Small Changes for Huge Diet Success and Weight Loss

After losing weight in the past year (50 pounds and counting), I've learned that it can be the small steps along the road to weight loss that make all the difference. I've struggled with weight issues for more than 20 years, so I don't consider myself a successful dieter - yet - but do feel more confident than ever before.

Your strongest asset when it comes to weight loss and dieting may well be your own attitude and willpower, according to WebMd, site shown here:

www.webmd.com/diet/features/weight-loss-does-willpower-matter

Along with harnessing your willpower, you can get control of your hunger and appetite by following the simple steps listed below. These small changes made all the difference when it came to my weight loss:

Small change number one: Get a grip on any defeatist attitudes.

If you take an extra bite - or even an extra piece - of cake or pie, don't assume you've "blown it for the day". This is a very common way of thinking when on a diet, especially for perfectionists and those who want instant results.

But compare that way of thinking to someone who spends $100 on an impulse purchase or shopping spree and then makes things even worse by charging another $1000 to a credit card. When you look at it that way, does it really make sense to get yourself deeper into diet debt?After all, it takes much less time to burn off that extra 100 calories than it does an additional 500 or 1000 calories - just as it takes a lot less work time to pay off $100 of debt than $1000 of charges.

Small change number two: find something in your life that you can compare to your diet or weight loss plan.

For me, that was our budget. It was much easier to understand how cheating on my diet was similar to wasting money - and that analogy helped me stay on track with my fitness and weight loss plan. To drive home the point, every time I cheated I took $5.00 out of our bank account and gave it away. I didn't like to see the bank balance go down (we already gave plenty to charity) . I could see the actual consequences of my mistakes in our bank balance, daily.

Small change number three: trick yourself into eating less.