Goal Setting for Weight Loss

Like a whole lot of people I know, I swore I would start to exercise more, go on a diet, and lose those extra pounds . Months later, I'm still deciding on the 'best' diet for me. What's holding me back? I had the best of intentions to lose weight and keep it off. I never got started.
According to the experts, I failed because I didn't have a specific, workable, weight loss plan. Studies have found that people with firm action plans are more likely to engage in goal driven behavior, (eg.weight loss).
In my case, I wanted to lose weight and start a healthier lifestyle. But as you can guess, this isn't as easy as just writing down "Lose weight and exercise more". Developing an action plan is a process we must go through, really think about, clearly visualizing what we want.
We need to answer the following questions to create our own weight loss and exercise action plan.

What are my goals?
What, exactly, do I want to achieve?
Write thes down. That helps to make them concrete and doable. Who doesn't like checking off lists when they get done?

The five things to keep in mind when writing down all of our weight loss goals:

1. Make your goals specific. Don't say 'I need to lose weight' or I'm 'going to lose weight', say you will do it. For example: "I will lose 10 lbs and take a walk every evening."

2. Make your excercise and weight loss goals measurable 'I'll walk on the treadmill three times a week for a half hour at a speed of 3.5 miles an hour'.

3. Write down your chosen goals. Create both short term and long term goals for losing weight. Keep a chart or journal to track progress and give yourself some encouragement as you reach your weight loss milestones.

4. Set deadlines.
Make your weight loss goals not only measurable, but time specific. Set realistic weight loss goals. It's hard to pursue goals that can never be attained. Unrealistic goals that never seem to be reached can add to your stress level.

5. Give yourself emotional reasons for continuing to lose weight. What moves you to action? Imagine your feelings when you succeed. What will your reward for achievement be? Write it down and plan for it.
Now that you know how to set up a specific, goal oriented, weight loss action plan, WHAT IS STOPPING YOU!