I was riding home on the train today when I heard a woman in the seat in front of me utter the fateful words…”Oh well, diet day is Monday.”  It instantly took me back to my childhood when my grandmother would always utter that phrase after a particularly large family meal.  It took me until I was in my early 30s to realize how horribly wrong my grandmother really was.

Let’s be honest, going on a diet is not necessarily fun.  It forces you to do things you don’t normally do, and people are very resistant to change by nature.  Rather than focusing on the end goal you have a tendency to focus on the immediate “dread”, which forces you to put it off until the next most convenient time (in your eyes).

Now let’s say you sprained your ankle – not just a slight tweak but a really hard twist.  Would you hobble around trying to walk it off, or go hit the gym hoping that the workout will do your ankle good?  Or would you take action to address it before you did any more damage?  To be successful with your weight loss efforts you should not wait until you do more damage.

Mondays are hard enough for most people.  The weekend is over and it is back to the same weekday routine.  People who wait until Monday to start making a positive change are more likely to abandon their program by midweek.

So when is the best time to start?  At your next meal!  Even if you string together four or five meals that are in line with the diet program you are following, and then slip, start right back up again at your next meal.  Don’t focus on your failures of the past, make the commitment to change going forward.  I am a strong advocate of the 90/10 rule, meaning that if you can adhere to your diet ninety percent of the time you eat that you will not be derailed by the ten percent of the time that you do not.

Want to know how I successfully lost 80 pounds and kept it off? Read about my unique approach to lose weight.

So on my commute to my real job I see a billboard for AmeriHealth insurance that says “Lose Weight, Get Paid $200!”  Since there are several studies about incenting people to lose weight through a reward system, I did a little digging to find out exactly to what they were referring.

As part of AmeriHealth’s Healthy Lifestyles program, they will reimburse up to $150 of your fitness center fees and $200 of class fees for approved weight management programs.  It’s a win-win: for you, as it eliminates one more barrier to getting healthy, and could lead to other financial benefits like fewer co-pays, lower food and clothing costs, and less gas used; for them, healthier subscribers means fewer insurance claims.  The program also provides substantial discounts for alternative health (like acupuncture, massage therapy, and dietetics) as well as other programs for smoking cessation and healthy maternity.

Check with your health care provider to see if they offer similar programs – it could be just the kick-start you need to getting the weight off for good!

Before choking down a quick bite, have a seat. People who snack while sitting at a set table eat fewer calories in their next meal than people who are snacking on-the-go, according to a Canadian study. Researchers served identical portions of soup with crackers, a sandwich, yogurt and fruit to study participants, who either ate while standing at a counter or at a cloth-covered table. Those who were seated consumed a third less calories when returning for dinner. When you feel like you are eating a formal meal, it makes you feel like you are eating more than you actually are, increasing your satiety levels, according to the study’s author.