For many overweight and obese people, dropping extra pounds can be a difficult proposition. According to a recent survey of more than 15,000 Americans, 65 percent attempted to lose some weight, but of those only a mere 20 percent were successful in maintaining weight loss for an extended period of time (IHRSA/ASD Obesity /Weight Control Report).

This data isn’t promising considering nearly four million people carry more than 300 pounds each. While I’m not the type of person who advocates weight loss to achieve some unreachable aesthetic goal, the dangers of being significantly overweight or obese are many. But while many people have been successful at achieving weight loss goals, why is it that only a small margin are capable of maintaining them? Here are the top methods used by those who have dropped pounds and kept them off.

Yes, mama always said that if you didn’t clean your plate, you wouldn’t be allowed dessert. Despite her best wishes for a healthy and happy child, what mama didn’t know is that her well wishes may have actually set you up for nutritional failure. In a society where more is better, typical portion sizes have increased (restaurant portions have doubled in the past 15 years), bringing with them your waist size. But those who have managed to win the battle of the bulge have learned to control their portion sizes, ensuring that they never overeat and consume excess calories. In fact, portion control is considered the primary method for avoiding those excess pounds. But how do you make sure you’re not eating more than your fair share? First, visit www.myfoodpyramid.gov and determine optimal serving sizes for you (suggestions are based on age, gender, etc.). Once you know how much you can eat, it becomes easy to relate serving sizes to recognizable objects. For example, one serving of fruits is about the size of your fist; a serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards; and a serving of pasta is the size of a scoop of ice cream.

Have you ever been so hungry that you quickly ravage your meal only to find yourself stuffed to the gills and tossing around the idea of asking your date to wheel you out of the restaurant? Racing through a meal is one of the easiest ways to throw your nutrition goals off track. The body is built with a mechanism that is triggered upon satiety; however, it takes time for that mechanism to relay messages of fullness to the brain. The best way to avoid overeating is to take your time with your meal and pay attention to what’s happening within the body. That way you give your body enough time to let you know that you have achieved maximum capacity.

Another way to stave off unhealthy eating habits and snack binges is to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. When you go for an extended period of time without sustenance, your body begins to crave foods that are high in sugars and fat and low in nutrition content. If you eat, say, six times per day you will be less likely to crave unhealthy foods and won’t eat everything on the table when it’s time for dinner.

When attempting to lose weight, a good rule of thumb is to expend more calories than you consume each day. Seems simple, right? It can be, but the majority of people who are incapable of maintaining a healthy weight tend to lead sedentary lifestyles. While you may not enjoy going for an intense 45-minute run or hitting the weight room for 1 1/2 hours, simply moving the body more will help fire up that internal fat-burning engine and will fast track you to using calories you’ve consumed throughout the day. In fact, a study of successful dieters has shown that those who kept off the weight also included a daily hour-long walk into their weekly routine. If you’re crunched for time, have no fear as experts have discovered that physical activity does not have to take place all in one lump sum. Studies have shown that those who spread physical activity over the course of a day (10-minute walk after breakfast, a 15-minute walk at lunch and 25 minutes in the garden after dinner, etc.) achieved weight loss goals similar to those who performed a consecutive hour-long exercise routine. Even trading the escalator for the stairs or parking further away from your destination counts as physical activity.

Another surefire way to make sure you are not overeating is to keep a food log. Monitoring your daily intake may be laborious, but researchers have found that those who pay attention to what they ingest are more likely to eat healthy foods. Another tip is to set daily food goals. Just like when you go to the gym and attempt to lift a certain amount of weight or run for a predetermined period of time, challenge yourself to eat one more serving of vegetables than usual each day. As time goes by, that challenge may develop into a habit, and you’ll be ready to take on another one. And don’t worry if you fail to achieve your food goal each day; it takes time to change eating patterns. Just recognize that your goal was particularly challenging for that day and set the intention of achieving it the next.

One of the major contributors to unsuccessful weight management is the fad diet. Just about anyone can undertake some sort of dramatic change in eating patterns for a while, but often such diets cannot be maintained because they require significant effort. Instead of making a huge change, try augmenting your eating patterns in smaller, more palatable ways such as cutting out that extra piece of toast in the morning or substituting a side of green beans instead of mashed potatoes. Many successful dieters do not adhere to rigid nutrition requirements; they have learned to implement reasonable changes that can be maintained long term. Think of small changes that you can make that don’t make you feel as though you are sacrificing too much. If a change is something that you abhor, chances are it is a change you will not maintain.

Losing weight can be one of the most difficult challenges of one’s life, but if you make reasonable changes over time, you’ll have a greater chance of keeping your weight under control. If you still have difficulty adhering to a healthy diet, you may benefit from the assistance of a registered dietician. To find one in your area, and to gain further information on nutrition visit www.eatright.org.