It is mighty frustrating to observe the weighing scale showing the same weight from one week to another. Alla Byrne, the Web Editor for Shape Magazine, brings in encouragement in the form of twelve tips for losing weight successfully. She backs these tips up with ten testimonials where people from all walks of life have come out to share how they have been able to shed their weight.

1.   Schedule Splurging – Johanna Stephenson lost weight by eating dark chocolates. She says, “I let myself have one small piece first thing in the morning before I eat breakfast”. (She is 40 years of age and lost 63 Pounds in a year).
2.    Getting in the Race – Dana Bland lost weight by joining a local running club and started competing in road races and marathons. She has even participated in a triathlon recently. (She is 40 years of age and has lost 190 pounds in a year).
3.   Limiting Liquid Calories – Elizabeth Byrd, surprisingly, has dropped weight through happy hours. She says, “I loved happy hour but I cut back to one weekend night per week”. By cutting down on the calories from the cocktails, she dropped her weight on a gradual basis. (She is 31 years of age and has lost 40 Pounds in a year).
4.    Not Expecting Perfection – Lori Kimble managed to drop weight even by running at a slow and leisurely pace. She continued to run at her own pace, enjoyed it and also managed to drop weight. (She is 41 years of age and has lost 105 Pounds in a year).
5.    Considering your Calories Carefully – Diana Carbonell could not control her craving when it involved junk food. After much deliberation, she created some rules for herself and brought the cravings down to nibbling or nothing. (She is 44 years of age and has lost 159 Pounds in a year).
6.    Nix Post-Dinner Noshing – Cyndy Barnes spent most of her evenings munching on chips and cookies. She made up her mind to stop that and she started drinking a glass of water before going to bed mixed with a fiber supplement. (She is 38 years of age and has lost 50 Pounds in a year).
7.    Avoiding Extremes – Tracy Johnson says, “Someone once told me that you should never do anything today that you can’t do for the rest of your life”. She did not starve herself or worked out for three hours at a go. (She is 27 years of age and has lost 40 Pounds in a year).
8.   Ditching the Fast Food Habit – Andrea Williams gave up the fast food habit, “I would pre my lunches the night before and bring them to work. What I packed was not only more nutritious than going out, it was cheaper too”. (She is 33 years of age and has lost 50 Pounds in a year).
9.    Starting with Small Swaps – Heather Craig improved her diet with small tweaks. She replaced mayonnaise with mustard and switched from whole milk to non-fat. She also swapped wheat for white bread. (She is 28 years of age and has lost 85 Pounds in a year).
10.  Looking Sexy while You Sweat – Caroline Jhingory was not so inclined to go to the gym as she was shy about her clothes. She says, “Wearing something I feel good in rather than an old college T-Shirt inspires me to go to the gym”. (She is 28 years of age and has lost 123 Pounds in a year).
11.  Maintaining a Time Table – Sasha Gusain, a fitness writer and Editor for HealthyLivingIndia.org says that time management is often overlooked. She advises people to dedicate the time slots in a day for exercise, work and daily chores.
12.  Finally, Dr. Oz suggests that you automate your eating by planning your meals well ahead of time for the simple reason that you will be less likely to make an unhealthy food choice at the last minute.

You may learn more about sensible weight loss tips on Shape.com.