First of all, what is weight loss? It sounds a silly question but it is not. Weight reflects much more than body fat (i.e. it can be bone, muscle or organ weight) and some diets make you lose muscles instead of body fat (will be discussed in my later articles) We must define that weight loss is about fat loss first. Keep this in your mind, it will guide you at the right direction in your journey of weight loss.

How to achieve fat loss? Weight loss is a life changing process by changing your habits. But what are habits? Habits are defined as the intersection of knowledge, skills and desire by Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Knowledge is the what to do and the why. Skill is the how to do. And desire is the motivation, the want to do. "In order to make something a habit in our lives, we have to have all three." Covey said.

So ask yourself now "Do I have these three?" Or "Do I have the knowledge of fat loss?" "Do I have the skills of losing fat or managing weight?" " Do I have the desire for fat loss or change"?

You always can learn the knowledge and the skills from experts but you can not learn the desire, it is yours, and no one can impose it on you. Unless you have the desire to have an new habit it won't be a habit in your life. It's a change that has to be motivated by a higher purpose.

So what is the first thing you need to do to start your weight loss journey? Many people would say it is goal setting but this is not what I suggest, because we need to look for the higher purpose first. A goal without motivation or purpose can hardly be achieved no matter how good a goal you set.

Covey also said, "We are more in need of a vision or destination and a compass (set of principles or directions) and less in need of a road map". By knowing you are on a mission to achieve something and being someone in your life, you have clear vision and are highly motivated. The road to your destination would not be always smooth. If you only have a goal but no a purpose - the desire, or a purpose not higher enough, you would stop in the front of obstacles. That's the one of the biggest reasons many people failed in their weight loss. Of cause, there are some other reasons which caused the failure such as an ineffective weight loss program or fat loss program (will be discussed in my later articles).

What you need to do now is to think about something that would make you feel good or make your life better after you lose the weight. It can be a healthier you, a leaner body, a job you wanted, a nice smaller size of dress, a girl you wanted to approach, :-) a social event you wanted to attend, and it can be all of these because weight loss can effect many areas of your life. Are they valuable to you? Ultimately we want what we want because they make us feel good and they are valuable to us. :-) So what will make you feel good or make your life better when you have them after losing the weight ?

After you find them close your eyes, visualize a thinner you surrounded by the things you wanted and feel the good feelings for as long as you can. And do this visualization everyday and this feeling will companion you on your journey until you arrive the destination - you crossed the finish line! And how would that make you feel? I heard you saying Feel great! - That's it! That's what we all wanted. :-)

The next thing is goal setting, finding a compass that can guide you in the right direction such as fat loss guidelines, tips and a good map -fast fat loss program, then implementing the program, and getting the results -losing the weight - the fat.

Hope you find your vision before start setting the goal. The next topic is how to set a goal for fat loss. Stay turned!