I've a friend who has a BIG truck. One of the "features" of the truck is its extra gas tank. Once the first tank is filled with gas, my friend can assure a longer ride without a stop at the gas station by filling the second tank. When the first gets low, he simply switches to the second tank.

Obesity is like that extra gas tank. If you eat more food (carbohydrate, protein or fat) than your body needs, the extra gets stored in fat cells. These energy reserves get bigger or smaller depending on whether the energy is used. (It's called exercise.) When muscles are not used, you lose as the fat builds up and you become overweight.

Every January weight loss marketing machines go into high gear. Ads prevail on the radio, TV and in newspapers and magazines. "Lose x pounds in x days." (Results may vary.) They sound so inviting and, best of all, so effortless--especially if the weight loss method is centered around a pill.

I continue to be stunned at the queries I get about whether this product or that product "works." If the products worked I can assure you that legitimate health promotion specialists would be singing their praises, not paid spokespersons. Still, we continue to turn our heads when we hear about these fat burning, metabolism boosting and calorie neutralizing products. And, each year, the people who lighten our wallets laugh all the way to the bank leaving us despondent, once again, because we bought into something that didn't work in the long run.

I used to be a non-judgmental, supportive weight loss coach. I let my clients define their own pace.. But I no longer think I'm doing them a favor with this gentle approach. Maybe it's a simple loss of patience. After years of listening to clients and reading Emails from people who "really want to lose weight" and "have been on every diet and plan but could not seem to shed the weight" I'm joining the "get real" camp and saying "stop making excuses." If you really want to lose weight make it as important as putting your clothes on before you go out of your house, or as important as generating an income. Successful weight loss is about priorities and specific goals and an action plan to get you from where you are to where you want to go. Most of my clients spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning (in advance) what they're going to eat to get healthy. They focus on food (the gas) instead of exercise (the engine that burns the stored fat).

In short, if you want a healthier lifestyle and a leaner (not lower in weight) body, stop making excuses. Throw away your scale, get a body composition assessment and realistic weight goal and go for it. See yourself having the power and the commitment to get what you want. Don't just think about it. As Dr. Phil (McGraw) says, "Life decisions are made in your heart. Stop moving away from what you don't want. Let yourself visualize and dream and know it's your time and your life."

You can do this.