"FAT TALK"

1. FRIENDS = FAT TALK POLICE
Make a pact with your girl friends not to let each other talk about fat. After all, it's easier to police others than it is to discipline yourself about topics like this one. Think of it as positive peer pressure: the ban on fat talk is easier to observe when everyone else is doing it!

Of course, you need to do your part to correct your friends on their own slip ups. So the next time your shopping buddy asks, "Does this dress make your butt look fat?" give her a stern reminder about fat talk and instead focus on other issues: perhaps the dress isn’t her color—or perhaps it makes her look super sexy!

2. DON'T THINK "NEED," THINK "WANT"
Barring a medical condition that's related to obesity and managed through weight loss, you don't need to lose weight. So don't tell yourself, "I need to go on a diet." Instead, you might say, "I want to change my eating habits so I become more aware and in control of the foods that go into my body."

3. FITNESS TRUMPS THINNESS
The thinness ideal focuses on dress sizes and waist lines, so make a conscious effort to ignore those numbers! Remember, dieting and exercise should be about achieving a healthier lifestyle, so throw out the weighing scale—it's about being fitter and happier, not about pounds or kilos!

4. FLATTER A FRIEND
Colleagues, friends, and family--any one could do with a little positive reinforcement. So don't forget to tell your sister how that purple top she's wearing looks great with her complexion or tell your friend that the way she's done her hair today has it framing her face really well. Pay it forward; if people get used to getting compliments rather than criticism, they’ll be in a better position to dish out the flattery themselves.

5. GIVE YOURSELF A LITTLE CREDIT
Think about the things you like about the way you look rather than the things you don't like. What does this mean for you? Stop obsessing about that waddle or that little bit of tummy bulge!

Instead, think of the things you like most about yourself. And we're not talking about your pleasing personality!