Valerie Agnew An eDieter has MANY goals! You have your ultimate TARGET WEIGHT goal! You have your exercise goals and you have your healthy eating goals! You will also have many personal goals in your life - from re-decorating a room to planning a holiday. All are GOALS, all have been SET and all can be ACHIEVED. If the GOALS YOU SET are the GOALS YOU’LL GET, you better make sure that the GOALS YOU SET are those that YOU WANT. This may seem strange, however, many people are not quite sure about what they want. That is why some people do not succeed. Sounds so simple - but it is so important. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. Know HOW MUCH weight you want to lose. KNOW WHY you want to lose weight. Begin by asking yourself one simple question. Am I ready to lose weight? Think about that question before you answer it. To truly succeed in losing weight you have to be READY. The time has to be right. The goals have to be right. The plan has to be right. We can all easily identify with the reasons and the desire to lose. However, do you ever consider your READINESS? Readiness means being prepared to make lifestyle changes. It involves your MOTIVATION, your COMMITMENT and your ACTION. In many ways an eDiets member wanting to lose weight is like a person wanting to climb a mountain. It is possible to climb a mountain, but it will take a lot of hard work. It is also possible to lose weight, but some effort will be needed. A smart mountain climber will wait for the right conditions. He/she will choose the clear day, will have the plan and preparations well defined and will have the necessary equipment. The smart climber will be READY. Are the conditions right for you to lose weight? Will you have your plans and preparations well defined? Will you have the necessary equipment? THE CONDITIONS: Is the TIME right? Will you have time to devote to yourself and eDiets? Are there a lot of other things going on in your life, at home or work? It doesn’t mean that you can’t lose weight with other things going on in your life, BUT it may well be a little more difficult for you. Will you give importance to your desire to lose weight? Can you take time to ORGANISE things a little better so that YOU do have the TIME for this very important venture? Is your MOTIVATION right? It is not enough to say you want to lose weight. How much weight do you want to lose? What are you aiming for? What do you want to lose next week. Do you have a REASON clearly defined for wanting to lose weight? Think NOW and then write it down. Continually say to yourself: “I want to lose weight BECAUSE…. Will you be COMMITTED to eDiets, to YOURSELF and losing weight? Will you take the advice we offer and USE IT? Will you stay with eDiets until you reach your TARGET WEIGHT and become the weight and the shape you truly WANT TO BE? Will you cheat on yourself or eDiets? Or will you decide right now that this time YOU WILL COMMIT YOURSELF TO DOING IT RIGHT? Will you have the PLANS and PREPARATIONS? You have been given the ideal plan. A plan designed to get you GOING to a slimmer you. This plan has no magic, no gimmicks, and no short cuts. This plan is SOUND and it will WORK for you if you WORK WITH IT. Will you be PREPARED? Preparation is the key to success. What do you need to prepare? Your shopping, your store cupboard and your fridge because that is where it begins. Go home tonight and feed to the dog, birds, dustbin or someone else the foods, which are lurking around that you DON’T WANT TO EAT. Made sure you have all the foods listed on your shopping list, if not go shopping in the morning. BE PREPARED! How ACTIVE will you be? ACT NOW. All the fine thoughts, plans and preparations are wasted if you don’t ACT. Put these plans, shopping lists meal suggestions all into ACTION. JUST DO IT! You may think that you are going to be active enough following the plan and getting it right. BUT, you need to take some physical action as well. Choose the type of physical activity that you enjoy. The easiest, cheapest and convenient is WALKING. Try to get at least two or three 20-minute walks in this week. You will also be in the FRESH AIR, which will stimulate you, refresh you and make you feel better, which will make you feel stronger and more positive and help you stay focused. ONE FINAL THOUGHT: THE GOALS YOU SET ARE THE GOALS YOU WILL GET. Be SURE about your goals. Be SURE why you want them. START NOW