Your Weight Loss Success - Why Writing Down Your Victories Will Help You Lose Weight Faster

Some days, you may feel losing weight is like fighting Goliath. It taunts you like a giant you can't ever imagine beating. In those moments of discouragement, you can draw on your past successes and find hope.

What have been some of your victories? They can be large or small; every victory counts. Maybe you:

-Skipped cake at a friend's birthday party

-Exercised 2 times this week

-Ate only half your entree at a restaurant

-Had tea instead of a caloric coffee drink

-Dropped a dress size

Give yourself credit for the things you do right. Celebrate small positive changes like choosing the stairs instead of the elevator or passing up a dessert. You are taking baby steps in the right direction.

While you are trying to lose weight, set mini-goals you can reach. Plan one extra workout this week. Don't eat anything sweet for three days in a row. Lose a pound or two per week (research shows that dropping weight gradually is the best way to keep it off). Reaching mini-goals will keep you motivated to continue and give you reasons to celebrate along the way.

Keep a log of your victories. When you start sliding back into some bad eating or exercise habits, you can read your past victories. If you did it once, you can do it again. When you think about your successes, you'll become extremely motivated to move to the next level instead of losing ground.

Remembering your victories isn't about being preoccupied with the past. It's about using the past as a springboard into the future. A victory log fills your heart with hope. And that hope will keep you going on the days you feel like giving up.

Today's action step: Begin your victory log. Write down one thing you did well this week with eating or exercise.

Arlene Pellicane, mother of a toddler and infant, helps women lose their baby weight and thrive as wives and mothers. Her weekly podcast "Losing Weight After Baby" is full of practical ideas that work for busy moms. An everyday mom herself, you can visit Arlene's website for free articles and exercises at http://www.losingweightafterbaby.com