It amazes me how many people I speak to who are overweight who tell me that they really want to lose weight, but then when I ask them what their plan is, they just kind of give me a chuckle and avoid the question altogether. Some at least admit to me that they don't really have a plan. They just kind of wing it. Well, I can honestly tell you from experience, that if you don't have a plan, you're not going to lose weight. While this article is not going to attempt to give you any one particular plan for losing the weight you desire, it will point out some basic steps that you should follow in determining what plan you will ultimately adopt in your efforts to lose those extra pounds.

The first step in deciding on a weight loss plan is to first look at how much you weigh, how much overweight you are and finally how much you want to lose in what period of time. Just because you are 50 pounds overweight doesn't mean you have to lose all 50 pounds. Many people get discouraged with diets because they are a good number of pounds overweight, go on a diet, don't lose all the weight they want, though they have lost some weight, but feel they have still failed with their diet. The problem may have been unrealistic expectations in the first place, not that some diets really aren't any more than just fads and not based on sound principals.

The next step is to decide what weight loss program you're going to follow and stick with it. With all the weight loss programs out there like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and so on, it's hard to know what to believe in. So before you actually choose a program, take some time to do a little research on it. The Internet is a wealth of information, and while many revues are going to be biased simply to make a sale, you will see through all the hype if you spend the time to really read what's being said.

Before you even begin your diet, the next step is to study the plan you choose in detail. Find out everything you will need to do in advance before actually doing it. If this means buying certain foods, then make sure they are in the house before you begin. Dieting is stressful enough, since you'll probably be giving up a number of foods that you really enjoy. You don't need the added stress of running around like a chicken with its head cut off because you don't have everything you need. Some plans actually send you the food you need. Of course this is part of what you are paying for.

Finally, just before you are ready to start your diet, make a chart. This chart will be used to track your progress with the diet. You will need to discipline yourself to weigh yourself on schedule, whether the plan calls for you to do this daily, weekly or whatever. At each weigh-in, you need to make sure you record your weight. This way you can see a visual record of where you are going. When I was 30 pounds overweight, I picked a simple calorie count diet, stuck to it, weighed myself every week and in less than 5 months, I lost all 30 pounds. It all comes down to having a system and following it through.

Losing weight is not rocket science. While it is true that some people have trouble losing weight because of painfully slow metabolisms, for the most part, simply eating fewer calories than you burn each day will lose the weight you want to lose over time.

Weight loss. Have a plan and stick with it.