Take one of those pictures that made you freak and say that CANNOT BE ME and keep it handy so you can look at it
Make sure to eat a protein item before or at each meal – like salmon at 10-11 AM (just microwave with lemon pepper seasoning, or add soy sauce for more of a treat and chicken cutlet at 3-4:00 (just bake with barbecue spices/hot spices for 5-8 mins – ) THIS WILL KEEP YOU FULLER so that you don’t eat a lot at meals – just some salad or hot vegetables.
NO SNACKS/ICE CREAM/CAKE IN THE HOUSE – if you have to do kids, then make the snacks the type that you can resist – they have all kinds of snacks that cater to the kids and don’t really tempt adults. If you are the major balabusta that always has a freezer full of devil dogs, rugelach and yummy stuff, wrap it like it was going to siberia, and put it on the back of the remotest shelf in your freezer in the basement (by your neighbor) – make it as inaccessible as possible.
Exercise – make it an absolute ‘chok v’lo yaavor’ – we don’t not put on tefillin/ we don’t eat without bentsching, and we don’t go to the shower until we exercise – have your workout clothes/music/area absolutely handy so that you have no excuse, no stopping for coffee, no phone call,no ck email until done.
Water – try to prefill up your water bottles for the day so that you have an easy marker for whether you consumed your water.
Remember – even 5 pounds looks good, so you will have mirror motivation all along. It’s all psych out – so find your own tricks – do it for yourself, do it for your husband, do it for the mitzvah of ‘ushmartem es nafshoseichem’ – do it so your kids are not mortified when you come to their plays – do it so that you aren’t afraid to go to the next simcha…. whatever works.
Good Luck!!!!