There is no equality among dieters. We like different foods, have different reasons that we are overweight and have different amounts of weight to lose.

This means that “losing weight fast” doesn’t mean the same thing for all people. Not having a clear goal in mind is one of the things that contributes to the high number of failures in dieting.

So once you’ve read this article, write down your expectations. These should be your expectations, not the thoughts of others.

Then take a good honest look at them and make sure they are realistic for you. You are the only one who can judge this. You know your strengths and weaknesses. Play to your strengths and be careful not to set things up so that you overwhelm your weaknesses.

Realistic goals are super important. Better to be a little less aggressive in your diet plan than to risk the whole deal by setting targets that will be too difficult for you to reach.

Now let’s get down to the 5 ways.

1) Trade in your junk food menu for high quality food

Junk food is too large a portion of many people’s diets these days. This stuff barely deserves the name “food.” When you consider that a single meal can consist of 3000 calories, the reason for constraint here is obvious. To make matters worse, this stuff is usually loaded with the worst type of fats you can put into your body.

Merely moving away from this type of food will go a long way towards getting rid of those unwanted pounds.

You will go a long way to quickly shedding those pounds if you simply change the quality of the foods you eat.

Go for the fruits and vegetables. Eat as many of these types of food raw as you can. Also trade pasty white flour products for high-fiber multigrain foods.

This one change alone can turn your life around and have you anxious to get in front of the mirror in the morning.

2) Water, water, water.

We hear this all of the time. That’s because it is darn good advice. However, there is more to “lots” of water than just drink 8 glasses. For some people this is too much, for others it’s too little. Of course for some, it’s just right. Your age, your average level of activity and how much you weigh, determine how much water you should drink.

To actually figure out your water requirement accurately is difficult. But there is a quick and easy formula which does perform better than the old “8 ounces” recommendation. Take your weight in pounds and divide that by two to get approximately your daily water requirement in ounces.

To calculate your water intake this way, accounts for the differences in how much people weigh. So this formula shows that the old “8 ounces” recommendation is good for a person weighing 128 pounds. A heavier person will need to drink more and a lighter person less.

3) Portions

The size of your food portions are a major player in “the lose” fat game. If you can cut your portions by 10% to 20%, you can make a big difference. If this is hard for you, try substituting some of your high calorie food with low calorie alternatives like apples, celery, tomatoes, grapefruit etc.

4) Have one “Free” Day a week.

Do not skip this in an effort to make things happen faster. Watching what you are eating all the time is stressful. This stress is the cause of many failed diets.

This is really important. Many people blow their diets because it is extremely difficult to continually live under the pressure of a typical diet.

It’s true. You may put back a little of the week’s lost weight. But this is a small price to pay for being able to complete your diet successfully. You’ll be glad you made this critical decision.

5) Aways keep a “Plan B” pack with you.

Being caught away from home and not having access to the right kinds of foods, has caused many a diet failure.

So keep some food with you in the car or at work or whatever is appropriate for you. Thermos lunchboxes are great for this.

The game plan is to keep yourself out of the way of temptation. We don’t want any off-menu foods sneaking into the tummy unless it’s party day.

On a final note: remember to be kind to yourself. As dieters, we can be pretty harsh on ourselves at times. Don’t. You are always doing the best you can at the time. And whatever that is, it’s okay . . . tomorrow’s another fresh new day.

There is nothing natural or easy about dieting. If you slip, do not throw your gains away by getting frustrated and giving up. Maintain your commitment; don’t be swayed by any negativity you may come in contact with. Say “oops” and realize that tomorrow’s another day.

Celebrate the weight you have lost, be it lots or little. It is here that you will find the energy to keep moving to ever more successes, until one day you find; you have arrived.