Exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer Bob Greene has helped millions of people slim down, most recently with his online program TheBestLife.com. The best-selling author shares the sure-fire strategies for losing weight, protecting your health and living your best life.

You know the pattern: You're angry about something, so you grab a fistful of chocolate chip cookies -- that will calm you down. Or you're feeling blue, but it's nothing a little Ben & Jerry's can't fix.

One of the greatest weight-loss obstacles dieters face is fighting emotional eating -- impulsive, unhealthy snacking triggered by stress, boredom, depression and other factors. To get a handle on emotional eating, you first have to determine what triggers those episodes of late-night cookies and straight-from-the-carton ice cream binges. What are you angry or depressed about that makes you turn to food for comfort?

A great self-discovery exercise that I recommend to all of my clients is the Circle of Life. It pinpoints your life's most important areas, determines their current status and then helps you develop a plan to correct the problem areas. It will not only help you put an end to your emotional eating, but it can also help address other troubles spots that may interfere with your health and wellness.

Here's how it works. Draw a large circle on a blank sheet of paper. Divide the circle into several sections so it resembles a sliced pie, like this:
In each section, write down an area of your life that you feel is an integral part to your overall health and happiness, such as career, family, health, romance and finance

Next, ask yourself how everything is going in that area -- and be brutally honest. If it's going well, write a plus sign (+); if it's not, make a negative sign (-). Examine the slices with negative signs and ask yourself: What is something I can do every day to stimulate positive change? Write at least one item in each section that you can do right now to improve that category, and then commit yourself to it.

For example, if a friendship has soured, send an e-mail or pick up the phone. If your fitness routine has stalled, begin an exercise journal. Not eating healthfully enough? Fill your cart up with more fruit and vegetables on your next trip to the grocery store.

People who struggle with weight gain often want instant gratification, but if you're patient and take small steps every day, the results can be powerful. If you can consistently do at least one thing daily to change a negative to a positive, I promise that powerful change will occur in your life. And if you can do three things daily, you won't even recognize your former life.