Since I lost 265 pounds I have learned a lot about myself. But more importantly, I also learned how to keep weight off for good. Like so many others I was a habitual yo-yo dieter.

There is a common misconception about what it takes to battle the bulge. It seems as though a gym membership is a prerequisite for weight loss. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

For some it can actually be what’s holding them back from achieving long-term success. No matter how many times they’ve purchased a gym membership the weight always comes back.

During my weight loss journey, I found that in order to keep it off for good a lifelong change must be made. So, it’s important that we set realistic goals for ourselves before deciding it’s time to slim down again.

The idea of spending two hours in the gym six days a week can seem like a sure fire way to lose the weight quickly. However, it’s also an exceedingly difficult commitment to maintain when you’re just getting off the couch. In fact, gym burnout often occurs within a month no matter how much you’ve moved the scale.

Therefore, it’s critically important to create a realistic plan for achieving lasting weight loss. Here are three simple tips that can help you keep the weight off for good.

How To Keep Weight Off

Start Slowly

It can be difficult to tap the brakes when you’re just getting starting because you’re all revved up and ready to go. Remember, the key here is to avoid the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting by eliminating the risk of burnout.

Start getting you body in motion by taking walks rather than pounding away for hours on the treadmill. This is a great low impact workout that will get your body acclimated to exercise again.

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t walk great distances at first. A simple stroll around the block will do. Remember, everybody has to start somewhere. The treadmill and half-marathons will come in time. And when you get there you’ll have the added satisfaction of knowing how to keep weight off.

Stop Eating In Front of the TV

Catching up on your DVR over dinner could be making you fat. In fact, you’ll eat nearly 300 additional calories when you chow down in front of the TV, according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts.

It’s about mindlessly eating. You get so wrapped up in the show you’re watching that your brain is slow to receive a signal from the stomach that it’s full.

A recent study (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329316300271) conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University and Colorado State University found people may also be eating more in front of the TV because they can’t hear themselves chew. The study concluded people will eat less if they can hear the crunch of chewing while a person is eating.

By going old school and eating at the table you can cut way back on the chances of that happening unless you’re having one amazingly epic conversation. However, unless you’re breaking bread with some major celebrity telling tales of the high life, the odds of legendary discussions are remote. So, turn off the tube and sit at the table.

Take the Stairs

This is probably one of those tips you quickly dismiss and think that it can’t really make all that big of a difference. If that’s the case then you’re probably still taking the elevator and wondering why you don’t know how to keep weight off.

Stairs really can be a great ally in the war on your waistline.

Before you write them off for good think about it in these terms. Walking just five flights a day could help you lose up to 15 pounds in a year, according to researchers at the University of New Mexico. The more flights you walk the more fat you’ll burn.

If you’re still skeptical consider this. By walking 10 flights of stairs each day you can burn more than 18,000 calories every year. That’s the equivalent of 105 crunchy tacos.

The beauty here is that you don’t even have to walk them all at once. It’s okay to spread them throughout the day to avoid burn out.

These tips helped me lose more than 265 pounds and keep it off for more than six years. Obviously there is a lot more to it, but as with the first tip it’s important to start slowly.