Losing weight must be one of the most popular resolutions ever, and why not? Everyone wants to look good, feel good, and be healthy. For some people, losing weight comes fairly easily, but it doesn’t stay off. For others, it seems to be just plain old hard work.

One of the secrets to losing weight and keeping it off isn’t swearing off ice cream and cake forever or making a commitment to exercise one hour every single day until the end of time; it’s about those little decisions you make every day.

We all know someone (perhaps even ourselves) who worked really hard at losing weight but gave up after 2, 4, or 6 weeks because it didn’t feel as if they were getting results in proportion to their efforts. In order to lose weight and keep it off, you must remain consistent and make small, reasonable changes.

Losing weight takes time. Our bodies don’t like to do this because they see fat as a kind of bank account against possible starvation. Rather than fight your body, it’s much easier to fool it. Make it burn very small bits of fat over time.

OK, so some of you don’t want to hear that “over time” phrase. Like our microwaves, Netflix accounts, and search engines, we want it all and we want it now!

Of course you can always choose to go on one of those fad or crash diets and you will probably lose weight quickly. The problem with these, though, is that you will gain it back and then some the minute you stop. You risk your health when you go that route as well.

So if you want to lose weight naturally, gradually, easily, and have it stay off, try some of the tips below. Not everything works for everyone, but you will certainly find a few of these that will work for you.

 

1. The Journal

OK, everyone suggests this, but who actually does it? Keep a food diary for one week (no cheating!) and write down every single thing that goes into your mouth, including condiments and that taste from a friend’s pecan pie. One study done at the University of North Carolina found that people eat an extra 115 calories per weekend day, mainly from fat and alcohol. Once you see it all on paper, you will see where you can make cuts.

 

2. Buy a Pedometer

These are inexpensive and they can really help. Use it for 2 or 3 days and take note about how much you generally walk. Most sedentary people only take between 2,000 and 3,000 steps per day. Aim to add 1,000 more steps to whatever your average ends up being. If you can, adding 2,000 more steps each day might help you stop from gaining weight even if you never change your caloric intake.

 

3. Think Blue

Scientists don’t know why this works, but it does. Check out how many restaurants and fast food places use red, yellow, and orange themed decorations. Studies show that these colors tend to make people eat more. You will never see a restaurant decked out in blue. Blue is an appetite suppressant. Use blue plates and glasses, cover the table with a blue tablecloth, use blue napkins, and you might even want to think about wearing blue to the dinner table.

 

4. If You Sit All Day

If you are like many people, you are stuck at a desk job, you drive to and from work, and your idea of exercise is walking to the sofa. Set a timer and get up off your seatand walk briskly for just 5 minutes every two hours. At the end of the day, that’s like taking a 20 or 30 minute walk. If you can sneak in 10 minutes every two hours, that’s a 40 minute walk! You don’t have to do it all at one time to get the benefits! Try walking for 5 minutes before you walk into the office and 5 minutes before you get into the car. All those little things add up!

 

5. Take the Stairs

The Center for Disease Control says that if you spent 10 minutes every day just walking up and down stairs, you could lose 10 pounds in one year (assuming you don’t increase your calorie intake.) Losing weight doesn’t get much easier than this!

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6. Take Those Baby Steps

Start by focusing only on the next 2 pounds. That’s it. It doesn’t matter if you want to lose 10, 25, 50, or 100 pounds; it’s easy to lose motivation when you think of how far you have to go. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, or in this case, the journey of X number of pounds begins with the number 2.

 

7. Visualize the Skinny New You

We are what we think we are, so picture yourself thin!

 

8. Have a DVD Ready

No, not a Downton Abbey DVD, but a workout DVD so you can still get in some exercise on those cold, wet, snowy days.

 

9. Download a New Fitness App

There are plenty of free ones and a new app is always fun to play with.

 

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10. Take a Whiff

This might seem silly, but science says it works. The Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation, located in Chicago, used 3,000 subjects and had them sniff the scent of an apple, a banana, or peppermint whenever they felt like snacking. They found that the more they sniffed, the less they ate. Most of these subjects lost about 30 pounds. Scientists are exactly sure why, but they think that by sniffing food, you are tricking your brain into thinking that you are actually eating.

