat the same things all the time.
Yes, variety is the spice of life, but when you are just getting started on your healthy eating journey, it is easiest to keep your meals simple and without too much variation. Honestly, most of the people that I know who have maintained a healthy weight for a significant amount of time eat the same foods almost every single day. It takes the guess work out of it.

#5 Eat when you are hungry (and don't when you're not).
Learn to listen to your hunger cues. Make a mental (or physical, if it helps) note of when you reach for food due to stress, boredom, anger, frustration, etc. Try to swap food out for something more productive. Go for a walk, read a few pages in a good book, call a friend, just take your mind somewhere else.

#6 Drink water (or other no calorie drinks).
Don't waste your calories on drinks. They don't keep you feeling full as long as food does, but can be just as many (or more) calories as a full meal!

#7 Don't set anything as off limits.
Saying that you are never going to eat ice cream or have a Starbucks latte again is setting yourself up for failure. Whatever you deem as off limits will be the exact thing that you constantly crave. Instead, give yourself some leeway. Eat healthy 80% of the time and don't worry about the other 20% so much. It's freeing and allows the mind to stay healthy as well!

If you are intrigued by my tips and want to know more about how to implement a healthy eating style into your life, check out my professional services page!