Successful weight loss doesn’t happen overnight but it can happen quickly with a few good habits.

It’s a mindset that leads to lifestyle changes that will improve our health instead of yo-yo dieting or quick fixes. The most basic weight loss plan can help you to lose 20 pounds within 1 month if you want fast and healthy results. There are other diets like keto for persons who want to lose over 60 pounds with a more strict approach.

With these habits, you will experience successful weight loss over a longer period of time without any diets. The best thing is that you can also maintain your ideal weight with the same practices.

If you have been trying to lose weight for a while with no progress, here are 11 real reasons why you may not be losing weight.

Related: 5 Signs You Have Deep Belly Fat 

7 Habits for Successful Weight Loss

1- Being Decisive

Are you committed or are you just dabbling? This is a question I had to ask myself when I struggled to eat healthily and break my sugar cravings. Now I’m asking you.

Are you committed or are you dabbling?

When you’re committed to weight loss in a healthy and consistent way, it becomes something that you pursue no matter what the obstacles are. It’s important to know why you want to pursue your successful weight loss journey.

Do you want to look better, feel better, get more energy or improve your health? Get some clarity and that will make all of the following habits for successful weight loss much easier.

Commitment might also include doing the right research to know what the best diet is for you, going to your doctor to see if you have any issues that might surface if you are on a diet and actually doing the work to lose weight.

Talking about the best diets, here’s the other habit for successful weight loss.

2- Create a Diet Philosophy

Low carb? Low calorie? Paleo? Vegan? Or just whole foods?

Many people don’t like labels, but I think that when you have a basic idea of what you want your diet to look like, it’s easier when you search for recipes, go grocery shopping, or dine out in a restaurant.

I personally follow a low carb/whole foods philosophy. This means that I eat little to no refined or processed products and no refined carbs. I eat between 80 and 120g of carbs per day, and those carbs come from natural sources. Some things that I always have on hand are oatmeal, banana, green beans, kale, zucchini, and some other foods on this list.

Having a basic eating preference already established will save you tons of time, money and energy. Be sure to plan for any health issues that you may have.

I recommend reading these posts to help you to find out if a low carb diet would suit your lifestyle.

• Low Carb Diet FAQ
• Low Carb Diet Guide
• Keto Diet Guide
• How to Know if a Low Carb Diet is Right for You
• 101 No Carb Foods for Weight Loss

BONUS TIP FOR SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS

• Don’t think about weight loss as sacrificing foods that you love. You’re creating an empowering life for yourself and that means you are creating a positive relationship with your food.
• You still need room to indulge on your successful weight loss journey. Still, try to keep it within the realms of your food philosophy.

3- Plan For Your Family

It’s so great to have a group of people who can support you and even join you on your weight loss journey.

Even if it’s that one person who can motivate you and to remind you of your weight loss goals. And then there’s your literal family that you have to consider if you live with them.

If you find that they are content with the way things are even though you want to change, the best thing to do is to get ready to make some plans.

When you live alone, it’s easy to restock your fridge and pantry and start afresh. But let’s say you have a family and you’re the only person in your house who’s on a diet.

How can you ensure that you’re achieving your goals while keeping everyone happy? Here are some tips you can consider:

• Be sneaky and include them in the process anyway

Create healthier meals that the whole family can enjoy and just tell them that you’re trying new recipes (which is true).

Pancakes with almond flour, zucchini noodles instead of regular pasta, olive oil and coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.

Those simple changes can make a meal up to 50% healthier in terms of reducing carbs, adding fats that help instead of hurt their bodies, and most importantly, providing a higher nutrient density than their refined counterparts.

• Take meal prep seriously

You can use a few hours on a chosen day to do some healthy meal prep. I love stews and casseroles because they are easy to store, easy to reheat and just as delicious 3 days later.

Here are some recipes that you can look at.

• Buy ingredients that can be used in every meal

Let’s say you’re shopping and you know that Friday is for pizza or pasta, or even both. When you’re shopping for this meal in addition to your weight loss foods, create a list of ingredients that overlap and buy the healthier version.

Some examples of this include healthier oils, wheat products instead of refined, low carb cheese instead of full-fat cheese, and so on.

You can use these products when making meals for everyone in the family.

For a full list of no-carb products and some low-calorie options, read this article on no-carb foods.

You can also download a list of low carb foods that have all the calories, fats, proteins and carbs already calculated. This can make things a lot more convenient for you if you’re on a low carb diet for successful weight loss.

• Protect the two meals where you truly have control

These meals are breakfast and lunch.

Most persons have these meals individually and if you’re one of these persons, it’s easier for you to choose healthier options.

For dinner, if it’s a family setting, it may be more time-consuming to create two separate meals. For this meal, you can do a meal prep or simply cook your meal separately. Whatever works best for you.

• Be extra careful on the weekends

The weekend is not an excuse to binge or go to town on a cheat meal. You can enjoy time with your family, make delicious meals and still stay within your calorie limit.

Here’s how you can do that.

Get a list of quick recipes that you can make that easy and delicious. If you love desserts and cheese and chocolate, you can indulge in them if you’re on a low carb diet like keto.

BONUS TIP FOR SUCCESSFUL WEIGHT LOSS

• Create a Weight Loss Kit

Include your favorite recipes, a go-to meal plan for busy weeks, and a list of supplements/products that can help you to reach your goals faster.

One of the reasons why we experience slow weight loss is because we don’t plan ahead and try to make last minute plans that can become time-consuming and emotionally exhausting.

Related: 11 Reasons Why You May Not Be Losing Weight

4- Dominate Breakfast

Breakfast can make or break your day. For some people, they prefer to eat as soon as they wake up and others practice intermittent fasting or eating later in the morning. It doesn’t matter, as long as you make your breakfast protein rich and filling.

