So you’ve made the resolution that THIS is the year you’re going to lose weight and get in the best shape of your life. You’re not going to settle for second best – you’re going to achieve that dream body you’ve always wanted.

Great news – this is actually the best time to make that commitment. Why? Because you can take advantage of the powerful momentum and energy a New Year brings to achieve your weight loss dreams.

But there’s nothing worse than committing to lose weight, only to get lost among the 5 gazillion diets out there. It can get confusing – you may end up wasting a lot of money and effort. You may end up wondering which diet is really the BEST diet for you.

In order to have rapid weight loss success, you have to find the best diet for you (a.k.a. the diet that will speed you towards your dream body at lightning pace). There are millions of diets – but only a few that are best for you and your lifestyle.

The best diet for you will have the 3 key features listed below. Choose your diet with these 3 key features in mind and you’re already halfway to your weight loss dreams.

#1 Proven Success Rate

Are there before and after pictures of people who have lost weight with that particular diet? Are there customer testimonials? Have there been independent studies done on the diet’s success rate?

The diet you choose doesn’t have to have all three of these but try to find at least some kind of proven success rate before choosing that particular program.

Finding a diet with a proven success rate not only lets you know that the diet works but it also helps give you the confidence that the diet will work FOR YOU.

Confidence is one of the most underrated factors in a successful weight loss program. If you’ve tried and failed with diets before you especially need that extra boost of confidence to carry you through the more difficult times in the diet. By reminding yourself that this diet has been proven to work – you’ll be able to keep going and reach your weight loss goals.

A related feature that gets extra points is if the diet has been recommended by an expert or a physician. Again this boosts your confidence that the diet is safe and effective.

#2 Affordable.

Losing weight should not cost you thousands of dollars (unless we’re talking about surgery here and that’s an entirely different article). The best diet will be affordable for the average person.

If the diet costs too much, be very suspicious and look elsewhere. There are too many shady diets out there and as a consumer, it pays to be cautious.

I’ll give you an example of what I mean:

A close friend of mine went to a well-known weight loss clinic in our area and was told she had to pay the yearly fees up front (around $1000 NOT including food). They also told her she had to buy their food in bulk (like $500 for a year’s worth of chocolate). When the chocolate gave her heart palpitations and she had to take it back, they told her it was non-refundable. She was out the money for the chocolate. Plus, she feels she can’t leave the program because she’s paid the yearly fees (which, you guessed it, are also non-refundable).

She unfortunately made the mistake of ignoring her instincts and paying way too much money for a diet program. If you notice you’re being asked for hefty fees right out of the gate, warning lights should be flashing in your mind.

Now on the other hand, the best diet WILL cost you something. It actually is better if you put some cash on the table for your diet program. Why? Because when we invest in something we’re more likely to stick with it. When we invest in something we are more likely to follow through and get the results we want.

For example I did a liver detox several months ago. I’m not really into liver detoxing but I read an article and figured I’d try it.

The detox kit cost me a whopping $50 and when I opened the instructions they told me I had to give up junk food for two weeks. In any other universe I would have laughed and simply forgotten about detoxing my liver. But because I’d shelled out $50, I was invested – I decided that I hopefully wouldn’t starve from lack of junk food over two weeks and suffered through it.

If I’d gotten the detox kit for free there’s no way I would have followed those instructions. But because I was invested, I followed through and now have a healthier liver thanking me for it.

So when searching for the best diet, putting out some money on yourself and your dreams of a better body is actually a healthy thing. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars on it.

#3 Compatible with Your Tastes and Lifestyle

This is THE most crucial step however it’s the one where most people go wrong. When choosing a diet, they simply pick one and go, without considering if it is compatible with their tastes and lifestyle.

For example, if you hate feeling deprived or empty you might want to choose a program that lets you eat many times during the day so you don’t feel hungry. If you get bored easily you want a diet program that gives you tremendous variety and flexibility. If you don’t do a lot of cooking or food preparation, you’ll want to look at a program where the food is pre-made for you.

Diets are like cars – there are hundreds of different models out there, each with their own unique features. And they can get you where you want to go. But your personality might fit better with certain features than others.

Dieting is hard enough. Don’t make it harder on yourself by choosing a diet not compatible with who you are. Setting yourself up for success will also guarantee that you’ll stick it out until you reach your goal.

