You want to lose fat, right? You want to win that battle, right? Those that WANT to win never settle and nothing less will do.

I get tons of emails from readers each week and you know what I hear the most? EXCUSES about why they can't do this and haven't succeeded at that.

Hey, I know there are people out there who have serious problems. But they are not the people I am referring to. I'm talking about the "I cant's" or "I don'ts" or "I will never be able to's".

I know you don't normally say these things because you are disciplined and you know what it takes to make a difference in your life. But unfortunately, these excuses hold some people back from getting healthier.

We all know these people. Sometimes even we can have a bad day and slip into a tough frame of mind. Take a look at some of the excuses I hear and learn the answers.

Maybe reading them will stick with you. If you ever have a bad day, it will be easier to get out of that bad space. If you think you might give into an urge to blow off a workout you will think twice. If you are sitting at a friendly or business luncheon and hear one of these, you might be able to steer the naysayer in a different direction. It definitely helps to be armed with good answers.

Excuse #1: "I Don't have the Time To Eat Right"

Everyone's busy these days. Some people make eating right a priority. Others don't and complain about not having enough time to cook healthy meals or prepare healthy snacks.

Do you want it or don't you?

It takes discipline, organization, and scheduling to prepare your meals and snacks the day before. You need to cook in larger quantities, for a whole week and then refrigerate or freeze the extra to eat at later meals throughout the week. By doing this, you end up spending less time cooking and more time enjoying delicious healthy foods. You will actually find more time in your day than you ever thought. To help you stave hunger in between meals, make sure to carry healthy snacks with you. Keep some at the office. Keep some in your car ... Make it easy on yourself so you're not stuck in a hunger panic at the nearest fast food restaurant.

Excuse #2: "I Hate Exercise/Diets/Water, etc."

Really? Would you rather be 40 pounds overweight, have no energy, and be a walking zombie? Decide what you hate MORE and then make sure you can live with the answer.

Excuse #3: "I Have No Time to Exercise"

Are you kidding? If you can't find 15-30 minutes two to three times a week... your schedule stinks. That's less than 1 hour per week out of 168 hours! If you are overweight, are you even a little bit serious about making positive changes? If your fitness and poor eating habits become a serious issue, I won't be the one telling you that there needs to be a change. A surgeon will.

Excuse #4: "Healthy Food Is Expensive"

Yes, this one might have a little merit. However, you must realize where your grocery money goes... CRAP. Eat less from a box or a can and more from what comes out of the ground.

If you start eating more nutrient-rich foods, you will need to eat less...which means you will buy less!

Excuse #5: "I Eat Out All The Time"

You can eat out and find healthy substitutes. It's all about choices. But don't let eating out become an every day event either or you'll look like you eat out every day.

Just look around a restaurant. Do you want to look like you just ate the "Grand Slam" breakfast, at the "All You Can Eat" buffet or like, "Boy, I need some Pepto-Bismol??"

MY FAVORITE Excuse: "I've Tried Everything...Nothing Works For Me"

Have you ever stuck to a program for 1 solid year? How about 6 months? 12 weeks?

If you did, you would definitely see results and feel better. Often times, people try something for a few weeks, get bored and don't give the program a fighting chance to see if it really could work for them.

So are excuses like these holding YOU or someone you love back? If so, ask yourself what you are going to do about them right now? What kind of person are you? If you could conquer anything, who would you want to be?

You know the answer. Now do something about it.