If you have a penchant for junk foods or other unhealthy foods, and find yourself saying, “I’ll just buy one package of [insert your dietary kryptonite] so I can have some when I really want it…”, it’s time to consider that your favorite food might not be doing you any favors. You could be creating a comfort zone for self sabotage. So muster up some self-control and put the package of cookies down. Also, read food labels to know what you are eating.

Since anyone ever craves broccoli and salmon, we may state, without mistake, that avoiding buying sodas, sweets, chocolate, chips, crackers, baked or fried nuts, alcohol and pastry is a good start. If you don’t have them around the house, there are less chances that you’ll get dressed, jump in the car and go to the supermarket to buy them. You can, instead, plan a day where you enjoy one of your favorite foods freely, being mindful of your immediate satisfaction and long term goals.

Many diets and diet products claim quick and easy weight loss. However, most practitioners recommend only losing 1–2 pounds (0.5–1 kg) per week. Setting unattainable goals can lead to feelings of frustration and cause you to give up. On the contrary, setting and accomplishing achievable goals leads to feelings of self confidence and improves motivation. Also, people who reach their self-determined weight loss goals are more likely to maintain their weight loss long-term as long as they did so following a sustainable and mindful change in their behavior.

A study using data from several weight loss centers found that women who expected to lose the most weight were the most likely to drop out of the program. The good news is that just a little weight loss of 5–10% of your body weight can have a large impact on your health. If you are 180 pounds (82 kg), that is just 9–18 pounds (4–8 kg). If you are 250 pounds (113 kg), it’s 13–25 pounds (6–11 kg).

In fact, losing 5–10% of your body weight can:

The most successful approach to long term diet planning is to set a goal to lose 5-10% of your body weight, then plan for an active weight maintenance period of at least a month, then, if needed, embark on a new period of weight reduction.

While your long-term goal may be to lose 20 or 40 or more pounds, you need small goals to keep your motivation up. Pick weekly goals, such as losing 1 percent of your body weight, eating more veggies, or getting more exercise and sleep, and then pat yourself on the back as you achieve them.

You should also take time to notice the other improvements a healthy diet and exercise plan can bring to your life, such as:

Some examples of SMART goals include:

SMART stands for:

Eating too much or eating too little are equal enemies of maintaining weight loss. It might seem counterintuitive that each end of the spectrum can get in the way of healthy habits and healthy eating but eating too little can leave you, among other things, feeling deprived, which can lead to gorging on unhealthy food, which is typically readily available and easy to shove into your mouth. Eating too much is a more obvious way to derail from healthy habits and healthy eating because we don’t tend to overeat spinach.

The best way for people to stand up to healthy portion saboteurs is to keep track of their meals on a daily basis. When you feel that you are losing control, the best action is to reach out for help in the JoinCrave community. The diet coaches and the members’ community will provide much needed support, problem-solving ideas and a flexible mindset that will support you to navigate the bumpy road of emotional eating.

Self-monitoring is crucial to weight loss motivation and success. Research has found that people who track their food intake are more likely to lose weight and maintain their weight loss. However, to keep a food journal correctly, you must track down everything you eat, this includes meals, snacks and the piece of candy you ate off your coworker’s desk. The easiest way to “account” each meal is to take photos of everything you eat.

You can also record your emotions in your food journal. This can help you identify certain triggers for overeating and help you find healthier ways to cope.

Enjoy your favorite foods. Instead of cutting out your favorite foods altogether, be a slim shopper. Buy one fresh bakery cookie instead of a box, or a small portion of candy from the bulk bins instead of a whole bag. You can still enjoy your favorite foods – the key is moderation, a meal or two each week are more than enough to keep you both satisfied and aligned with your weight loss diet. There will always be holidays, birthdays or parties to attend. And there will always be stressors at work or with family.

It’s important to start problem solving and brainstorming about these possible weight loss challenges and setbacks. This will keep you from getting off track and losing motivation. You can research restaurant menus in advance and find healthier options. At parties, you can eat in advance and only enjoy small bits of the foods that tempt you.

When you aim for perfection, you will quickly lose your motivation. By allowing yourself flexibility and forgiving yourself, you can stay motivated throughout your weight loss journey.

Having a relatable and positive role model may help keep you motivated. Make sure to search role models that have a similar body history, personal journey and age to yours.

Maybe you know a friend who has lost a lot of weight and can be your inspiration. You can also look for inspirational blogs or stories about people who have successfully lost weight, but filter out the “lose weight fast content”.

Research has repeatedly found that people who dislike their bodies are less likely to lose weight, as they will most likely engage in self-sabotaging behavior. Taking steps to improve your body image can help you lose more weight and maintain your weight loss. Furthermore, people who have a better body image are more likely to pick a diet they can sustain and try new activities that will help them reach their goals, since they instinctively feel when they put too much pressure on themselves.

The following activities can help boost your body image:

You probably know you should cook at home for the best weight-loss results, so consider this news a friendly reminder of why: In a study of more than 2,000 adults, eating fast food or take-out food more than twice a week resulted in a 31 percent greater likelihood of abdominal obesity in men and a 25 percent higher risk in women. Focus on cooking healthy, whole food meals that you enjoy eating and adapt ethnic recipes to a healthier approach while maintaining the traditional flavors.

Remember, it’s also normal to have random days when you feel unmotivated or when you ask yourself what’s the point of all this. Nobody is 100% motivated all the time, nor are we a bubble of enjoyment and positivity.

Allow yourself to navigate the lower days mindfully, be kind to yourself and plan ahead for those moments so that you pass them gracefully and without guilt.