Be Unrealistic(01 of09)
Open Image ModalAdopt the most popular, extreme, one-size-fits-all diet. Push commonsense nutrition aside. Set a goal of losing ten pounds in the first week. In terms of priorities, place vanity first and ignore your body's need for healthy nutrition. Be rigidly determined to stay perfectly on track and remain completely in control. (credit:Alamy)
Purchase A Product Guaranteed To Produce Effortless Weight Loss(02 of09)
Open Image ModalBecome A Victim(03 of09)
Open Image ModalBlame your parents for a miserable genetic destiny characterized by slow metabolism. Blame a work schedule that doesn't give you enough time to exercise. Blame your pregnancy or your kids. (After all, you have to eat the energy-dense foods that you must cook for your children.) Blame a food additive (like high-fructose corn syrup), fast food, television ads, the sitting epidemic or some other popular candidate. Complain to your friends about how unfair it is that others can eat whatever they want while you have to eat like a bird. With a little effort, you can make self-pity work for you. (credit:Alamy)
Use Any Excuse You Can Find To Quit(04 of09)
Open Image ModalThe first time you find yourself sliding back into your former self-indulgent ways, be hypercritical of yourself. Remind yourself of your past history of failures and your lack of willpower. Look in the mirror and find fault with your appearance. Justify your surplus pounds by favorably comparing yourself to your overweight friends and family members. By surrendering to your fat fate, you are relieved of the burden of continuing. Don't recommit. Just quit. (credit:Alamy)
Misuse Food To Meet Emotional Needs(05 of09)
Open Image ModalWhen you misuse food as a reward or tranquilizer or to counter fatigue, remind yourself that you have no choice. How else can you cope with your feelings? You have no control over your thoughts, feelings, needs, behavior or choices. Resign yourself to your inevitable fate. After all, food is the one comfort that you can count on. Friends and family may disappoint, but desserts will never desert you. Clearly, food is not the problem; it is the solution. (credit:Alamy)
Assign Your Goals To A Professional Counselor So You Have Someone Other Than Yourself To Hold Accountable(06 of09)
Open Image ModalHire a personal trainer or nutritional counselor whose job is to force you to make needed changes. Remind the instructor how hard it is for you to change and that the instructor's job is to inspire you so you'll succeed. After you work out with your trainer, stop by a snack shop for a pastry and latte. If you keep a food journal, only enter food eaten with a fork. (Finger food doesn't count.) Make sure the trainer or counselor feels responsible for your progress. That way, when you don't succeed, you can fault your coach. (credit:Alamy)
Adopt A Grim Attitude(07 of09)
Open Image ModalApproach getting fit and losing weight as a futile project, one involving deprivation, despair and disappointment. Eat foods you don't like in miniscule portions. That way, you'll systematically deprive yourself of the simple pleasure of nourishment and trigger a rebound. While you're practicing self-denial, serve the indulgent food you love to others. When they are enjoying the treat, remind everyone in your best martyr style that you can't have any. Postpone any experience of happiness until you reach your ideal weight. (credit:Alamy)
Become Completely Self-Reliant And Keep Your Makeover Project A Secret(08 of09)
Open Image ModalRely solely on your own internal resources to change your habits, whether they involve eating differently or getting into an exercise routine. Depend entirely upon your own willpower to stay on track; don't lean on others for support during moments of weakness. Don't tell anyone what you are doing so that when you drop out, you won't be embarrassed. Avoid getting support from family, friends or work colleagues. (credit:Alamy)
Set Vague Goals And Avoid Detailing A Plan Of Action With A Timeline(09 of09)
Open Image ModalDecide spontaneously what you will eat and how much time, if any, you will devote to exercise during the course of your busy day. Don't develop easy, quick-to-implement strategies for those occasions when you will be extra hungry or vulnerable. Instead, assume that your resolve will remain constant and that you will be as determined to follow your new fitness rules in the future as you are now. If you do happen to relapse, make sure you continue on a downward spiral until your resolve has totally collapsed. (credit:Alamy)