Pick the one that fits your lifestyle. Choosing a super strick diet is just setting yourself up for failure. Research any diet program or product you are considering to make sure it one that you can life with.

Be realistic about your weight loss.

We've heard it before, but it bears repeating: you didn't gain your extra weight overnight, so don't expect to lose it overnight. Take your weight loss goals and shrink them down a bit. Instead of saying "I want to lose 50 lbs!", start out with a goal of losing 5 pounds, and when you reach that goal, go for another 5 pounds. Weight Watchers uses the 10% goal: you're encourage to lose 10% of your initial body weight. Not only is it an easier goal to attain, but it's the weight at which you notice real benefits to weight loss.

Don't Overdo it at the Gym.

Whenever we start a new diet program, we are super enthusiastic, and that's good. But it's not that uncommon to be too enthusiastic, especially when it comes to starting a fitness program. Going to the gym and doing 1 hour of cardio and 2 hours of weight lifting won't make you lose the weight faster, but it could just cause you to seriously injure yourself. Ease your way into a workout routine, and make sure you take at least one day off between weight lifting, to give the muscles a chance to heal and build up.

Watch Your Caloric Intake-Make Sure You Get Enough!

Cutting down on calories is the essential starting place of all diets, but one mistake many dieters make in the rush to lose weight fast is cutting too many calories. If you cut too many calories, your body will react by going into "starvation mode" and any food or calorie it gets into it, it will store to stave off starvation. Cutting too many calories is simply not healthy.

Eat Every Meal. Never Skip One.

You might think a good way to start a diet is to skip a meal, but you couldn't be more mistaken. Learning to lose weight should never be about what you don't eat, but what you should eat to stay healthy. Otherwise, it's simply not a realistic fit with anyone's lifestyle.

Do No Weight Yourself Everyday.

I know, it's a HUGE temptation. Even I do it. It's fun to watch those numbers get smaller and smaller. But the fact is, all kinds of things affect the numbers on the scale. What might read as a gain one day, will be a loss the next day, and vice versa. To get a more realistic idea of your progress, weigh yourself only once a week.

Watch Your Emotions.

All kinds of things cause us to overeat, being happy, sad, mad, bored, excited, etc., can all be an excuse to reach for a treat. Never let your feelings guide your diet. Always stop and ask yourself "why am I wanting to eat this now?" Pinpoint your emotions and then do something different to feed them. Talk to a friend, go for a walk. If you still feel hungry, drink a full glass of water. Often times you'll find you weren't hungry, you were just emotional.

Ask For Help If you Need It

Some people do fine dieting on their own. They have few problems with cravings and are very motivated all on their own. If you are feeling lost or have questions about your diet and exercise program, ask for advice! This is one reason why Weight Watchers is so successful, and why dieters are successful with it--the help, support and advice the dieter needs is always a meeting away!

There Should Be No Forbidden Foods.

A diet is more than a way to lose weight, it's got to become a way of life to keep the weight off. Denying yourself your favorite foods until all the weight is gone is a sure fire way of inviting the pounds to all come back. Favorite foods are a way of life, and learning to moderate the portions of your favorite food will help keep the weight off for good.

Willpower is Not Enough

The best advice I can give is to remember to write everything down. If you bite it, write it. If you find yourself gaining, a journal like that is a helpful tool to seeing what got you sidetracked and how to get back on the program