1. Become more positive and receptive to new weight-loss ideas. Because permanent weight-loss success begins not with the measuring cup but the mind, take a minute to explore your reasons for wanting to lose weight. Just fitting into a smaller dress size is not enough. What then? That's when the weight creeps back. A healthy weight should be a part of your mindset. It's not just about looking better or fitting into smaller clothes but about being healthier and maintaining a healthy lifestyle of the rest of your life. This is easier said than done. It takes some practice. Ask yourself WHY do you want to lose weight? Can you zero in on a better reason than a smaller dress size? Sure, you want to look good, but you want to feel good, too, right? That is what will keep you motivated for a lifetime.

Write down what you eat, and check it against a calorie counter every night for the next two weeks. For many people, this is all it takes to wake up and reverse a lifetime of bad habits. This may sound silly but it's one of the best weight-loss tactics in the world. I have heard several instances where clients eat a healthy salad but sprinkle itwith so much dressing that you end up with a 500 calorie meal. Once you start seeing how many calories there are in what you're eating, you'll know which foods to cut back on or eliminate.

4. Resist that first bite especially for the foods you love. You've heard it before: everything is okay in moderation. But face it: there are certain foods you simply can't eat moderately. If one cookie or a handful of chips is never enough, it's best just to avoid these foods altogether. If you've spent your entire adult life trying to eat a little of certain foods and failing, that is your signal to just forget it and don't even take a bite.

"I hate water."

"I can't drink too much or I'll waste my day in the bathroom."

You know you need at least 8-10 glasses of water a day. You need to understand why water is so important. Yes, it fills you up. It controls your appetite. Did you know that it also aids in metabolizing fat? your liver is busy metabolizing fat and ridding your body of toxins. Water helps to get rid of toxins. If you're not drinking enough water, you have more toxins in your body, compromising the liver's ability to metabolize fat. You need water on hand for fat metabolism.

7. Eat fruits and vegetables every day. These have a powerful effect on sugar cravings. Plus, they're low in calories, fill you up with fiber, and pack a powerful nutritional punch.

9. Eat more fibre. Fiber-rich fruits and veggies are great nutritional fare, since they fill you up without adding too much fat or too many calories. But increasing fiber intake could actually reduce the amount of calories absorbed by the body, too.

11. Change Your Shopping Style When I go grocery shopping I can take one look at someone's shopping cart and make some basic assumptions about their lifestyle. If you want to lose weight your grocery shopping habits must improve. Thin starts at the grocery store. Before you hit the checkout lane, review your selections and dump any sugary, fatty treats and snacks. Your family may complain but they will get used to it.