And one other thing, the best diet will be one that you can get excited about. Choose a diet that you enjoy, that you believe in, that may actually be – gulp – fun.

Emotional excitement will fade in time, yes. But it can give you enough of an emotional push to get you over the initial hump. By that time your first few pounds will have come off and will serve as your continuing motivation.

So those are 3 key considerations when looking for the best diet. Keep them in mind and you will progress in leaps and bounds towards your dream body. Remember, planning now may seem boring – but it’s the key to your future weight loss success.

How often do you weigh yourself? How much power do you give to your scale? Does it determine what mood you’re in and determine the tone for your day? For a clear, accurate picture of your weight loss success, break your ties to the scale. Don’t be a slave to the scale.

For people that diet and are on a quest for weight loss, we just can’t stay away from the scale. It is as though we can’t start our day without hopping on this device that sits on the floor that we stand on. There we are, giving our power to the scale standing on the scale staring down at the display waiting for the verdict. For some it is a compulsion for others it is mere curiosity. The problem occurs when the results begin to dictate our mood, our self-worth, and our self-esteem.

What is our compulsion with the scale? For some it’s a measurement of success. It is a form of validation when we have been eating healthy on our diet program and regularly working out. Why do we need a little box that sits on the floor to give us the validation we want? You know what you’ve done, how you’ve stuck to your diet, exercised, and resisted temptations throughout your day. The scale doesn’t give you the validation or “way to go” for those daily successes. The scale is just that – a scale that measures your body weight including temporary body fluctuations.

Scales don’t tell you how much fat you are losing. A regular scale doesn’t reflect your muscle or water weight either. Our weight can fluctuate from day to day. Water retention from sodium, retention of bodily waste, hormonal changes, bloating, and other temporary bodily adjustments all register on the scale either up or down. Don’t jump on and off the scale so many times during the day that it can count as aerobic activity for the day. Weigh yourself once a week (or even once per month) at the same time of day on the same scale.

If you weigh yourself every day, you can be frustrated because weight can swing two to three pounds up or down due to temporary body functions and changes. You’ll get a more realistic picture of your weight loss if you weigh once a week.

There are excellent reasons for this. Your weight fluctuates many times throughout the day depending on what you’ve eaten, if you’re hydrated, etc. This can be misleading and cause much frustration. When you weigh yourself, if you have lost weight, also give yourself credit for what you have gained in losing weight. Gains include feeling better about yourself, being in control over food rather than food controlling you, and being closer to your weight loss goal. If you haven’t lost weight, or have put a small amount on, use this as motivation to keep going. Increase your activity and exercise, look at what you’re eating and the portion sizes.

It is interesting how those little numbers representing your weight can dictate your entire day. The scale can make you feel skinny and strong or big and awful. Don’t weigh yourself throughout the day. It makes no sense and can lead to scale neurosis.

For true validation of your weight loss and healthy lifestyle changes, take body measurements. Seeing proof of decreasing measurements is a more accurate way of acknowledging your success. Another great way to validate yourself is by your clothes. Are you clothes fitting better, getting baggier or wearing a different size? Both of these are true ways to determine success and fantastic pats on the back that you deserve.

Take your focus from looking down to the scale on the floor and look up. Look at all of the tremendous changes you’ve made in your life, how great you feel physically and emotionally. Put it in perspective and don’t think about weight as the only issue. Reflect on how great you feel, how you look, do you have more energy, and all of the many things that have changed for the better in your life since you started making healthy changes. Those are the true measures of your efforts and success!

