All dieters are not created equal. There is a great difference in how much extra weight we are carrying, how fit we are and what kinds of foods we like to eat.

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.

Along with reading this article, make sure you write down what you expect to achieve. Make sure you use your own personal opinions and not those of others.

Then do a reality check. Are these goals that you can achieve? Do they accommodate your strengths and your weaknesses? Make sure that your goals don’t overtax 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.

Don’t skip this step or take it lightly. Unrealistic weight loss expectations are another big contributor to the high failures rate for dieters.

So, let’s get started.

The percentage of junk food in many diets today is just too high. This kind of food is lacking in nutrition, full of harmful additives and can contain as much as 3000 calories in a single sitting. Add to this the fact that much of this junk is packed with the most health endangering fats you find, it is clear that this stuff is not the way to go.

Simply staying away from this phony food will put you on the right track towards dropping the pounds you want to lose.

Chasing the high-fibers and complex carbohydrates in the food stores is a good move. Also spend most of your time around the outer parts of the stores. This is where the fresh fruits and vegetables hang out.

Raising your metabolism is one of the real secrets of effective weight loss. Consuming these types of quality foods will have your metabolism quickly moving in the right direction.

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

2) Load up on the 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.

While to really nail this number down is complex, there is an approximation that seems to work fairly well. Divide the pounds you weigh by 2 and you will get the number of ounces of water you should drink a day.

There is a fairly common approach to figuring out an approximate answer. It is a simple formula: Divide your body weight by 2 to get the number of ounces of water that you should drink each day.

I am partial to this method because it helps to account for the dramatic difference in weight among people. If you weigh 120 pounds, you should be drinking 60 ounces of water or 7 1/2 glasses of water a day.

Controlling your food portions is huge when it comes to shedding pounds. Knocking off as little as ten to twenty percent of your normal portion size per meal will make a telling difference. Another option is to make more of your meals consist of low calorie foods such as tomatoes, grapefruit, cabbage, apples and other similar foods.

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.

Give yourself a little stress relief and eat whatever you want one day out of the week. Be it a big fat steak or a pizza, go for it! And forget the guilt stuff. This is a legal day off, so whatever you eat is okay.

Give yourself a “free” day and eat what you want. Want a pizza, have a pizza, Big Mac or whatever. It’s a scheduled event, so there’s no need to feel guilty. Enjoy the day.

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

There is another situation that causes a lot of diet failure: having to eat out and not being able to find the right foods to eat.

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

Avoiding temptation is what we are trying to achieve here. If it’s not your free food day, we don’t want to be breaking our stride.

A last important item is self-consideration . . . be kind to yourself; something dieters rarely do. A slip-up is not the end of the world.

Dieting can be stressful and demanding. Lightening this load is important. Remember, errors are just indications that it is time to correct course. So get the goal back in sight and keep heading in that direction . . . you’ll get there.

Any weight you lose is an achievement. Allow yourself to feel proud of this and let these feelings power you on to your next achievement.