You've made your New Year's resolutions, chowed down on your last piece of chocolate cake and are resolved to

"just say no" to second helpings. But if starting a diet was easy, then the country's obesity rate wouldn't be so high.

Dieting takes equal parts commitment and careful planning. So below are five tips to help you start your diet

today.

How much do you want to lose?

The first step to any successful weight loss plan starts with setting goals. How much weight do you want to lose? How

much exercise will you implement into your daily and weekly routine? When would you like to reach your

targeted weight? Establishing goals will help jump-start things.

Plan out your meals

Starting a diet without a weight loss plan is like canoeing without paddles: you might get there, but it's sure going to

be harder. Once you have established your goals, start planning all your meals. You want to reduce calories, fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Without a carefully thought-out plan, you risk limiting your diet's effectiveness. Aside from checking food labels, you can also check things like calories, fats, carbs, proteins, etc. at the USDA's online

national nutritional database.

Flour and sugar: Diet killers

Doctors say sugar and flour is a sure-fire way of killing your diet. When checking food labels, pay particularly close

attention to the carbohydrates. Try to steer clear of anything with 5 or more grams of sugar. And while you're looking at the food label, try to avoid anything with flour

in it, regardless of whether it's whole grain.

See goodbye to soda, hello to water

Soda contains sugar and artificial sweeteners - not good for any weight loss plan. Instead, it's time to switch to

water, which contains 0 calories. You can add a little flavor to your water by adding a sliced lemon or orange. And to make sure you always have readily available supply - and no excuse - consider bringing a water bottle. Carry it with you everywhere, whether you're in the office or at home.

That way, you'll be less tempted to cheat with a can of soda.

Cook your meals in advance, throw away fatty and sugary temptations

Say it's the end of a long day at work, and you don't feel like cooking. That's when you start thinking, "It would be

OK if I cheated just this one time." Before you know it, you're pulling into a drive-through window. A lack of meal planning is one of the top reasons why people fall of the

dieting wagon. But cooking your meals in advance makes it harder to cheat, especially if all you have to do is reheat

your already-cooked meal in the microwave. And when in doubt, get rid of all tempting foods. A recovering alcoholic

wouldn't keep beer around the house; a former smoker wouldn't keep cigarettes around, either. So why tempt

yourself with that bag of chips? Getting rid of those items makes it easier to resist temptation.

http://www.losslbs.info/