“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #TENways  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

I am so excited that I’m losing weight this month. January was a bust and February was a learning curve. March is working well for me now that I have my weight loss strategies locked into place. It is the big changes that I can’t seem to manage, like moving my busy schedule around to get the the gym everyday. I have been successful with the small things though and according to my bathroom scale they have all added up to real weight loss. Here are my ten secret strategies that can help you get a beach body by summer!

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1. Give yourself a realistic goal so you are not disappointed and give up.   If you want to lose 30 pounds in 3 months chances are you can probably do it. Average weight loss is about 1 – 3 pounds in a week. If you know that you can stick to a low calorie diet and exercise a little each week then you can set a goal of 2 pounds a week. Don’t ever expect to get on the scale and be down 5 pounds from the last time. Everything worthwhile takes time.

2. Motivate yourself. You have to be your own cheerleader, coach and motivational speaker. If you have a little voice inside your head telling you that you are going to fail, then you especially need to be louder and stronger that that! Hang out on facebook or twitter. Start a Pinterest board with inspirational saying and recipes and pics. Whenever you feel demotivated, Pin something and drink a 7UP TEN because with only 10 calories and full flavor you won’t feel like you are drinking a diet!

Reaching my weight loss goals by swapping out full diet soda for the regular ones Core Four TEN #PMedia #TENways #ad

3. Trade in unhealthy foods for something that you love. If you are used to eating a jelly donut every day for breakfast, don’t try to trade it in for a rice cake or you will be miserable. Have buttered toast with a thin layer if jam or a yummy protein bar instead.

4. Get moving just for a little while. If you are like me and you cant give up your job for a new life at the gym then you are going to have to create sneaky ways to get your exercise in each week. When I go up and down my stairs I do squats or lunges up and down. When sitting at the computer I will contract my stomach and hold my legs out in front of me for counts of 10 and do a few reps each hour. Have to read or check e-mails for 20 minutes? Do it on the treadmill.

5. Enjoy your food. Don’t count out your serving of 6 bland crackers and feel sorry for yourself. You will end up eating the box! Figure out how to make your calories work for you like low fat and low calorie cream cheese with chives, tomatoes and a little seasoning salt or hot sauce on 3 crackers that will make you feel like you ate something worth while.

Canada Dry Ginger Ale TEN paired with low calorie healthy snacks makes fitting into a swim suit easier than a piece of cake @dapperhouse #PMedia #TENways #ad

6. Reward yourself each day with a healthy and low calorie treat. You cant get through your new diet without a little love. Four Ten Beverages are my secret trick to satisfying my sweet tooth and making me feel like I am splurging. All the taste of the regular soda is in there but you are saving about 100 calories from regular pop! That is a LOT of calories cut over your entire diet!

Sunkist Dr Pepper 7UP Canada Dry Core 4 TEN Beverages 10 calories diet drink soda pop with full taste @dapperhouse #PMedia #TENWays #ad

7. Have a “safe word”.  Dieting can bring out the worst in us. It can turn my normally put together self into an out of control maniac devouring whole bags of cookies at once while standing in front of the pantry. I would like to say that I simply black out from starvation and sugar withdrawals, but I have the accept some responsibility for my diet sabotaging actions. Now I have given myself a safe word when I am in the middle of a snack attack to break the cycle and go get a healthy alternative instead.  I will say the word out loud to myself or if my mouth is too full, I will yell it in my head followed by “put the cookies down and back away or things will get serious!” 😉

8. Don’t cheat yourself by cheating. Everyone has a loss of will power now and then. Especially when you are dieting and feel deprived. But plan ahead for these indiscretions by having a cheat box on hand. Fill it with every flavor of gum you can find and every flavor of TEN soda pop so that you can curb your craving without blowing your diet and blowing out that swim suit!

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9. Never Give UP. No matter how many times you mess up or don’t get to the gym, keep going and you will get where you want to be. Like I said in the beginning, I have been at this for over two months and I am just starting to see the progress, but I am getting better at it every week! You will too.

10.  Learn from your mistakes. This is the best way to learn most anything. If you can’t be trusted with certain foods in the house then tell the family that you wont be buying them for awhile. If you find that you get stuck in a certain pattern like not waking up to exercise, then try going at night for a bit. Come back each week and let me know how you are doing, either here in the comments or on my facebook page. Lets support each other and lose the weight for swimsuit season!

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You can use this coupon at Walmart like I did for $0.50 off of the purchase of TWO 2 Liter bottles or TWO 4-pack cans of 7UP TEN, A&W TEN, Canada Dry TEN, RC TEN or Sunkist TEN soda. Offer available while supplies last from 3/27 – 4/17