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It's that time of year again. At the beginning of every new year, tens of thousands of people make weight loss resolutions. They decide this will be the year they'll lose ten pounds. Or maybe they decide this will be the year they'll fit into that favorite sexy slinky dress again. Or maybe they just want to be able to make use of all those old jeans waiting in the closet.

Whatever the reason, this is when it happens. Everybody decides they'll do it for real this time. Maybe they join a gym, or buy new jogging shoes, or maybe they even got a new treadmill or workout video for Christmas and they're determined to use them for real this time.

And most of us start off well. Unfortunately we don't last. In reality, most people have forgotten their New Year's weight loss resolutions by March. But it starts to slide much sooner than that. We start making excuses to ourselves just a week or two into things actually. And by the end of January, it's just an occasional thought here and there.

Why does this happen so often$%: Because of the plan. Or lack of a plan actually. Most people make a resolution, but it's too vague. There's no real thought behind it, and no plan of action that will make it really happen. In fact, the word "resolution" is often used in place of "wish". If you decide you'll do something as a New Year's resolution, but you don't actually plan it out fully, it's really just wishful thinking. You're setting yourself up to fail right from the start.

So what are some of the ways to make it an actual plan that you're more likely to stick to$%:

1. Define exactly what you intend to do. Don't just say "I'll lose ten pounds a month", that's not definitive enough. Instead, try something more specific such as "I'll lose ten pounds a month by reducing my daily calories to 1200 maximum." Or: "I'll lose ten pounds each month by running one mile every weekday."

2. Plan your meals. If you're planning to lose weight specifically by changing your eating habits, you must put a plan into action in order to succeed. If for instance, you've decided to start a weight loss program such as The South Beach Diet, sit down and make a weekly - or better yet, monthly - meal plan. Write down every single day, every single meal, every single snack.

Then don't just post it in front of you somewhere, next you need to write down every item from that meal plan on your shopping list. Having a specific list of items to buy when shopping will help you save money as well as stick to your plan because you don't just grab what looks good at the moment. You buy only what's on your shopping list.

There are many other examples of planning I could give you that will help you be successful with your New Year's weight loss goals, but these are great starting places. Adapt the planning ideas to your own personal resolution, and be sure to break the plans down into detailed steps. Doing this will help you be way ahead of the masses when it comes to actually losing that weight this year.