If you’re like most women trying to
lose weight, you probably think you must restrict calories, exercise till you
drop, deprive yourself of the food you love, and cut off all social contact. Believe
me, you are not alone.

The law of attraction says, whatever
we think about we draw to us. It’s a concept as old as time, and as a holistic
nutrition coach I believe it’s an important principle to consider if you want
to lose weight.

Here’s tip #1. Instead of focusing on
what you can’t have, turn your attention to imagining how great you’ll look and
feel when you eat food that’s really good for you (and tastes good too)!

You’ll likely be most successful when
you take your weight loss journey in small steps. If you need to lose 30 or 40
pounds, spread that weight loss over at least one year. Weight accumulates
slowly and losing it works best if you do it gradually.

Start visualizing yourself as someone
who knows how to make good choices and is relaxed in her relationship with
food.

It will free you of all the guilty
chatter that goes on in your brain about that ice cream you ate or that you
aren’t as slim as your friend. The chatter is self-defeating and it’s time to
let go of it if you want to be successful in losing weight.

Here are some other tried and true
tips I share with my clients:

Make Food, Not Calories, Your Focus

The diet industry, quite unfortunately,
places our focus on calories. When you want to lose weight, focus on highly
nutritious food and eat enough but not too much.

An apple and one small cookie have
about equal amounts of calories. The apple has 1100 nutrients in it and lots of
fiber to fill you up while the cookie has sugar in it, not much else except
flavorings, and one small cookie is never enough.

Stop Talking About Food

A client told me that four of her
friends are on an expensive commercial diet plan they have paid for many times
over.

They habitually drop 10 pounds and gain it back within two months, along with a few pounds extra. While dieting, they constantly talk about food. It may explain why they gain the weight right back when they stop the diet. They feel deprived and are left longing.

Stop Weighing Yourself Daily

It’s common for dieters to weigh
themselves daily. This draws you into a laser focus on weight that can
influence your having a good day or a bad day. Instead, learn those internal
signals that will tell you when you’ve had enough food.

Be Inspired by Others

Listen to others’ stories on how they
made lasting changes in their lives. It may be about weight loss, recovery from
illness, or finding their passion and acting on it. Read results
like these women describe to inspire you.

Manage Your Stress

Stress slows the metabolism, so you
have energy for emergencies. Most of today’s emergencies do not require
physical strength, so we really don’t want to slow our metabolism. It causes weight
gain.

Learn to manage your stress in a way that works for you: meditation, walking, running, talking, or writing.

How often do you make use of these
secrets? Are there others that you have found helpful in the war against
weight? What is your experience with diet plans? Please share in the comments
below.