The word diet tends to be associated with an immense amount of mental anxiety. Using a term such as “changing my eating habits” can put you in an encouraging state of mind. Discipline is definitely a key component to achieve a successful eating habit.

If you’re anything like me, you absolutely love sweets. You never have a sweet tooth because all of your teeth (including the fake ones) are sweet. There is a solution. Murry’s brand food has a wonderful selection of sugar-free items. Try using sweeteners such as Equal instead of actual sugar in your coffee. But don’t be fooled; too many sweeteners can add up to the equal value of real sugar. As a mater of fact, a study showed that 12 packs of Equal are equivalent to real sugar.

Water is essential as well. According to my Herbalist, a person should take half their body weight and drink that many ounces of water per day. For example, if I weigh 120 pounds, I should divide that by the number two. 120 divided by two equals 60. So I need to drink 60 ounces of water throughout the course of my day. That’s less than the size of a two-liter bottle of soda pop. I could drink 20 ounces of water in the morning, 20 ounces in the afternoon, and 20 ounces in the evening. Keep in mind that 20 ounces is the same size as a bottled pop from the soda machine. If you don’t like the taste of water, lemon juice can satisfy your taste buds.

Exercise does not seem to be a friend of mine. Picking up a sandwich and inserting it into my mouth is the most exercise I want to do, and because the sandwich is usually so big, that can be characterized as lifting weights. Logically speaking, exercise is beneficial. Simple solutions such as taking the steps instead of the elevator can be helpful. If time permits, take the longer route to class. Try sitting in a stretched position when watching your favorite television shows. Store items in high places so you can be forced to use effort in order to retrieve them.

Mentally imagine yourself at your ideal body weight. Keep in mind that muscles weigh more than fat. So just because you’re not the perfect size six doesn’t mean you’re not in shape. And if you are that perfect size or even below that size, it doesn’t mean that you are necessarily healthy.

Seeing yourself at the finish line before you got there means you have named your challenge and you intend to claim your reward. Understand that these things take time, and that patience is a virtue. Patience works experience and experience works patience. Set a goal and go for it. Anything is possible. The only rule is, there is absolutely no room for negativity. Whether it is from you or the people in your atmosphere, negativity must not be tolerated.

I personally don’t recommend diet pills because you never can be 100 percent sure what ingredients go into those things. I’d rather be safe than sorry. Demonstrating the proper eating habits isn’t as difficult as many make it out to be; it’s all a matter of discipline. In essence, consider what I say, and allow it to reason with your intellect.

Shannon O'Mayes is a sophomore Communications major from Buffalo, N.Y.