Watch what you say about yourself.

Don't criticize your own body—even as a joke. Don't compare your own weight, size, or shape to someone else's. Being healthy means being positive about yourself. Accept your uniqueness!

Watch what you say about others.

Don't make negative remarks about other people's bodies, either. Show appreciation for each person's unique personality, coloring, and body shape and size. Ask others in your family to do the same.

Be realistic.

It's normal and healthy for your body to change over time. So let your doctor help you determine if your weight is right for you and what your goals should be. For example, even if you're too heavy right now, a realistic goal might be weight maintenance, not weight loss. It's normal for kids to gain some weight just before puberty or a growth spurt. You may be able to grow into your weight.

Focus on health.

Focus on lifelong healthy habits—not numbers on the scale. Don't ask what others weigh, and don't over-praise a drop in a friend's or family member's clothing size. Try to be the healthiest you can be, for your own sake and as a positive example to others.

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Banish Self Criticism

Focus on having fun, staying healthy, and feeling good—don't distance yourself from having fun with your friends by dissing yourself for not looking perfect in a swimsuit. ​​​​

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Change Yourself

Every day offers a fresh start to make positive changes in your life, and you can be successful if you make a plan for what you will do to set and achieve reasonable goals.​​​

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Choose to Be Happy

Instead of depriving yourself, flip your decision-making process on its head and start making the choices that are going to give you the life you want and deserve.​​​

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Look Great in Pictures

Taking family photos can be a nice tradition if you learn to focus on the whole picture rather than just your own image, and appreciate what is right about your great family!​​​

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Love Those Compliments

Many people react to compliments by getting embarrassed or brushing them off with self-criticism; instead, learn to accept compliments graciously and be appreciative.​​​​

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No Trash Talk

It's good to get into the habit of paying attention to the way you talk to yourself in your head, so that you focus instead on what makes you feel encouraged.​​​

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Smiling is Better

Researchers have found many connections between how often and how widely people smile and good health, and you can actually make yourself happier by smiling more often.​

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Talking About Weight

If your weight is an issue, it can be hard to know where to start to fix the problem, and it can be difficult to ask people in your life to be supportive when you're trying to make changes.​​​​​

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Your Life in Sense Surround

A good way to shift thinking in a more positive direction is to consciously focus on your five senses and train your brain to start experiencing how your body feels in a variety of situations.​