Your old goal was to lose weight. Your new goal is to keep the weight off forever.

Of course, food is involved. But more to the point, mind states such as being realistically optimistic carry more weight. Optimism in the case of weight control has to do with maintaining an expectation you will reach your long-term goal. This is a non-food kind of maintaining. But it’s key to what happens between you and your food.

Some short-term goals for maintaining an optimistic outlook are:

• Making daily efforts
• Working out your doubts
• Valuing small steps
• Persisting in the face of little adversities