Why you'll succeed this time

Before you begin your healthy eating or fitness plan, make sure you're fully prepared to go the distance with our ideas to get you in the right frame of mind.

Have you tried every diet going but still had little weight-loss success? The problem may not be a lack of willpower, or even the types of plans you've tried. The problem could be that you are not ready for success. Preparing yourself mentally and physically before starting a diet programme is vital. In fact, it could mean the difference between reaching your goals or repeating diet history. Are you prepared this time?

Use our checklist to make sure you're ready to go the distance. And if you answer 'no' to any of the questions, use our tips to get you prepared to answer 'yes'! Print it out and check off each step as you accomplish it. When you've done that, you're ready to start losing weight!

1. Have you set realistic goals?
Do you know how much weight you want to lose or how quickly you can safely lose it? Set realistic, attainable goals and know what to expect, so you don't get frustrated and bail out before reaching your goal weight.

Before you begin Prepare yourself for the fact that you're not going to lose the weight overnight - remember, you didn't gain it instantly. A healthy rate of weight loss is three to five pounds in the first week and one to two pounds each week thereafter. Sit down with your journal and determine just what that means in terms of your individual goals.

2. Are you willing to change how you eat?
If you're looking for a diet plan that can help you lose weight while you eat chips, chocolate and ice cream, it doesn't exist. If you want to drop the pounds and keep them off, you have to find healthier replacements for the high-calorie, high-fat foods that could be to blame for your weight gain in the first place. In fact, one of the factors that makes successful dieters successful is making lasting changes in their eating habits, as opposed to eliminating certain foods entirely - which can be a recipe for failure. Your meal plan with eDiets will contain your favourite foods but moderation is the key and all foods are used as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Before you begin: Prepare your kitchen for easier dieting. Toss the Double Fudge Swirl and bring the biscuits in your cupboard in to the office for your colleagues, then re-stock your larder with the foods you need to lose weight. Fill the fridge with fresh fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean meat and seafood. Buy wholegrain cereals, pastas and healthy snacks, including rice cakes, air-popped popcorn and dried fruit. Have condiments like mustard, salsa, low fat salad dressings and soy sauce on hand for enhancing meals.

3. Are you ready to commit?
Most of us have hectic lives, working long hours and balancing family and social obligations. However, it's harder to lose weight when most of your meals come from restaurants or take-outs (lack of control over portion sizes and ingredients means you're likely to get more calories and fat). The truth is, eating more healthily does take more time and will require that you prepare most of your meals at home. Just ask yourself one question - are you worth it? We think so...

Before you begin: Pick a time when you know you can sit down and do some meal planning (maybe a Sunday afternoon or evening). Plan your meals for the entire week, then make sure you have all of the groceries you need to follow through. If you wait until the last minute to think about what you're going to eat, you're much more likely to choose something that's merely convenient and not so diet-friendly.

4. Are you mentally prepared to succeed?
Is it possible that a lack of confidence in your own willpower, negative feelings about past dieting attempts or a fear of success are standing in your way? If so, you need to identify these issues so you can deal with them before you even begin so you can avoid sabotaging your own success.

Before you begin: Sit down with a notebook and write down your feelings or past experiences with dieting. Identify negative thoughts that may have soured your attitude, and try to address them before you get started. For example, if you write down that you usually feel hungry and deprived, think about ways you can avoid it. Also, consider how being slimmer and healthier will affect your life and whether any of these things might be scaring you out of succeeding. For example, are you intimidated by the attention that will be called to your appearance as people start to notice your weight loss?

5. Have you planned for exercise?
An effective weight loss programme incorporates both diet and exercise. In fact, in a study of some of the country's most successful dieters (all of whom have kept their weight off for a year or more), the one thing all of them have in common is consistent aerobic exercise. Have you thought about what type of exercise you might enjoy doing? Do you know where it will take place? Or when?

Before you begin Decide whether you will join a gym or work out outdoors. If you opt for a gym, sign up and take a tour. If you're working out at home, purchase the equipment you need to get started (an exercise bicycle, aerobic videos, hand weights, workout clothes or even walking shoes). Now, figure out when you're going to do that exercise - work up to at least 45 minutes of aerobic activity, five to six times a week, and weight training for each major muscle group at least twice a week for optimal weight-loss benefits.

Now you're ready to really succeed this time!

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