10 Surefire Ways to Become Thinner

If you are looking to lose weight the healthy way, here are 10 surefire ways to get that accomplished:

1. Exercise, 2. Exercise, 3. Exercise, 4. Exercise, 5. Exercise, 6. Exercise, 7. Exercise, 8. Exercise, 9. Exercise, 10. Exercise

That's right - exercise is a no-brainer when it comes to achieving permanent weight loss; and yet we make so many excuses for NOT exercising. As a Registered Dietitian specializing in weight management, I've heard them all. Without a doubt, some reasons for not exercising are truly justified. Others, however, are just silly and some are ridiculously funny. Here are a few of the "better" excuses I've heard over the years for not exercising. I'm hoping they will make you laugh and then inspire you to get moving.

• If I lose weight, I'll have to get rid of some of my favorite clothes.
• I don't want to get muscular - it's so unattractive.
• It takes too much energy to exercise.
• It will hurt my family's feelings if I lose weight and they don't.
• Exercise makes me sweat and I don't like that.
• It will cut into my TV time.
• I only do things with friends and my friends don't like exercise.
• It's too smelly at the gym.
• I don't like leaving my cat alone for too long.

I understand it's not always easy to fit exercise into a hectic schedule. And for those who truly hate it, exercise can be very challenging, but it's never impossible. According to the National Weight Control Registry, the largest ongoing study of people who have lost weight and kept it off, exercise ranks among the top strategies used by members to lose weight and keep it off. Ninety percent of registry members report exercising on average of 1 hour per day.

There are currently more than five thousand members in the National Weight Control Registry, all of whom have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off. Some have lost 30 pounds, some 130 pounds. Some have kept the weight off for one year, some for decades. What they all have in common, though, is a commitment to successful weight loss maintenance - and that commitment includes regular exercise.

Take a lesson from these successful losers; don't overlook the importance of regular exercise in permanent weight loss. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Begin slowly and take it one step at a time.

2. Set realistic goals for yourself.

3. Make it a routine by have a set time to exercise every day.

4. Split it up, for example take three 10-minute walks.

5. Give yourself a mini-reward each week for sticking to the plan.

There are many ways you can incorporate exercise into your life. Walking, dancing, gardening, playing sports - as long as you're moving, it all counts. Exercise is a choice and nobody can make you do it but yourself. Now that the winter weather is behind us, why not get outside and start your exercise program by walking more? Hopefully you won't switch up your excuses from "It's too cold outside" to "I don't like to sweat".

The key to successful weight control is making changes in your eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life. Without a plan, this can be extremely challenging - especially if you have a hectic lifestyle and are often on-the-go. I'd like to help you create a plan to lose weight the healthy way.