Losing weight can seem like an uphill struggle at times. You battle with foods you can eat and foods you can't. You resist your cravings for chocolate and cake and cookies all day only to give in while you watch TV in the evening. You huff and puff at the gym for two weeks or two months until finally you just can't drag yourself there any more.

Sometimes you lose a load of weight with a lot of hard effort only to hit a plateau. And then you can't seem to shift any more.

Finally you give up on whatever plan you're on, relax for a bit and all the weight comes straight back on. All that effort for nothing.

Life should be easier than this. Why does losing weight have to be so hard?

The answer is that we make it hard on ourselves!

We want to lose weight and we want it now and we think we're willing to do whatever it takes.

But we quickly change our minds when the rubber meets the road and we actually have to follow that diet regime we signed up for.

You could make the whole process much easier by taking the automatic route.

The secret to losing weight automatically is not by making big changes to your diet or exercise routines. These routines never stick in the long run because they are way out of your comfort zone.

Yes, you may very well suffer them for a week or two while your motivation to lose weight is high but it takes iron willpower to stick with them until you lose all the weight you want.

And let's face it unless you stick with them forever that weight all comes straight back on doesn't it?

Because you go right back to the habits you had before you went on your weight loss program. The ones that caused you to put all that weight on in the first place.

No, the secret to losing weight automatically is to make small changes to your routines. Ones which will be barely detectable to others - only you will really know the difference. You make changes like taking time to enjoy your food more, moving a little bit more as you go about your day, learning how to deal with pressures from others to eat, stopping eating whenever you're satisfied. And before you know it you are losing weight. Not only that but you have habits which you can stick to for life and which you'll never need (or want) to change.

What small changes could you make today which would mean that you eat a little bit less and move a little bit more? Could you live with those changes for life? Then start right now to make them a habit.

Habits are built by repetition and like having a shower or brushing your teeth become an automatic part of you without having to think about it. To be slimmer forever you simply need slimmer habits - habits which keep your metabolism high enough to deal with the amount you eat over a period of time. That doesn't mean that you can never over-indulge - it just means that in your normal day to day life you are using your slim habits and as a result the odd huge meal or chocolate bar really doesn't make any difference.

Why make it hard on yourself when this can be so much easier?

Copyright 2005, Janice Elizabeth Small

About the author:

Janice Elizabeth is a weight loss coach, slimming club owner and author of "The Diet Exit Plan", an 8 week coaching program for automatic permanent weight loss. Get her FREE 15 page report "How to lose weight without dieting - 7 secrets the diet industry doesn't want you to know" at http://www.SimplySlimming.com TODAY!