Losing weight is not easy. It requires hard work and vigilant focus. But there are some skinny secrets that people who are losing weight share (and I’m not talking about banning carbs or drinking matcha tea, here). Below are 5 small routines people who are getting skinny do daily.

1. They Always Have A Game Plan. As the cliché goes, fail to plan, plan to fail. People who lose weight are always thinking ahead. Planning their meals and snacks, keeping the house stocked with foods that work for them, and pre-tracking their calories. Planning ahead means you can account for any potential mishaps. They find out what the dinner hostess is serving, look at online menus, and anticipate bringing an extra snack for a flight delay.
2. They Pack Up for Back Up, People who are losing weight always have an emergency “first aid food kit”, so they never have to fly by the seat of their pants. It can be an insulated bag or cooler that is filled with meals and/or snacks that they plan on eating that day (no extras!).
3. They Measure– What you measure, you can improve. Hard core numbers don’t lie or tell you what you hope to see. People who are losing weight step on the scale more often- at least twice a week. They also measure their food to make sure their portions are accurate, and count calories. They like objective data.
4. They Track. Nobody loves writing down what they eat all the time (except me- I actually find it quite calming!), but people who track what they eat lose twice as much weight as those who don’t. Tracking helps you identify potential problems like overeating, sneaky extra calories, and bad boyfriend foods that trip you up. It let’s you recognize what’s worth the calories, and what’s not. Whether you go old school with a pen and paper or use an electronic food track app doesn’t matter. Just do it.
5. They Surround Themselves With Support. People who are losing weight seek out support wherever they can find it. Whether an encouraging best friend, joining an online weight loss community or enlisting a food coach, they have people in their lives that help define their “why”, and empower them to keep going. If you’re riding out a tough emotional period, trying to break free of late night bingeing, or need to get real about your mindless nibbling, having support will change your odds of succeeding