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11. Ditch the Soda

No matter how you look at it, sodas are nothing but empty calories, chemicals, and sugar, and that’s it. They don’t do anything for your health, and in fact eating or drinking sugar makes you crave more sugar. Just quit. Today. Find out dangers of diet soda.

 

12. If You Count Calories

If you are counting calories and not losing weight, add an extra 10 percent to your count. So for example, if you think you are eating 1500 calories per day, it’s probably more like 1650 calories. Adjust your eating habits so that you are eating 150 fewer calories and see if the weight begins to come off.

 

13. Take Monthly Before and After Pictures

We don’t always see ourselves accurately, but the camera does not lie. You will really feel good about your progress when you can see the difference.

 

SEE ALSO: Can’t Lose Weight? Top 10 Surprising Reasons Why

14. Try the Tiny Bites Trick

Leave at least 3 bites on your plate, eat one less treat or snack per day, or drink one less glass of juice. Doing any one of these things can save you about 100 calories each day. Just doing this can stop you from gaining the two pounds a year most people mindlessly tack onto their middles.

 

15. Watch One Less Hour of TV

One study involving 76 undergraduate students showed that the more television they watched, the more they ate. Sacrifice just one television program (there must be one you really don’t care about) and take your doggie for a walk instead.

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16. Clean Something Really Well Once a Week

Doesn’t matter if it’s your kitchen floor, the bathroom, the windows in one room, or your car, it’s these little things that matter. A 150 pound person will burn about 4 calories for every minute spent cleaning. So if you scrub that shower for 30 minutes, you could burn off 120 calories or more and have something clean and shiny to be proud of at the same time.

 

17. Wait for the Rumble

You might be surprised how often you eat out of boredom, frustration, or habit. Many people find that when they hear the horn on the lunch truck, they go eat whether they are hungry or not! If your stomach isn’t growling, you probably aren’t really hungry. Wait for the rumble, friends.

 

18. Walk 45 Minutes Instead of 30

Want to lose weight but don’t want to diet? Simply walking 45 minutes a day should be enough to make you drop pounds, even if you don’t change your eating habits. Duke University found that although 30 minutes of walking stopped most people from gaining weight, it’s the exercise beyond 30 minutes that resulted in weight loss and fat loss. You can burn 300 calories each day by walking briskly for 45 minutes. This means you could lose 30 pounds or more in a year without changing your eating habits.

 

19. Try to Get Most of Your Calories in Before Noon

Numerous studies have found that the more you eat in the morning, the less you will eat in the evening. You also have time during the day to burn off those early morning calories than you probably will those early evening calories. Follow the old adage that says you should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

 

20.  Get Your Mantra On

This works for many people. Your subconscious is listening to every word you say, (and it believes you) so even if you don’t believe it, say it anyway. Whatever works for you. You can make short term mantras, such as “I won’t order ice cream for dessert” or long term mantras like “I know I can run a marathon in June” or “It’s easy for me to lose weight.” Keep repeating them and before you know it, they will come true.

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21. Make One Social Outing This Week an Active One

Skip the movies and take a walk with your friends in the park, or go for a bike ride with your kids rather than play video games.

 

22. Eat 90 Percent of Your Meals at Home

You will eat more, eat less healthy, and eat more calories when you eat out than when you eat at home. Learn to cook simple healthy meals at home, and you will save calories, fat, money, and you’ll eat healthier all at the same time.

 

23. If You Must Eat Out

Sometimes it can’t be avoided, but when you must eat out, order the smallest portion possible. Get the 6 inch sandwich, buy a small popcorn, the lunch plate rather than the dinner plate, an appetizer instead of an entire meal, a half rack of ribs, the small salad, or the kid’s plate (if they let you!) Studies show that people tend to eat whatever is put in front of them, even though they would be full with much less.

 

24. Avoid White Food

There is some science to back up those low carb diets. Large amounts of white flour, white rice, white sugar, white bread add to our blood sugar levels and lead to weight gain. Eat plenty of whole grains and brown rice, but avoid the white stuff.

 

25. Learn to Like the Hot Stuff

Try adding salsa, Cajun seasonings, peppers, and hot sauce to your meals. They give you plenty of flavor, no fat, very few calories, but they turn up your metabolism for a while, so you will burn more calories simply by eating! Choose salsas over creamy or buttery sauces.

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