A plummeting stock market, falling home values and significant job losses — just thinking about weight control can add more stress to an already stressful life. However, during difficult times, it's important to feel that you have some level of control over your life. To lose and maintain weight during these tough times, focus on the emotional aspects of dieting. Use the following 10 tips to change the inside, so you can change the outside:

1. Explore patterns and create a food, activity and life audit: As we learn more about ourselves, we are able to address change at a deeper level. An equation that sums this up is: Self-evaluation + Reflection = Learning. Take the time to review your past dieting and eating behaviors (e.g., how and when you overeat, your diet-buster foods, level of activity, level of stress, relationships, etc.). The goal is to learn about yourself without judging yourself too harshly. You must look at yourself with eyes that are both critical and forgiving.

2. Get responsible: We are all, principally, the authors of our own lives, and we have the power, in spite of genetics, environment and/or a slow metabolism, to write a different outcome than the one we see on the scale each day. In fact, a study reported in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders found that people who believed their weight problems resulted from choice rather than metabolism or genetics were more successful at losing weight because they believed they were in control of their weight loss. And in another recent study, researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands reported that those who believed they could control their eating and didn't blame being overweight on "bad genes" lost more weight.

3. Have confidence in yourself: A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that as self-efficacy improved, eating habits also improved and weight loss was greater. The key factors are the ability to control and create your own outcome and the use of various "health" tools, such as watching motivating TV shows, reading empowering books, reviewing family history, nutrition education and identifying your reasons for wanting to lose weight.

4. Give yourself a pep talk: Start by creating affirmations — strong, positive statements asserting that something desirable about yourself is, in fact, true. The idea is to use your words to succeed by "talking to yourself about yourself" in a positive light.

A study published in the Journal of Sports Sciences divided golfers of high and low skill into two groups not related to their skill. The first group was asked to repeatedly tell themselves they would do well at putting, while the second group was instructed to tell themselves they would not do well. The investigators found that the players who engaged in negative self-talk performed much worse than those who used positive self-talk, regardless of skill level.

5. Find the reason WHY: You need a very clear and precise reason why you want to lose weight — one that will stand up to your most powerful excuses. Don't just say "for my health," "to look better," or "to feel better." Be specific — "I would like to lose weight because I would like to be there for my granddaughter's graduation in 30 years." Keep in mind, if you're not sure, or if you treat this glibly, there's a high likelihood you will not achieve your weight-loss goal. Think you already know? Make sure. Then write it down.

6. Compromise, don't conform: Any maintainable weight-control program must be based on compromise, not conformity. What this means is that you need to compromise with yourself, not conform to someone else's definition of who you should be. If you conform, you're following someone else's diet — a prescription that might sound great on paper and that may work in the short run, but to succeed long term you need to find your own perfect fit, a way of eating and living that's custom-made for you, not something pulled off the "ready-to-wear" diet rack. And you do that by compromising with the one person who really matters — you!

7. Excuse me: Brainstorm all the reasons you can think of for NOT working toward your diet and activity goals, including self-doubts, fears and insecurities — these are excuses, too. Next, punch holes in your excuses until they are no longer airtight by coming up with counter-arguments for every one. Write them down!

8. Dream planning: Dreams can be wonderful and energizing, but it takes a plan of action to make them real. Write down your goal and design the steps you're going to take to reach it. Include contingency plans, track your progress, monitor yourself and follow through. Take time in the beginning to set yourself up with the tools you will need to make it happen. With this attitude and emotionally charged choice, you will get to your desired weight — and stay there.

9. Use power, NOT will power: Don't think all you need is a good dose of will power to go against your nature, which is to want sugary and fatty foods. To avoid unhealthy foods that entice you, keep junk foods out of your house. Don't go to the supermarket when you're ravenous — eat something first. Over time, the healthy stuff will taste great.

10. Form new healthy patterns: Make your new eating and activity behaviors automatic by doing them over and over. You shouldn't need to take breaks from your "diet." If you have to take a break, you made too many compromises in the first place, and your diet will not last. New eating behaviors need to be comfortable and not too restrictive.

Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.