America’s tragic 96% weight loss failure rate is due to widespread misunderstanding about what works, what doesn’t, and why. This is also why we gain back a heartbreaking 95% of the pounds we manage to lose. Here are 10 guidelines to get your weight loss program on the right track! A major new clinical research study, involving more than 14,000 people and spanning some 16 years, has allowed us to identify what does–and what definitely does not–lead to safe, struggle-free, lasting weight loss. As a result, we now know “The 10 Commandments Of Weight Loss Success. “Commandment #1: Get The Facts Before You Act!Be certain that whatever you do is based on real data, not on hype and wild claims. Recent research has revealed a wealth of new insights into what works–and what doesn’t. Some prime examples: – An astonishing 96% of weight loss attempts fail. – We gain back a tragic 95% of all the pounds we lose. – Dieting is worse than useless. It’s counterproductive. – Relying on will power often leads to weight gain. – Most of the reasons we’re overweight have nothing to do with food or diet. – But, not being aware of these simple truths, people turn to food-based approaches like dieting–and fail by the millions. Commandment #2. Set Realistic Weight Loss Goals. Your “target weight” must be based in reality, not fantasy. If you’re trying to look like Barbie or Ken (or Pamela Anderson or “Arnold,”) you are in Fantasyland–and in danger as well. Make your goal to be healthy…not “perfect. “Commandment #3. Beware Diet Industry “Solutions. “Failed diets cause tremendous amounts of unnecessary suffering. Yet we still turn to dieting and other heavily-promoted “solutions” because the Diet Industry still pushes them relentlessly. Climbing out from under their avalanche of misinformation is “Weight Loss Job #1. “Commandment #4. Understand That Weight Loss Success Is NOT About FoodBeing overweight is actually not “the problem,” but a physical symptom of a non-physical problem. In other words, the excess weight you can see is only a symptom of a problem you can’t see. We fail because we can’t solve problems by attacking symptoms, but only by dealing with the real, root causes of obesity. Commandment #5. Know Who You Are Losing Weight ForWho are you really trying to please or impress by losing weight? The only acceptable person to lose weight for is you. If your goal is to please or impress anyone else, you are already in trouble. Getting to your healthiest weight is one thing in life that really should be “all about you. “Commandment #6. Get Your Whole Being Involved”Body-only” or “food-oriented” weight loss approaches are doomed from the start. For lasting weight loss, you must involve your “whole” being — your body, mind, and spirit. See weight loss success as a 3-legged stool. If even one leg is missing, the stool will collapse–no matter how sturdy the other two legs are. To succeed, you must involve and align all three aspects of yourself toward your weight loss goals. Commandment #7. Be Very Careful What You Put In Your MouthDiet drugs, pills, and “metabolizers” are, at best short-term fixes. At worst, they can be deadly. Weight loss pills not only breed dependency, but the minute you stop, you “Yo-Yo” back to your original weight–or higher. And just because something is “natural” doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Nature is full of things that can kill humans and other animals. (Amazon tribes count on it!)Commandment #8. Have A Realistic Time FrameTrying to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week sets you up to get sick, to fail, to be miserable, and probably all of the above. “Losing 10 pounds in 2 days” is very unlikely and very unhealthy. You didn’t put on your unwanted pounds in a hurry. Don’t try to take them off that way. Commandment #9. You MUST “Tune Up” Your Colon For Long-Term HealthPoor colon function is epidemic, dangerous, and is a primary factor in excess weight. Too little exercise, too much protein, fat, sugar, salt, alcohol, nicotine, and not much fiber adds up to lousy colon function–causing discomfort, sluggish digestion, poor nutrient assimilation, heartburn, gas, allergies, even cancer. Fortunately, colon function is easy, inexpensive (and very rewarding) to correct. (For more details about the crucial importance of colon health, please read the article here, or send an e mail to frank@coachfranksmoot.com)Commandment #10. See Effort and Struggle As “Red Flags”Fact: Nearly everyone who stays at their target weight year after year uses a proven “success recipe” that makes success struggle-free and virtually effortless. Only a few researchers are aware of this. And you can be sure you won’t hear it from the Diet Industry.

Most people have the best intentions for losing weight, but they never last more than a week before they are back to their old eating habits that got them fat in the first place. Why is this? Do people in general just lack the will power necessary for weight loss? Are our lives so dependent on tasting sugar and salt that we cannot think of leading happy lives without including yummy junk food?

The solution to this problem is all in your mind. The core of all forms of spirituality is the search for an inner voice that motivates us. Most of us don’t slow down enough to be able to hear it. Taking a break during the day as a separate activity or active rethinking of problems while you exercise can not only keep you inspired, but it can also reduce your overall stress levels and the desire for trigger foods.

