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Losing weight is never easy. Not only does it often become more difficult the more you have to lose, but it gets more difficult the longer you are overweight and the longer you have been practicing the habits that have kept you at your undesired weight. However, no matter what diet or weight loss program you follow, the key to your success in losing weight is motivation, the will or powerful drive to succeed. Here are three tips that can help you increase that drive:

1) Maximize your successes, however small they may seem to you at the time. These seemingly small and insignificant successes will lead to the larger ones later on. If you "only" lost a pound last week, for example, or you didn't eat that very tempting dessert at the special luncheon you attended this afternoon, be sure to emphasize your results and good efforts. Avoid playing them down and treating them as if they were almost worthless by telling yourself that you should have lost more, or that avoiding a serious temptation was just something you were expected to do on your diet anyway. Instead, be sure to praise and reward yourself as often as possible, even daily. Rewards, furthermore, do not have to be expensive or time-consuming. They can include "gifts" you give yourself such as taking an hour to relax and read a favorite book, listen to music, or pamper yourself with a new home beauty treatment you've been excited about.

2) Avoid extremes and practice positive thinking daily. Don't think, for example, in terms of black and white or all or nothing. Avoid acting like nothing you ever do is good enough or perfect enough. What happens is that if you practice negative and self-defeating patterns of thinking, you can sabotage your weight loss progress and end up not reaching your goal by trying to live up to rigid and harsh personal standards as well as unrealistic expectations of yourself and others. Be kinder and gentler on yourself and watch your motivation soar.

3) Have a plan and strategies to get you to your weight loss goal. Do you know, for example, when and under what conditions you overeat? Do you ever eat out of stress or boredom? Do you hate to exercise? You may find that you overeat on the run due to a hectic schedule, and that an effective strategy for you is to avoid your unhealthy but convenient choices of food by starting to pack healthier lunches and snacks that you can conveniently take with you wherever you go. Or you may find that you eat in the evening when you have nothing

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