Aside from putting yourself on a strict diet or enrolling yourself in a gym or a class, there are a lot of helpful things you can do to aid your weight loss.

If you want to maximize your potential, practice these 5 effective habits to help you keep the weight off once you start shedding them.

1. No midnight snacking

It doesn’t have to be at midnight per se to be considered midnight snacking. Let dinner be your last meal for the day.

Eating later in the night will also cause your body to wake up instead of retiring for the night to recuperate. It’ll go on overtime, digesting what you’ve eaten. And if you take sugary food, then it will definitely cause a high.

One way of ensuring you don’t have those late night cravings is to go to bed a little earlier. This way, you program your body to curb those urges plus you get an ample amount of sleep to boot.

2. Stock up right

Clear your pantry of those pesky temptations. Why do that to yourself?

Even if you aren’t living on your own–you have roommates, a family, kids, a partner, that doesn’t mean you have to subject yourself to those things.

Try to find good substitutes to put in your pantry instead.

Make it so that you minimize the errors you can make in opening that door. It shouldn’t be a constant dodging of diet landmines in your kitchen.

Get rid of those hard to resist things like chocolate, candies, and chips. Replace them with fruits and healthy options for snacking.

This way, you’re also not putting yourself in a position to ‘avoid’ food, but rather you put choices in there that you can actually choose from.

3. Stop binge-drinking

It doesn’t matter what age you are, but if you’re still drinking like you’re in your 20’s, something has to give.

If you are young, you won’t be for long, and for those on the older side of the spectrum, your metabolism isn’t what it used to be.

If you’re serious about shedding some weight, you need to drink sparingly.

Alcohol contains sugar too and it contributes significantly to your calories on a daily basis if you drink every night.

You might not feel those tequila shots and whiskey now, but you will.

Start cutting down on alcoholic drinks. Choose to only drink on weekends or on special occasions.

4. Quit soda

No, just because it says ‘diet’ before soda doesn’t mean it’s healthier than regular. They all have a bad effect on your body.

Artificial sweeteners make your sugar receptors work double time.

Regular soda has tons of sugar!

Those things will singlehandedly put you on the obesity track if you don’t watch it.

Always opt for water instead.

If you’re really craving for something sweeter, you can occasionally have fresh fruit juices, but those have a lot of sugar in them as well.

5. Have a buddy for your body

Just like in life, it’s not advisable to go at it alone. You need other people to relate to, connect with, and enjoy experiences with.

Your success in your diet endeavor also depends on the company that surrounds you. The presence of loved ones encouraging you and supporting you will bring you over hurdles and on to the finish line.

Remember that your heart needs to be in it to win it. Ultimately what helps you lose weight is your resolve to do so.

Discipline yourself and everything will follow suit.