Consider enlisting your family in your weight loss program

Most of us are a bit overweight. If you need to lose a few pounds the odds are so does your significant other. Dieting together can be more successful than dieting alone, but don't turn it into a competition. Men naturally lose weight faster than women because their body composition has a higher proportion of muscle to fat than women's. Muscle burns more calories than fat which means they lose weight faster. Instead of looking at your weight loss goals as pounds look at it as a percentage of your body weight loss. Or establish your weight goal and mark each target as a percentage of your total weight loss goal.

If others in your family are at their perfect weight or just don't see the need to lose weight, they may not understand the need for less food, less fat, or streamlined meals. Prepare your meal and add an extra dish or two for them, that you don't particularly care for. Another alternative is to prepare a regular meal and you eat half of what you usually would eat. It's very possible that if you don't tell your family they're eating low fat low calorie they won't notice. You can always say you're preparing healthier food for them which is true.

Snacks and junk food can be a dieter's downfall. Buy your family their favorite can't-live-without-snacks. Keep those snacks in their rooms, laundry room, or their closets. Out of your sight is out of your mouth. Make it clear when those snacks are gone there won't be anymore until the next shopping trip.

Children can be the dieter's best friend or worse enemy. Tell your children you want to lose weight and you need their help. No more fast food, no more unhealthy snacks. Most children will co-operate, some a little too well, when they tell you you to stop eating that ice cream and stay on your diet in front of the other parents.

Adjust your plate size

Adjust your plate size. The tendency is to fill our plates full, so trick yourself and use a smaller plate. Use a salad plate for your dinner plate and you'll automatically eat less. Use a small bowl instead of a soup bowl and you'll cut calories. You can also reverse it. Use the dinner plate and fill it full of salad greens – just be careful with the salad dressing. To cut down on the amount of dressing consumed, place the dressing in a small bowl. Dip your fork in the dressing before you spear your salad. While your salad is on the dinner plate, use the salad plate for your entrée.

Know what a serving really is.

Know what a serving really is. Portions these days have become gigantic. You might think that a serving of cooked pasta is a big bowl full but look on the package. You'll be surprised to see that a serving is considered just an 8 ounce cupful of cooked pasta. And the serving of pasta sauce? Well that's just ¼ cup or 2 ounces. A serving of chicken, or meat, is 4 ounces, that's a chicken thigh or drumstick. In the case of meat, a serving is about the size of a deck of playing cards. A serving of vegetables is ½ cup, a serving of fruit is ½ cup, or one whole fruit such as an apple. Of course with fruits and vegetables