There are many reasons why this is important.

Tim Ferris, in the Four Hour Workweek, recommends eating 30 grams of protein for breakfast. Many others recommend it, and I personally practice it.

The protein keeps me full more than a regular breakfast would unless it’s a heavy oatmeal smoothie. When I say full, I mean full for HOURS. This helps me to eat less, get no sugar cravings and the compound effect of this is successful weight loss.

Breakfast protein doesn’t have to be just eggs and bacon either. I’ve had a tofu scramble, leftover lentils, chicken breast and regular omelets. Basically, have whatever you love that can give you the protein punch you need.

Redefine your breakfast.

If you want to get some breakfast recipes that you don’t have to question, check out this Low Carb Breakfast Cookbook that my friends over at Tasteaholics made.

You get 30 recipes that are less than 5 grams of carbs, 5 ingredients, and takes 5 steps to prepare. It costs $9.99, and there’s a 365-day money back guarantee if you don’t love it as much as I do.

Plus here’s a list of seven delicious low carb breakfasts than you can make in less than 15 minutes.

5- Work Out Regularly

In addition to eating healthy, exercise can be a great asset to your successful weight loss journey. This is a habit that requires discipline and energy, but it also helps you to get more discipline and energy in other areas of life.

This successful weight loss habit is one that will help you burn fat, build lean muscle and get stronger. Can’t beat that.

I’m sure you already know the numerous benefits of exercise. But what if you still hate it? 

There are many other fat burning exercises that you can do. There’s walking, running, hiking, yoga, swimming, dancing, cycling, gardening, getting a more physical job, and even rock climbing or jumping rope.

I’m sure that there are many others that you can choose from, but adding at least one of these will help you to lose weight and get some strength while doing it.

6- Make Plans For Events

This is the habit that can make or break your weight loss goals. We live in a world where food is not only used for sustenance, it’s used to express success or failure.

Got the promotion? Let’s go have dinner to celebrate!

Didn’t get the promotion? Let’s hit the bar and then stop at the supermarket for some ice cream!

I can’t really say that all of these moments are bad, because they sometimes help us to cope, and they are often opportunities to socialize and make memories.

However, it’s in these moments when emotions are high that all good intentions go out the window. You won’t always be able to stay on top of your diet, especially on hectic days and during overwhelming periods. This is why preparing for them is so important.

There’s also regular dining out with family or eating at a friends house. Here’s what I say.

If you are going out and can find a restaurant with healthy options. go there.

If you have a friend who always makes the best meals but you know it can set you back on your weight loss journey, host dinner at your place instead and ask them to contribute one dish, if any. Also, let them know that you’re on a diet.

If you can bring healthy and delicious meals over to any of their houses, do it.

If you want ice-cream to celebrate or drown your sorrows, get some frozen yogurt or a fruit sorbet (sooo much healthier), and for alcohol, some low carb options here.

And if you are invited to a dinner where a loved one has worked hard to prepare a meal for you, thank them, smile and enjoy it. 🙂

You can get back on your diet at the next meal. Don’t hurt your loved ones’ feelings, especially if they didn’t know that you’ve changed your lifestyle.

Earlier, I mentioned having a weight loss kit, and if it’s something that you’re considering, here are some more things that you can add to make your life easier.

1. A list of 5 restaurants in your area that serve healthy meals that match your diet philosophy. You can use TripAdvisor to find some options with some good reviews.
2. A handy cookbook that you can trust for delicious dinner recipes like the Dinner in 5 Cookbook.

7- Stay Motivated

This is an important habit, not only for successful weight loss but for any goal that you set. You can stay motivated for successful weight loss by reminding yourself of your goals daily, and envisioning the outcome that you want to achieve.

Focus on the process, find people who you can work with, and reward yourself for every milestone.

Having a strong sense of purpose also helps with motivation. When you see this weight loss journey as something that you are doing to improve your body and ultimately improve your life, you will be excited to continue working on it. The time is gonna pass anyway.

You can also follow the Daily Diet Dish Weight Loss Pinterest Board for ideas and inspiration. Follow here.

We have a weight loss board that is updated regularly with tips, motivation, recipes and success stories to keep you inspired. We can be a part of your weight loss family and support group 🙂

Bonus Tip: Self-love

When you truly love yourself, you’re concerned about your mental, physical and emotional health. You break the ties of emotional eating. You decide that you want the best for your body. The same body that allows you to breathe. The vehicle that is allowing you to experience life.

I remember a couple weeks ago when I was just finishing up some blog posts. I had come home from classes and sitting down all day and to be completely honest, my meals weren’t of the best quality.

But fast forward to around 5 pm and my body just felt soo tired. More than usual. I went to the doctor and found out that I had an inflammation, and my first emotion was guilt. I had done this to myself.

But on the heels of that guilt was anger, because I felt like my body had betrayed me. How could I accomplish my goals if the one thing that enables me to do everything can’t perform how I want?

Needless to say, I got back on track with my self-care, nutrition, and made some lifestyle changes that I’m already starting to see results from.

Bottom line, self-love, and self-care are important. Make the decision to love yourself enough to be healthy. Without your health, you have nothing.

In a nutshell

I wanted to write this article for you because I know that successful weight loss is more than just eating and exercise. Your mindset and habits can make or break your goals. And the day-to-day bustle can be distracting.

Once again the seven habits for successful weight loss are:

1. Being decisive
2. Create a diet philosophy
3. Plan for your family
4. Dominate breakfast
5. Work out regularly
6. Plan for events
7. Stay motivated
8. Bonus- Practice Self love

If you could only choose one habit from this list to start today, I’d say choose a food philosophy.

It doesn’t have to be complicated, just choose healthy, whole foods, and start to see the results on the scale. The other habits will help you to see those results faster