Losing weight around this time of the year can be extremely difficult. Although everyone seems to be discussing their plans to go to the gym and start that new diet, those conversations seem to always happen over a large meal with a stick of butter on top.

Here are a few helpful tips that should make it easier on you this winter to actually shed a few pounds instead of putting on a couple extra hundred.

Keep a Food, Weight, and Exercise Diary

Losing weight is so hard it’s nearly impossible to do it without setting yourself up for the best possible scenario. Keeping track of all your weight loss records can make it much easier to stay on track and actually see results. You can keep a paper journal, use a mobile app, or just write out your meals and time of physical activity on a calendar. Make sure you record everything and don’t allow yourself to cheat, however, because that will ruin all the process that you’ve made.

Stop Drinking Liquid Calories All the Time

Even for those who eat extremely carefully and workout as much as possible, weight loss will be nearly impossible if a lot of liquid calories are involved. Drinks like sodas, sugar-heavy teas, juice, and alcohol have so many calories that will undoubtedly add up if you drink them on a regular basis. If you’re serious about losing the weight this winter, you should probably avoid those couple of beers every other night. Drink more water or coffee to stay hydrated but without the negative impacts of high calorie drinks.

Medical Weight Loss Programs

Seeking professional help is always your best bet at successfully losing the weight. Everyone’s situation is different and it’s too difficult to identify yourself what the best ways are for you to shed the pounds. Luckily, there are plenty of medical weight loss programs that you can enroll in that will help you get down to a more comfortable weight. Make sure you do plenty of online research before choosing from the medical weight loss programs to ensure you’re selecting one that works for you.