If you live in America you can at least know that you're not alone. Being overweight is a—there's no way to avoid a pun here—big problem and it's a tough one to solve. If you need or want to lose weight, there's really no getting around the need to diet or exercise. The key is simply finding a diet and exercise routine that you'll actually stick to. Your instinct may be to try and move quickly so you can expedite the process and be nice and thin really quickly. This is a bad idea. If you're obese, you'll lose weight pretty rapidly if you eat healthy food and get some physical activity. For those of you trying to lose those last 10-20 pounds, you have a harder task. Either way, you need to put a plan together that you'll actually stick to. It should be hard work, but it should be hard work that you want to do and not hard work that you loathe every single day.
So how do you put that plan together? It's impossible to say what will or will not work for you but we can talk about a few options. First, cognitive-behavioral coping skills can be a good way to form a plan. They'll help you focus on your eating, rather than make it an activity that takes a backseat to watching television (for example), regularly remind yourself of your goals, and help you stay positive. Some people find that apps and accountability (to, say, an online community) make it much easier to lose weight. (Here are some app suggestions for Android and iPhone.) You lose a little privacy in the process, but it's a pretty reasonable price to pay for achieving a fairly difficult goal. Personally, I think it's important to put togethe a psychology profile before you start your diet and exercise routine because you're human and if you only functioned by logic you would simply stay healthy all the time. Because you're also a very emotional being, you're going to have cravings that aren't necessarily physical. Personally, I have a weird psychological obsession with cupcakes. Profiling yourself is a good way to expect these issues and figure out solutions before they occur.
When you actually start your diet, we think that eating better, rather than less, is a good way to go. Exercising before breakfast may also contribute to better weight loss. Sleeping more may help a lot, too. Whatever you do, just make sure it's something you can commit to or it's completely pointless. Try new foods and physical activities to find ones you like. This is one problem you can't beat until you can find a way you can enjoy the hard work it takes to beat it.
