The weight loss market, as a niche market, is huge and growing ever bigger. You would assume that, with the amount of advice freely abounding, people would be able to follow instructions and lose their excess weight. In the majority of cases, however, this simply does not happen. But, why? What makes it so difficult to lose weight? After all, you would assume that, if a person wants to lose weight that much, then they would be able to set their minds to it, follow the rules and watch the scales creep down along with the clothes sizes. When you consider how much carrying around excess weight affects a person, apart from physically, reducing a person's self-esteem so dramatically, you would assume that losing weight would be - well, not so much a doddle, but fairly straightforward. So, why isn't it?

There really is no single answer. It could be an unrealistic weight loss plan, or it could be unrealistic expectations. I suspect fewer people suffer from lack of willpower than actually claim to. So what is the problem? Is losing weight too difficult? Or is it because most weight loss plans are too slow? How do we put an effective weight loss plan into action? Basically, a person who wants to lose weight needs to know what to eat and how to eat it, how to increase their activity level and how to change their behavior. One of the most important parts of any weight loss plan is attitude. Attitude over-rides everything else. You can have an excellent weight loss plan and exercise regime but, without the correct cognitive attitude, success will be as far away as ever.

However, assuming you have the correct mindset and everything else is hunky-dory, where do you start? Are you going to follow a red day or a green day and then discuss sins with everybody you meet, or join one of the other diet classes where you get a pep-talk once a week and, for the rest of the week you struggle? Or supplement your weight loss plan with a bit of help from diet supplement such as Adios, or MyAlli, or 4RX- or one of the other many aids on the market? From my own experience, the most difficult part of a weight loss plan is starting it and getting used to what you are allowed to eat and what is best avoided.

First of all, you need a diet that is easy to follow which is why I am not a particularly great fan of the red/green revolution. I found it so complicated that it was just easier to stop dieting! You also need to pick a weight loss plan that is realistic. There is no point in going out with the family for the day and blowing your diet because there is nothing suitable for you to eat - or, come to that, going out to a restaurant and having to pick your way through a rather sad and boring salad because there is nothing else suitable on the menu. You are going to be living with your weight loss plan every single day for quite a few months: you need to be able to carry on with your everyday life while you are following your weight loss plan.