Diet Tools

The following tools will help you lose weight and also maintain weight. These tools are your friends.

• The scale
  Always weigh yourself at the same time every day, on the same scale. Don't move it. If you also want to use a scale at the gym or elsewhere, fine. But don't rely on other scales, or torment yourself by noticing how every scale weighs differently. If your scale fluctuates wildly, buy a new one.

• Your food journal
  You need to know what you eat, not what you guess you eat. Tell the truth.

• The mirror
  Avoid surrounding yourself with mirrors, and stop avoiding mirrors. Either of these is putting too much emphasis on your physical appearance. A casual look at your full body is enough. The more familiar you are with your body, the more you can notice changes.

• Non-stretch clothes
  Don't get rid of these, or hide them, or hate them. These clothes will help you tell the truth to yourself, and also give you a goal. It's good to have a few slim-fitting non-stretch clothes so you know where you stand.

• The gym
  Or the track, the courts, the pool, wherever you choose to do vigorous exercise. Taking classes is good. Getting to know people who are doing the same thing can help you stay on a program.

• The clock
  Eat on a regular schedule, not just whenever you feel like it. Set up time ranges for meals and stick to them. When you have snacks, make sure the snacks don't sabotage your regular meals.

• Exercise equipment
  Such as weights, jump rope, bicycle, exercise balls, yoga mat, and so on. Sports, yes.

• A healthy eating/diet book
  I have two: Marilu Henner's "Total Health Makeover," and Andrew Weil's "Eating Well for Optimum Health." I not only learned a lot from reading these books, but I use them as reference to look things up. Choose whatever books work for you, but you really don't need a lot of such material. Weight loss is about taking action, not about studying.

• A healthy eating/diet hero
  If you are lucky enough to have a real person in your life who provides a good example for you in relation to food, observe carefully. Ask questions. Copy him or her. If you don't know such a person, hire a personal trainer or nutritionist. Look for videos or TV shows. An imaginary diet hero is better than no diet hero.

• An exercise hero
  This might be the same person as your eating/diet hero, might not. Pick a realistic hero, not an Olympic athlete. You want someone who you can emulate, preferably a person in your life.