Here is a simple 5 step process to follow that will help stimulate the kind of inspiration necessary for weight loss success:

Weight Loss Inspiration Tips #1: Know Your Goals!How many times have you heard this? How many more times do you need to hear this before it sinks in? If you do not have a reason to lose weight, you never will. It should be to get yourself healthy, but more often than not there are other reasons. A high school reunion? A wedding? Looking good in a swim suit? Whatever the reasons are, you must recognize them as motivating factors to reach your weight loss goals. Just knowing you have identified them can be enough to make you think twice before opening that bag of Doritos.

Weight Loss Inspiration Tips #2: Write Down Your GoalsIf knowing what your weight loss goals are is the only key to success, more people would be fit and healthy. Find one of those ancient writing tools called a pencil and grab a piece of paper while you are at it. Now write down your goals for losing weight. Do not type them into your computer. Why not? Tip #3 will explain the main reason why, but besides that something magic happens when you physically write on paper. Your ideas become a solid reality. You now have proof that you want to accomplish something.

Weight Loss Inspiration Tips #3: Take Time To RemindThis is why you need to write your goals on a piece of paper. You should have your goals with you at all times, and you can not put a computer into your pocket! Well, if you count text messaging on your phone, I suppose it is possible…but you will have to shuffle through all kinds of messages to retrieve them and they will get lost. It is much more productive to see your own handwriting in front of you than computer text. You will feel more accountable for your actions and in the process you will rejuvenate your inspiration to stay on track with your weight loss program.

Weight Loss Inspiration Tips #4: Copy SuccessKnowing that others have succeeded can help you visualize your own success. Stories and testimonials of those who have achieved exactly what you want will inspire you to follow in their footsteps. Weight loss has the power to change people’s lives. What actions did they take? How many times did they fall and get back up again? What weight loss supplements worked for them? All the positive results these people experienced can be your own blueprint to success.

Weight Loss Inspiration Tips #5: Look AheadDo not let the failures of your past dictate how your future will be. Everyone has the power to change and reinvent themselves on a daily basis. So you failed every time you ever tried to lose weight before? Big deal! What are you going to do today and tomorrow to change your track record? No one can succeed without failure anyway. Use your painful moments as a springboard for your future success instead of letting it keep you down. Just like you can follow the blueprints of other peoples success, make sure your own mistakes are not obstacles anymore. You know what to avoid, so take a new path!

I failed at losing weight for years and years before I finally found success. I spent $2,000 on Nutri-Systems only to lose 60 pounds and gain 80 right back! It wasn’t until I wrote down and reviewed my goals that I decided to try a weight loss program that worked successfully for others. Not only did I lose 70 pounds in 4 months, but I have kept it off for over 15 years now. The best part is now I help others do the same. None of that would have happened without failing first, and then using that failure as inspiration and motivation for positive change.

One day you’re eating a certain way and then the next you decide to follow a diet. Way too drastic. No wonder many of us dread to diet. You can sneak up on your weight loss success slow and gradual. You know the story about the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady won the race. If you make small changes in your diet and exercise plan, you can achieve your weight loss success. When we change something too dramatically, we don’t allow ourselves time to adjust. Master one small change and then move on to another. You build on these successes to change your health.

1. Water as your first beverage of choice. After you’ve consumed your morning coffee or tea to get you going for the day, drink water. Water is critical in maximizing your weight loss. You can drink flavored water for a change of pace.

2. Fresh fruit instead of juice. If you drink orange juice or other juices, try switching to eating the whole fruit. Juice packs lots of calories in a small glass and doesn’t provide you a sense of satisfaction the way eating the fruit does. You’ll consume less calories, enjoy the sense of eating, feel fuller from the fruit rather than the liquid, plus you’ll add important fiber from eating the fruit.

3. Write it down. Carry a small notepad with you and log in every meal, bite, taste and anything that you eat. By keeping track of what you consume, it will make you think twice before eating something. If you have to write something down in a log, many times you don’t want to see it in your log so you won’t see it on your waist either. Writing it down can also show you exactly what you are eating. A bite or taste sometimes doesn’t register with us. In a log, you become very aware of what you’re doing.

4. Check your steps. Buy a pedometer and wear it every day. Health experts recommend 10,000 steps each day for maximum health. Take your first day and use it as your base number. Set your goal to get in an additional 1,000 steps per day. Keep track how many steps you have each day. You can make it a game by logging the steps you make each day.

