It’s that time of year again. Summer is just around the corner. The season of shorts, sundresses, and, oh yes, the dreaded swimsuit. You know the drill. You look in the mirror and think, “I have to lose 10 lbs (or 15, or 20) before I can even think about going to the beach.” Or, “This time I really am going to start a diet plan and stick with it”. Sound familiar? If this has become a yearly ritual for you, it’s time to stop the dieting madness and start getting real about your weight.

Have you ever wondered with all the popular diets out there today, why are people in the United States heavier than ever? It seems you can’t read a magazine or watch the news without hearing about “low-carb living” or the South Beach Diet. And yet, according to the American Obesity Association (AOA), close to 65% of Americans can be classified as overweight, obese, or severely obese. And this epidemic isn’t limited to adults. Currently 15% of America’s children can also be classified as obese. Also, in a 2004 study conducted by the University of California, they showed that over 60% of clinically obese women went on their first diet before the age of 14. When you read these statistics your conclusion should be fairly clear. Diets simply don’t work.

The question is, why are people so reluctant to believe this to be true? If you tell people that the only true way to lose weight is by eating less and exercising more, you can see their eyes glaze over with indifference. But, if you tell them that they can quickly lose weight by taking a “magic pill” each day or by drastically reducing certain types of foods from their diet, then they become interested. I think this sense of denial prevails because for the most part, people are impatient by nature. Everything we want, we want right now. So, when a popular diet plan claims to guarantee results within a short period of time, people pay attention.

Also, let’s face it, eating less and exercising more isn’t a very sexy concept. There’s no “magic formula” behind the theory. And yet, if you were to ask any reputable medical professional they would tell you that a lifelong program of eating a moderate amount of calories combined with daily exercise is the only effective and healthy way to take weight off and keep it off.

I can hear people groaning already. But luckily there are steps you can take to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle. Permanent weight loss can be a reality, but it’s going to take an overhaul of the way you currently think about food as well as adopting a regular plan of physical exercise. The following is a basic guide to help you on your way.

Think about why you overeat?

If you’re really honest with yourself, the answer to this question is often, “I was bored;” “I was celebrating;” “It was there.” Oddly enough, rarely is the answer to that question, “I was hungry”. For the majority of overweight people, overeating is not the problem. Overeating is just a symptom of a bigger issue. People overeat to satisfy a variety of emotional needs, whether it be comfort, security, or even to assuage guilt. The first step in conquering emotional overeating is to have an awareness of what your specific trigger is that may lead you to binge. This awareness is the beginning of what is called mindful eating. Basically, this means always being cognizant of what you’re putting in your mouth and why.

An invaluable tool to assist you with this step is to keep a food diary. What this entails is keeping a daily journal in which you keep track of the food you’ve eaten (or the food you want to eat) and what you were feeling at the time. The trick is to substitute other activities that you can do that will result in the same emotional payoff. The next time you’re feeling like you need a “fix”, try calling a friend who always makes you laugh, or renting a favorite movie. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t eat a piece of cake if you feel like it. It just means you should recognize that it’s a special treat, not an everyday indulgence.

Think about how you eat

In our hustle and bustle lives, it might be safe to say that a good portion of Americans do most of their eating in the car. Drive thru windows and fast food restaurants have allowed us the ultimate in convenience when it comes to grabbing a quick bite. Unfortunately, most of these fast foods are not only loaded with calories but they are loaded with saturated fat. Not a very healthy choice. Now there’s no disputing that after an exhausting day at work it’s much easier to pick up the phone and have pizza delivered to your door. But with a little pre-planning, you can take a lot of time and effort out of meal preparation. Try taking some time at the beginning of the week to plan a weekly menu.

Think about different meals that you can make that take no time for those nights when you know you’re simply not going to have a lot of energy. Try investing in a crock-pot so that supper is waiting for you when you walk in the door. Then, just make sure you stock up on everything you’ll need for the week at the grocery store. Believe me, it’s easier to do one big shop at the beginning of the week than to make ten trips to the store throughout the week. This pre-planning also cuts down your risk of impulse buying while at the grocery store. If you make it a point to stick to your list, you’ll be less tempted to grab other “non-essentials,” like potato chips and candy.

Get Moving

Sorry, there’s just no getting around it. If you want to enjoy successful long-term weight loss you’re going to have to exercise. In order to lose 1 lb a week, you have to cut your calorie intake by 500 calories a day in that week’s time. Now, you could just eat 500 calories less, but that sets you up for becoming hungry and feeling deprived. Instead, if you burn 500 calories in exercise, not only will you not feel deprived, but you’ll also feel good about yourself because you’ll know you’re doing something healthy for your entire body.

The trick to sticking with an exercise plan is to try and find an activity that you enjoy. Exercise doesn’t have to mean being cooped up inside a smelly gym for hours at a time. Exercise can be taking a bike ride on a beautiful sunny day, or going salsa dancing with your friends. Exercise doesn’t have to be boring. Again, some pre-planning can make all the difference. Try making up a list of different physical activities that you really enjoy doing. Then make a commitment to yourself to engage in at least two of those activities a week. Eventually, increase this to three or four times a week and you’ll be dropping the weight in no time.

Surround yourself with support

As much as we’d like to think that those who love us will be supportive of our efforts to lose weight, don’t be surprised by little acts of sabotage. Your loving husband who brings home ice cream for a surprise treat; your co-worker who makes sure you know she brought in doughnuts for everyone; these are all subtle ways of setting you up to fail. The reasons why people do this are varied. Maybe your husband has a weight problem himself and is threatened by your weight loss. Maybe your co-worker is jealous of any newfound attention you may be getting as you drop your pounds. Regardless of the reasons why, your loved ones don’t usually try to sabotage you with malicious intent. Half the time they’re probably unaware they’re even doing it. But for your sake, if you feel like someone is not being supportive of your weight loss efforts, speak up and let your feelings be known.

Losing weight is never easy and keeping it off is even more difficult. But once you make the commitment to yourself to get healthy, you’ll never regret it. And make no mistake; keeping excess weight off is a lifetime commitment. Diets are short-term fixes. That’s why they don’t work. Because no one can live their lives within the strict dietary guidelines that most popular diets require. If you truly want to get off the dieting roller coaster then just remember to be conscious of what you eat, why you eat, and how you eat. Add to that a regular routine of exercise and you will be well on your way to becoming the healthy and fit person you always wanted to be.