It is one thing to be desperate to lose weight quickly, but another thing completely to be willing to do what it takes to lose the weight fast. Whether you have twenty extra pounds to knock off or a hundred, you did not wake up yesterday suddenly fat and you are not going to magically wake up tomorrow skinny.

Weight loss takes a commitment which in turn requires that you get your head in the game. Every single day millions of people start diet and exercise plans saying they are desperate to lose weight quickly and will do anything to make it happen, but by this time next week many of them will already be back to their old habits, and hating themselves for it. Within a month from now some of them will have lost a good bit of weight, but give it another month out and most will be on their way back to gaining every pound once again.

Why does this happen over and over to millions of people every year?

It happens because while most people who start weight loss programs do feel extremely desperate to lose weight quickly, they only focus on what they need to eat (or not eat) and how to force through the required exercise. They are missing the most important part of the weight loss equation: their brain!

The brain needs to be reworked as well; it is not all about the abs. Many of the obstacles that lead millions of people away from their weight loss goals can be eliminated by getting the mind in the right place to make the best decisions every moment of every day.

For example, take this popular excuse for going off plan: I just could not resist! I have no willpower!

People think they are helpless over the temptations of their favorite foods. Food can be an addiction and it is extremely hard to pass up a slice of birthday cake. The truth is, one small slice of birthday cake is not going to make them fat. What makes them go off their plan and stay fat is that they eat the slice of cake and then think 'well, I blew it now' and they continue to eat more and more. One little slip turns into days, weeks, even months of slipping.

If these people would get their heads straight they could change that entire self-destructive pattern. When tempted with the cake they could ask themselves: is it worth it? If they really feel they cannot pass it up and it is worth it, then they can go on and have it.

But here is the catch: if they have their head in the game they know one little piece of cake is not the end of their healthy plan. They have their cake and get right back to healthier eating patterns and no guilt! Definitely no spiraling out of control because of one little piece of cake.

If you find yourself desperate to lose weight quickly and you truly believe you will do whatever it takes to get your body down to a healthier weight, then it is crucial that you get your head straight and get real with yourself right from the start.

You have to be honest with yourself that you will not be absolutely perfect, because we never are! We are human and we are going to make mistakes, so your head must be completely focus on your goals to enable you to have a slip and get right back to your program.

It is not just the eating patterns and exercise that get you skinny!

It takes a strong mental focus on your goals to get you through all the rough times, otherwise you will end up like millions of other people and simply fall back to your old eating habits, kicking yourself over and over for being so weak.