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If you are a fan of the TV show The Biggest Loser, it’s easy to see how participants are changing on the outside. Each week features weigh-ins that track weight loss and flash backs of earlier episodes when contestants were far heavier. But contestants aren’t just experiencing changes to their bodies, they also are going through major mental transitions.

Many start out with defeatist attitudes or a lack of faith in their own ability to change. They show up knowing they should change, but their lives and bodies have spun a little bit out of their control. They aren’t just carrying around extra pounds when the show begins; many are carrying around emotional baggage from the various ways life knocks all of us around. Toward the end of each season, participants have dropped more than weight. Gone are statements of: I can’t do it. Instead, contestants have a sense of empowerment, a renewed belief in their own ability to change, and they exude increased self-confidence.

 For the record, I am a fan of the show, but I remind people who are trying to lose weight—who aren’t doing it on TV—that the show isn’t a normal setting for weight loss. Of course you are going to lose dramatic amounts of weight when you are in a controlled environment, fitness trainers by your side, a national audience watching you, and your eye on a big financial prize. But just like the contestants on the show, there are many healthy strategies you can incorporate in your life to change your mental state from status quo, to one of empowerment.

Get to the bottom of what’s eating you. What you are eating could be a reflection of what’s eating you. Many people turn to food for comfort or to stuff emotions they don’t want to feel or face. Sometimes, the simple act of no longer denying the cause of your pain or hurt, can begin the healing process. Talk to a friend or family member, write in a journal, or seek professional help if you need it. Nothing ever gets better with avoidance and neglect. Make the courageous decision to go deep and get healthy mentally first.

Create small wins often. Say you want to lose 50 pounds. If you focus on the number 50 you are going to fall quickly into that defeatist attitude—thinking you have so much progress to make, why should you even start. Instead, create small wins often. Focus on two pounds instead of 50. Once you lose two pounds, subtract two more pounds and focus on that number. Always think two ahead, not to the goal number. Flood yourself with positive thoughts and “way to go!” statements for every two pound loss.

Be positive about you. Write down all of your mini victories. Did you work out today? Write it down. Drop a pound? Jot that number down in your calendar. Did you adopt a new habit you are proud of like eating an apple a day or doing yoga two times a week? Keep a list of those healthy habits and you will be creating your own program for your health.

Prepare for weak resolve. It’s better having a smoothie than ice cream. What other healthy foods can you substitute for your favorites?Instead of eating loaded nachos, try my recipe for red pepper nachos from my new cookbook Choose This.  Instead of eating a row of Oreos, can you have a couple of low calorie ginger snaps? If you have trouble late at night, do you have veggies on hand to nosh on? This isn’t just about making healthy eating decisions, it’s about not letting yourself feel discouraged. By making better choices, choices you are proud of, you will feel better about yourself.

Identify your biggest supporter or two.  Assemble your own support team. Who is really behind you and who in your life can really lift you up when you are having trouble or losing focus? While it’s always great to have a workout partner make sure you get some people on your team for mental motivation. It’s great to have a friend who can remind you of your goals, your progress and what you stand to gain by losing weight. Don’t go it alone when you can have so much more success with supportive people around you.

Use your success as your rocket fuel. The reason The Biggest Loser contestants have such exuberance and confidence at the end of the season is because they are looking in the mirror and getting on the scale and witnessing real, tangible results. They look better. They are healthier. And they feel better. But the confidence is fueled the most by knowing that they created their own success. They proved they can change. The feeling of knowing you ultimately created your own results is a feeling like no other. Now anything seems possible. You can turn your results into rocket fuel to reach your health goals and to take on new challenges in your life. You have the ability to empower yourself with change.