Making a few small changes can have a huge impact on your weight and overall health. That's why we included it as one of the three steps in The Becoming Healthy Weight Loss Plan.

Small changes are the most realistic way to integrate healthy habits and behaviors into your life.  By making small changes every week, you will be much more likely to stick with the modifications you plan for your eating and exercise program.  You can continue to build on this solid foundation over the course of time.  Small eating changes may include removing the butter and cheese from your sandwiches or choosing a healthier dressing on your salads. These small changes can reduce hundreds of kilojoules/calories from your daily energy intake and help you lose weight.

Likewise, small changes in your level of activity everyday will also affect how much energy your body uses.  For example, when you exercise at a steady rate for 15 minutes your metabolic rate is increased and as long as the period of exercise is continued for more than 15 minutes, your metabolic rate stays higher than usual for the next 24 hours.  Not only does physical activity help you lose weight, it also gives you the opportunity to work off some stress and puts you in a better frame of mind to stick with your weight loss plans and reach your goals.

Some ideas for small changes:

• Switch your soft drink  Switch from regular soft drink or fruit juice to diet soft drink or a flavored water.
• Get face time  We use e-mail so much we've forgotten what our co-workers look like.  Pick a colleague or two who sit farthest from you and deliver 10 of those daily messages in person.  And go out of your way:  Hit a bathroom or a copier on another floor -- and take the stairs, of course.
• An apple (or more) a day  They're packed with fibre and water, so your stomach will want less.
• Tweak your coffee Instead of a large caffè latté try a small skim latté
• Use better butter  Instead of regular butter, use whipped butter and cut half the kilojoules/calories.
• Start with soup  Order a clear soup instead of a salad soaked with two tablespoons full-fat dressing and you can save twice the kilojoules/calories.  Plus you'll feel fuller, so you'll eat less when the main comes.
• Make perfect pasta Substitute whole-grain pasta for semolina and you'll be satisfied with a smaller portion.
• Climb up! Taking the stairs for a total of just two minutes, five days a week, gives you the same kilojoules/calories-burning results as a 20-minute walk.
• Fill up with fruit Like pie? Here's how you can cave to the craving: Sprinkle fresh fruit -- some cut-up apple, pear or a handful of cherries -- with some Splenda or Equal, cover and nuke for a minute or so.
• Think about your drink Consider beer or wine instead of a frozen drink: A glass of regular beer has 140 kilojoules and a serving of wine has 126 kilojoules, while a strawberry daiquiri has about 300 and a margarita 340.
• Scream for sorbet Indulge in chocolate sorbet instead of chocolate ice cream.
• Use smaller plates or cut normal portions in half, especially in restaurants. This is a very simple diet tip but one that can have a huge impact.
• Slim Down Your Spuds "Instead of using sour cream on a baked potato, try low-fat or fat free yogurt with chopped chives or fresh onions
• Make sure to eat breakfast
• Remove temptations from your house
• Eat more slowly
• Get more sleep
• Eat less refined foods
• Drink more water