1. Go For Delicious Not Deprived
   Too often, we begin a diet plan by pining over all of the yummy things we can no longer have… you know… no Danish, no bagels, no cream in your coffee, no bread, no butter, nothing with high fructose corn syrup in it… What you are usually left with is a bunch of boring, bland, tasteless choices that are neither fun nor appealing. But, honestly, eating well to lose weight doesn’t have to be that way. The truth is, if your food is boring, bland and unexciting, you won’t stick with your eating plan for very long – and any results you achieve won’t stick either. The best way to shift from deprived to delicious is to stop focusing on all the stuff you can’t have and start looking at all the great food you can! My clients eat lobster, lean steak, grilled chicken, seared tuna, omelets, shrimp, pasta, potatoes, salmon, green salads, all kinds of fruit, whole wheat bread, grits, pancakes and more. The list of appetizing and nutritious food goes on and on. The trick, of course, is combining the right tastes and food combinations to not only feed your body, but your taste buds as well.                        
2. Make A Food Road Map
   Approach your daily food intake like you would a long trip. (In my book, a long trip is anything that requires more than 6 turns.) To get your body moving in the right direction, you have to feed it properly, eating small meals - between 5 and 6 - throughout the day. To stay on track and avoid taking the wrong turn, or worse, missing a turn all together, you need a written plan, a food road map of sorts, so that you don't lose your way. Having an hour-by-hour food plan, written out ahead of time, helps you see what a good day of eating looks like, and keeps you alert to when each meal should occur. One of the best and most effective weight loss habits you can adopt is to write out a daily eating plan, every night at bed time for the following day. Try it for a week - you might be amazed at how well this works to keep you focused, motivated and headed in the right direction.
3. Use Self-Accountability Tools
   Having a training partner or an accountability buddy is fine and good, but, to me, nothing is more powerful than learning to be self-accountable. You can do this by leaving notes to yourself on the bathroom mirror (you might write, “Just for today, I will get to the gym on time and have a great workout!”) Place appointments to go shopping for healthy food or to pre-cook portion controlled meals right in your calendar – take them as seriously as you do an appointment with an important client. Place alarms on your phone midway through the day to alert you to up-coming meals or to give yourself a 30-minute warning that it’s time to start packin' it up and headin' for the gym.
4. Give It 85% - Forget About 110%
   Wha?? This suggestion usually stirs up looks of shock and disbelief when I mention it. But, I have to tell you, the most important lesson I have learned in the past 11 years, having trained thousands of successful clients, is that the whole perfectionist’s rule of always going for 110% is the #1 cause of fitness failure. It’s funny how we don’t hold ourselves to the 110% rule when driving to work (we don’t just chuck the rest of the day, turn around and go home the minute we hit traffic…) or when planning a party (hey, even a mediocre party is better than no party at all…) or going to school (a few B’s and an occasional C never killed anyone’s career path...) But, miss a meal or a few workouts, and most people are ready to toss their whole fitness plan right out the window. Trust me on this - go for 85-90% - you’ll be amazed how liberating it is and how effectively it works to produce those great 110% results you're shooting for!

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About the Author:
Dianne Orwig is a success coach, motivational speaker, fitness trainer, and founder of LivingFit Online™, a fitness program that has helped thousands of men and women completely transform their bodies and live healthier, happier lives though her less-is-better approach.

For more information on how you can get better results in less time and with less effort than you ever thought possible, visit http://www.lovelivingfit.com.

(c) Copyright - Dianne Orwig. All Rights Reserved Worldwide