The questions you ask yourself before you begin a weight loss program may determine how successful you are. Are you ready to take on the task of losing weight?

Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Trying to Lose Weight

• Are you committed to making permanent lifestyle changes? Losing weight and keeping it off means making significant changes to how you live your life. You’ll have to learn to think about food differently and find ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Take some time to think about the long-term commitment involved with permanent weight loss and make sure you’re ready for the challenge.
• Have you addressed eating disorders or emotional issues? Often times, people struggle to lose weight because they use food to cope with negative emotions like stress, anxiety, or loneliness. You’ll be much more successful in changing your eating habits if you have a better idea of why you eat in the first place.
• Are you willing to be more active? A combination of diet and exercise has been proven time and again to be the most successful way to lose weight. Before taking on a new weight loss plan, you should understand that simply eating less will provide only short-term results at best.
• Have you set realistic weight loss goals? People who set unrealistic goals that are difficult to achieve are more likely to fail and give up on their weight loss plans entirely. Take the time to set clear, specific, and reasonable goals about how much weight you want to lose and how quickly you intend to lose it. Experts recommend losing 1 to 2 pounds a week for healthy and long-lasting weight loss.

Losing weight can be a difficult undertaking. Take the time to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to boost your chances of success.