So many people want to lose weight, but they don’t get anywhere. This is because having a wish isn’t the same thing as having a plan. Being able to lose weight is a matter of putting in the effort and discipline necessary. If you’re serious about your weight-loss goals, you’ll need to commit to these three tenets of getting fit.

Diet

Above all else, your diet has a major impact on your weight. Your health is a reflection of what you put in your body. Take a look at your current eating habits and think about how they should be altered. Remember that losing weight doesn’t mean you eat healthy for a while and then go back to your old ways when you’ve lost enough weight. You need to initiate permanent lifestyle changes so that you can enjoy life to the fullest. The Ashchi Heart & Vascular Center recommends that you choose a diet meant for the long-term, not just an unsustainable fad.

Support

Just because losing weight is dependent on your discipline doesn’t mean that you can’t get help from others. As Xyngular explains, lack of support can spell doom for an individual’s weight-loss program, so having a good, solid system in place can be a significant contributor to success as well. When you have an exercise partner or group that you can work out with, you can feel far more motivated and find much greater pleasure out of getting fit. You can also help each other reach your goals through encouragement.

Discipline

You have to be disciplined if you want to lose weight. The hardest part of this journey won’t be working out or eating healthily. It’ll be getting yourself to do these things not because you want to but because you know you need to. No matter what your goal is, the largest hurdle to overcome is your own lack of motivation.

As Organize Yourself Skinny says, it’s worth remembering that motivation exists as long as you can create it in some manner. If you don’t feel motivated to go to the gym, reframe it. You might not be enthused enough to do a two-hour workout, but surely you can spare 15 minutes? Getting at least something done is better than nothing, and it’ll all pay off.

Losing weight is not something to hastily accomplish like you’re crossing off a shopping list. You have to pace yourself and be aware that you hold the most power in this situation. Remember that what you do today influences what happens to you tomorrow, and keep as positive a perspective as possible. Most importantly, you don’t have to go through this transition alone! Talk to our coaches, Cody and Hannah Rhinehart, to receive the help you need to make your weight loss regimen succeed!