“If you consciously let your body take care of you, it will become your greatest ally and trusted partner.” – Deepak Chopra

I awoke excited because it was the kids’ first day of school. While I was excited for them I was very happy for myself and looking forward to the extra time I would have to invest in my own self-care. I decided I would add a morning meditation to my routine starting today and grabbed my phone and found the Shedding the Weight, Mind, Body and Spirit meditation I had saved.

As I started to listen to the preamble of the first meditation and relax to Deepak Chopra’s calming voice, he shared a very alarming statistic.

Only 2% of dieters will lose at least five pounds and keep it off for five years.

My meditation practice was ruined at that point because my mind was absolutely stuck on Deepak’s statement. How can only 2% of dieters lose at least five pounds and keep it off for five years? That just seems crazy. Isn’t America always on a diet?

Instead of my mind floating with the meditation music, it filled with questions. First, how was I so fortunate to be one of the less than 5% who has lost over 60 pounds and kept it off? I flashback to what my life was like before I lost the weight. I was tired, uncomfortable, in pain, and suffering from migraines multiple times a month. What did I do that was different than the other 95% of dieters that allowed me to break free and shed the weight? I brainstormed for hours because I wanted to give you a profound answer, but I couldn’t muster up an insightful one.

If someone asked me what I did to experience the weight loss success I have experienced thus far, and I had to answer, I would simply say this:

I just kept trying.

I spent the morning in pursuit of a more profound answer and after hours at my computer decided I might as well be asking someone the secret of life. But I did find the following commonalities that are worth sharing. Successful dieters:

• Find exercise they enjoy,
• Become addicted to their weight loss efforts,
• Prepare food in advance,
• Know the power of power walks,
• Strength train and weight lift,
• Have a positive attitude and believe they can lose the weight,
• Share their goals and plans with others,
• Involve others (work out buddies and fitness groups), and
• Visualize success daily.

So, how about you? Which of the above characteristics of successful dieters have you mastered? Which do you need to work on?

Tanya Perri is a mom, wife, blogger, health nut and self -declared diet expert who has lost over 65 pounds. You can follow her at www.weightlossconfessions.com