Are you ready to lose weight but aren't sure how to start? Worry no more. Follow our five easy steps to weight loss today. No more delays. No more waiting until Monday. No more looking for the perfect diet. No more fad diets that cost bushels of money and don't work. Follow these simple and effective steps and you'll get started losing weight today, and keep it off tomorrow.

1. Carry a notebook and a pen.

   Make sure you write in that notebook! Every single thing that you swallow should be written in your notebook, preferably as soon as you swallow it. If you finish your daughter's leftover Pop-Tart at breakfast, write it down. Sample a cookie at the office? Write it down. Just a "taste" of the stew you're making for dinner? You've got it: Write it down! Writing down what we eat and drink forces us to be aware of what we're putting in our mouth. It also gives us an easy way to track our intake and decide what changes we want to make.

2. Ask "why?"

   Every time you start to eat or drink, ask yourself one word: Why? Why am I eating this? Am I hungry, tired, bored, stressed, lonely? The correct answer is simple: hunger. If you're not hungry, don't eat. Figure out what you need to do to satisfy that emotion: Take a nap, read a book, yell at your boss, call a friend -- just don't eat if you're not hungry.

3. Eat to lose.

   That's right, if you skip meals you won't lose weight. Why not? Because then you'll get so hungry that you snack, or eat more than you want to, or end up feeling miserable and quit right away. Everybody needs to eat and deserves to eat three meals per day. Snacks, too (if, of course, you can answer #2 correctly first). And forget those skimpy little diet meals. They just leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied. A meal should include whole grains, fruit and vegetables, protein and even a small amount of fat.