5. Lose your taste for soda. Soda scores a big zero in weight loss. Soft drinks contain astounding amounts of sugar and sodium. Plus, they are void of nutrition and do nothing to assist in filling you up. If you must drink soft drinks, go for the diet version. Just like many other things, you acquire a taste for something and you can lose it too. By cutting out soda from your day, you’ll save hundreds of calories which result in weight loss.

6. Get a team of support. You don’t have to lose weight alone. There are many resources available to you. First, turn to your family and friends and request their support. You can also hire your own weight loss coach. You can work with your coach to create a program that is best for you, what you like, what you prefer, and what works best for you. You can also join an online support group. There are many people waiting to partner with you to achieve your weight loss goals.

7. Make your coffee work for you. I used to love those flavored creamers. I would joke that I added coffee to my flavored creamer. Unfortunately, I was right. It wasn’t until I kept a food journal that I noticed how much I was actually consuming. The flavored creamers, whether non-fat or in any form, are full of sugar. I was consuming enough carbs to count for one-half of my day. What worked for me is to use nonfat powdered creamer and sugar-free flavored syrups in my coffee. I returned to losing immediately upon changing this one small habit.

In another article, we’ll add more little changes for you to review and consider. Small changes you make can be simple and quite easy. Small changes can be painless too. As far as little changes count for you: 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 = Your own weight loss success!

Some call it “master minding”, some call it “mentorship”… whatever you decide to call it, it is common knowledge that one of the greatest “secrets” to succeed at any goal is to find someone who has already accomplished it. It’s a simple concept, right?

The person is your role model, a mentor, and teacher. Often they will be able to provide a step-by-step plan of action that will help you achieve success and maintain it, far faster and for far longer than if you had made the attempt on your own.

Sometimes in the area of successful fat loss, however, such a mentor is hard to find. Sadly, most of us do not know many people who have achieved the apparently miraculous combination of both losing weight and keeping it off. It is not often that we are able to surround ourselves with such a group, let alone find a single person that falls into this elusive category.

Thankfully, such a group exists, and we are going to show you exactly where to find them.

The National Weight Control Registry is a research project that tracks the progress, habits, and characteristics of people who have lost over 30 pounds and kept it off for longer than a year. The study follows the lives and habits of 5000 people, year after year, seeking to find the success clues that create and maintain consistent fat loss.

To keep current with the National Weight Control Registry’s (NWCR) findings, be sure to frequent their website at www.NWCR.ws. In the meantime, here are five of the key factors associated with people that have achieved results.

1) One of the best findings of the NWCR is a subject that appears to be very well known, yet somehow people ignore it day after day and year after year, as they add pound after pound. Here it is: successful “losers” lost their weight with a combination of diet AND exercise. Just dieting does NOT work! Exercising 2-3 times a week while eating junk food does NOT work! We all know this, yet why do so many continue to struggle every single day, ignoring the facts?

2) In one study, the average participant had lost at least 66 pounds and kept the weight off for over 5 years. Pretty impressive, right? The common characteristic of this group was that they followed a lower calorie, low-fat diet. Before you completely kick fat out of your diet and off of your plate, however, it is important to know that this group’s average daily caloric intake from fat was 24% of total calories. Fat is an extremely important part of our diet, so shoot for this percentage as you eat throughout the day.

3) Almost 80% of the most successful “losers” ate a healthy breakfast…everyday. Breakfast helps jump start your metabolism each day, so make it a top priority in your weight loss program.

4) Participants in the study who were consistent with their diet throughout the entire week, as opposed to just Monday through Friday, were 150% more likely to keep their weight at bay over the course of a year. Take note: a cheat DAY will probably prevent successful fat loss, but a cheat MEAL or two each week will not only keep you psychologically sane, but actually help with your overall fat loss achievement.

5) We know that the NWCR group lost weight through both diet and exercise, but how have they successfully kept it off for over a year? Take a deep breath, please, as the shocking solution is revealed…

They continued to do both diet AND exercise. It’s just that simple.

There you have it. The combination of diet and exercise is, by far, the most important factor in the achievement of fat loss. The group from the National Weight Control Registry can be fantastic allies in your weight loss endeavor. Use them as mentors and role models, and allow the lessons they have learned to more quickly help you develop new lifelong habits that virtually guarantee weight loss success!