I am no nutritionist or gym buff, but I do have some tips that helped me lose 41 lbs in about 4 months. Keep in mind I am not sure exactly how the weight came off...but these tips have helped me lose the weight and have kept the weight off--which for most people is the hardest part--and I have continued to lose weight. Since my weight loss, I have been constantly asked: "how did you do it?" or "Tell me your secrets!" Well, here you go. Take these with a grain of salt, add more to each tip and make them your own.

These are 21 ideas to get you started or out of your weight loss plateau:

1. Constant snacker?

Chew gum or find a low-calorie snack (fruit, trail mix, raisins). The gum gives you the feeling of eating but no extra calories. If you snack when you are hungry but in between meals then veer to the trail mix or other low-calorie healthy snack.

2. Make your own foods to ensure no added salts or sugars.

If you cannot make your own or you eat out that is perfectly okay, just check online or on a calorie tracker and see how much sodium or sugars are added. I make my own trail mixes, granola, and dinners to ensure I am having all natural meals.

3. Eat 5 small meals or snacks rather than 3 large meals.

Fruits and vegetables are great meals that can be perfectly proportioned to eat throughout the day and on the go.

4. Proportion your food.

If I ate too much then I craved sweets and more food. When I began slowing myself down when eating and eating only certain amounts I noticed my cravings for dessert and other foods were gone.

5. Pack your foods.

If you don't pack it then you can't eat it. It's that simple. This is called meal prepping. This helps keep cravings away because you are not having to think about what you want to eat, you already know. Most people meal prep at the beginning of the week for the whole week. There are many recipes that can be used. To help meal prep and proportion, check out Amazon for good, cheap containers. This helped me a lot and can help you tremendously.

6. Don't eat after 6 P.M. or 2 hours before bed.

This gives time for the food to properly digest. Without the digestion your body will not be able to burn the calories, energy, etc taken in and it all gets stored.

7. Don't eat nuts before bed.

They are fats. At night your body is not burning fats it is only storing them. Watch fat intake at night.

8. Drink green tea with lemon juice instead of coffee.

This will give you the same caffeine boost but this will also help detox the body and speed up your metabolism.

9. Addicted to sweets? Eat yogurt covered raisins.

These are healthy but still fulfill that craving. These were my replacement for peanut M&M's and they actually work! There are many alternatives to sweets so find one that works for you. Any dehydrated fruit is sweeter than fresh fruit because the heat brings out the sweetness once the water is gone, try dried pineapples, banana chips, etc.

10. Stop looking at the scale, instead realize you're feeling better and have more energy.

Pay attention to how your clothes fit. The scale shows weight, not always progress. You could be slimming but not losing weight or gaining muscle through your workouts which weigh more than fat. Also, most people lose weight in their chest, bum, and face first. These areas would be noticed more in clothes than the scale.

11. If you are used to weights at the gym but still have fat on top then increase your cardio.

I cut weights out completely and stuck to cardio and the weight fell off without losing all the muscle. This way when you are slim to where you want to be you can tone the muscles and specific areas.

12. Stay away from the weight loss products.

I have never used any products and don't plan to because I can lose the weight naturally! The side effects of most products are not worth the weight loss! And if they're not bad for your health then they usually don't work. Don't get me wrong there are some products that have success and many people use. If you find yourself having trouble naturally then you can look into the good products.

13. DO NOT cut out all carbs, chocolates, etc.

If you do then after you lose the weight and go back to eating these foods you WILL gain weight back. Moderate the intake of these foods though. This takes us to #14.

14. Cravings.

If you crave chocolate, bread or whatever your weakness is then you can give in sometimes. Be aware of how much you eat and limit yourself. If you get off the diet track no worries, jump back on the next day and begin again. It's actually better to have a binge day or cheat meal one day a week.

15. Don't starve yourself.

This will do nothing to your weight loss, if anything this will make you gain more weight. Your body will begin to store the fat calories you have previously taken in because your body does not realize when or if it will be fed again.

16. Do your research.

This is not something to waste time or money on. Find a workout routine that best suits you. This may take time and many trials that can be unsuccessful, just move on to the next. The same goes with diets. Find foods you like and are good and work around them with recipes and meals.

17. This takes time!

I know we all wish we could wake up the morning after a killer workout and have the abs we want. But that is not reality. Give the workouts and diets time. Do not lose hope or give up.

18. Plateau.

You most likely will hit a plateau in your diet. This is where you have changed nothing in your diet or workout plans but you stop losing weight. Your body has just adjusted to this diet or workout. All you need to do is change it up a little and your body will get back on track. Instead of running on a treadmill for 30 minutes do an elliptical or bike. Minor things can make a difference but yet again it takes time and effort.

19. Seeing success.

Strangers see your progress first, then your friends and family, and then yourself. Take pictures weekly or bi-weekly so that you can see for yourself the changes occurring. When you see yourself everyday it doesn't seem very noticeable. I lost 15 pounds and had no clue until someone else brought it to my attention.

20. Find someone to help keep you on track.

This person can be someone dieting and exercising with you or just someone who will remind you to eat right, someone you can talk abut your experiences with, etc. this is so you aren't alone. I noticed when I shared my dieting tips with others and we talked about our journeys it helped me a lot and encouraged me as well. I also have my boyfriend set me straight if I want a cheat snack or don't want to work out one day. It's a nice push in the right direction.

21. Drink water before you eat and between every or every other bite.

This fills you up faster and helps to slow down your eating. For people like me, I was always a fast eater so I never knew when I was full. By doing this I ate a lot less because it allowed time for my body to tell my brain that I could stop eating.

Extra tip...my daily routine looks like this:

Breakfast: green tea and lemon, homemade granola.

Lunch: snack on homemade trail mix (dehydrated banana, dehydrated pineapple, coconut shreddings and almonds) and apple slices throughout the day.

Dinner: grilled chicken and veggies. This is not an everyday meal but this is my diet meal. The other day I had a slice of pizza, I gained no weight eating it and the next day I was back to this diet.

I did it and so can you, try these tips first and see how it works. This can give you the push in the right direction or the extra motivation to begin your diet. 180 lbs on the left and 139 on the right. From a size 12 to a size 5.