Be patient with yourself. As Thomas Edison said, "Our greatest human weakness lies in giving up too soon." When you’re feeling frustrated, tired, and ready to give up, it's because you are almost at the top of the hill.

Be consistent, but not perfect. Welcome mistakes as opportunities to learn about you and to try a new direction. Mistakes help you learn to make better choices.

Pay attention to the messages you give yourself.  Is your self-talk negative? If you wouldn’t say such things to someone else, don’t say them to yourself. There is nothing more powerful than positive thinking.

Take responsibility for yourself. With responsibility comes control. Instead of saying "I have to…" or "I should…", say "I want to…".   And remember, no one but you puts food in your mouth.

Set daily and weekly goals. You may want to lose 30 pounds total, but remember it is the smaller actions you take each day that really count. Give yourself credit for every achievement, no matter how small. It takes more energy to think and obsess about why you aren’t doing anything, than it does to just make one tiny step towards your goal.

Learn to rely on internal cues rather than external. Ask yourself, "how do I feel?", instead of looking to the scale or other’s opinions to gauge your success. The more you learn to trust yourself, the less likely you will feel a need to over-control your eating by unhealthy food-restrictions or to binge when you are alone.

Do not use food to reward or punish yourself. The more you deprive yourself and the more you avoid food, the more you learn not to trust yourself. Learn self-fulfilling behaviors, not self-depriving behaviors.

Eat when you are hungry.   Food is nutritional fuel for the body, period. Do not label foods good or bad. Keep food neutral – the only emotional power it has over you, is the power you give it.

Learn to express your emotions. When you say you are out of control of your eating, you are really out of control of your emotions. Asking for help is a sign of strength and determination, and a step toward your goal.

As you strive for your goal, don’t miss the journey. Focus on the process where learning, success, and permanent internal change take place. Working through the process and not giving in to temporary, external fixes like diet pills or rigid food restriction, will assure that when you reach your destination, you’ll know you deserve to be there.

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