The first thing you need to do before you can lose weight is to decide that you want to lose weight.

Be specific about it. Decide exactly how much you want to weigh. A lot of people are overweight simply because they haven’t made the decision to lose weight.

The next thing you need to do is create a plan. Now you may be thinking: “I already know I want to lose weight, just give me the road map”.

Let me ask you something. Why is it that you haven’t reached your goals yet?

If you have gone on any kind of diet before, have you ever asked yourself what happens when the diet is over? Usually no thought has been put into this and you gain all the weight back the moment your diet ends. How would it feel to break the never ending cycle of dieting?

Tell yourself the following: “I am NOT going on a diet. I am making a commitment to myself to take charge of my life and my health.”

Next ask yourself; “What one habit if I created would have the biggest impact on my weight and my health”?

Discipline yourself to create this habit. The latest research shows that it takes 66 days to create a new habit. A study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology examined the habits of 96 people over a 12-week period. The result was that on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic – 66 days to be exact.

How do I know that habit change is a better approach than going on a diet? I never had any success from fad diets. It wasn’t until I decided to make permanent habit changes that I saw changes in my body and I was able to transform my life. But don’t just take my word. Give it a try yourself.

Here are some ideas for habit changes:

• The habit of exercise
• Swapping soft drinks for water (you can add lemon or berries for flavor if you need to get used to the taste of water)
• Cutting down on (and eventually eliminating) sugar
• Cutting down or eliminating alcohol (alternatively swapping cocktails for less calorie dense drinks such as vodka with soda water)
• Increasing your protein intake
• Giving up desserts or creating your own healthier versions of your favorite treats
• Swapping your favorite chocolate bar for one square of 85% chocolate
• Choosing vegetables instead of French fries while dining out
• Giving up red meat
• Giving up bread
• Choosing gluten-free brown-rice pasta over regular white pasta

These are only a few ideas. Feel free to come up with your own! What habit change are you going to start today? Leave a reply below and share your own success stories.