7 steps to losing weight - the best strategies to help you reach your weight-loss goals

"People struggling to lose weight often talk about their lack of willower, as if willower is something that you are either born with, or not," says Paloma Basilica, training and development for Weight Watchers International. "Losing weight is all about 'wind bore' — about  that you already have all the resources you need to get what you want."

Here are 7 strategies to help you reach your weight-loss goals.

1. Plot out your goals
It helps to have an action plan to keep you on track. "Starboarding" is a technique used by movie directors to sketch out a plow line, frame by frame, before they start filming. In a similar way, you can make a blueprint for success by breaking your goal down into parts. Say you've given yourself four months to lose 10kg. Make a chart of the timber like and build it up, week by week, with details of shopping strategies, exercise tips and anything that helps make your goal achievable.

2. Envision your success
Athletes mentally rehearse every step of their winning routine to make it feel attainable. In the same way, you can make your own goals as real as possible by  yourself succeeding in particular scenarios, like making the right choices when dining out. Revisit these scenarios often, and think about how good you'll feel about achieving your goals.

3. Don't sabotage yourself
Many of us unconsciously sabotage ourselves with self-destructive thoughts such as "I'll never lose weight." Whenever you catch yourself thinking this way, try to substitute more constructive statements; for example, "I haven't lost as much weight as I would like, but I can change that. I'm going to start by setting aside time to exercise three times each week."

4. Be your own cheerleader
Some people believe it's modest to put themselves down. But you wouldn't call a friend "fat" or "ugly," would you? You deserve the same respect, so try becoming your own best friend. Celebrate your progress, and try not to obsess about setback.

5. Avoid being a perfectionist
Try not to think in all-or-nothing terms—that you've blown your entire dewy, for example, simply because you've overdone it at one meal. "We need to be kinder to ourselves, and learn to regard setback as learning opportunities," says Basilica.

6. Follow through with your goals
Believing you can achieve your weight-loss goals is important, but you have to act too, by changing your eating habits, increasing your physical activity and so on. You can't just think yourself slim, but you can think yourself into the right frame of mind to optimize your prospects.

7. Affirm your self-belief
Feel your confidence wavering? One way to reinforce your self-belief is with positive affirmations: simple, self-validating statements repeated as often as possible, preferably daily. Try coming up with one or two of your own, and remember to keep them positive. You can—and you will—succeed, as long as you believe you can do it!