Copyright 2005 Arina Nikitina

So, you've decided to lose weight. You're changing your eating habits, you began to exercise... But do you know what the most difficult part is?

It's ability to stay on track. Here are few tips that will help you to stay on track:

1. Remind yourself about your reasons.

Write down all the benefits of loosing weight and review it on a daily basis. It doesn't take long, and it will keep you motivated through the day.

2. Use affirmations

Repeat the positive phrase to yourself whenever you have chance to or if you need inspiration.

3. Use visualization

Visualize yourself being slim. Imagine how you feel... Imagine what your friends will say... Use the power of your imagination to stay on track.

4. Form a success habit.

First, ask yourself what habits it will take to lose weight. Exercising on a daily basis? Cooking healthy food?

It is the fact that in 30 days you can turn almost anything into a habit! ALL of our habits are formed the same way. By doing something over and over again until it becomes second nature. So all you have to do to form a new habit is to repeat the same action over and over again every day during 30 days. After 30 days it will become a habit.

But here is a catch: you can't afford to skip a single day. If you do you'll have to start over again. During first thirty days, if you miss even a single day of practice reset your 30-day clock to Day One and start from the beginning.

5. Find more time for cooking and exercising

If you think you don't have time for loosing weight, think again. Do you have time for watching TV? Reading newspapers or magazines? Chatting with friends? Well, if "yes" than you definitely have time for weight loss.

You don't have to eliminate all your activities; you can just cut back on them. Just trim by 10% the amount of time you spend on each of your daily activities. And invest the extra time in loosing weight.

6. Fight the temptation.

It is really very easy. All you have to do is prioritize. For example, if you see a pack of delicious cookies in the store and suddenly start craving one, ask yourself: "What do I want more: to eat this cookie or to have a beautiful slim body?" Listen to yourself. Is this cookie really so important to you?

If you're still craving it use the 10 minute rule. Take your mind off food for the next 10 minutes. If you're in a grocery store go to the book section and pick a very interesting book instead. Most of the time your craving will stop.

If not, you can take one serving and give the rest of the cookies to your neighbor. Or put them somewhere where it would be a problem for you to get them.