It is not enough to make broad pledges such as "I want to lose weight this year" or "I want to get fit and toned".

Chances are you've made those kinds of pledges before. And sure enough, you will enthusiastically adopt a new food trend or 'do' another diet or two plus 'start' exercising (again).

You will lose weight.

But you will probably regain that lost weight plus more. This will happen if you don't back up your dream, your vision and your pledges with very specific written plans.

plans become new habits

• Plans that are easily built into your everyday life.
• Plans that help to knock old bad habits hard on the head.
• Plans that you will and can do easily and consistently.
• Plans that look beyond the scales and weight loss as a goal.
• Plans that become new habits.

here are some examples of how to write your plans and what you might work on to be successful with your resolutions:

1. Write down three specific eating or drinking habits you want to work on

2. Beside each of the three habits, write down something realistic and easy that you can do (realistic and easy) to change the old habit - a strategy or tactic

Examples include ...

• Keep less alcohol at home. Only buy a bottle rather than a cask of wine. Choose at least 3 nights per week when you'll be totally alcohol-free: go alcohol free on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
• Cross regular soft drink off the shopping list. Replace with low joule/diet soft drink/soda water.
• Put a jug of water on the desk at work. Keep a water bottle in the car.
• Use 'this=that: a life-size photo guide to food serves' book to improve portion control and to find out which food serves to reduce and which to increase. You'll cook less of some foods but more of others so you have the best amount to serve.
• Plan a weekly shop that includes enough food for at least 5 nights of home cooked foods. It is okay to eat leftovers of home cooked meals on one or more another evenings!
• Put the alarm on to get you up 15 minutes earlier so you have time to eat or pack breakfast to take. Not into breakfast at home? Use the extra time to stretch and wake your body.
• Set a mobile phone or computer alert to remind you to check in with your hunger and take a break for lunch at a sensible time (a great idea if you are easily distracted and lose track of time). You don't need to eat to the clock, just use time to check hunger levels.
• Make the first coffee of the day fantastic but buy a smaller cup of it. Make all the other coffees black with a dash of milk or switch to tea. Better still drink more water.
• Bury the bathroom scales in a room or space you don't enter every day - maybe the laundry or spare room?
• Buy frozen vegetables so you never run out. Cut up enough vegetables tonight for tomorrow's meal as well but don't cook tomorrow's vegetables - just pop them into a storage tub in the fridge ready to go tomorrow. Take cut up vegetables or salad to work.

3. work on each of those 3 habits during January and February

It takes 12 months or more to bed down a new habit and change an old one.

Practise. Practise. Practise the strategy to form the habit. It takes time.

• Remains focused and don't give up.
• Don't add more things until you have mastered the new technique that is beating the old habit. Don't try to do too many things at once.
• Keep track of how well you are going. Draw up a weekly success chart with each of the new habits listed.
• Each and every day, give yourself a star if you succeeded on the day. At the end of each week, total up your stars. Five or or more for each new habit is fantastic. If you're not doing that well, work out how you could improve things further.
• Review your progress each month and if necessary, fine tune the strategy or tactic.
• What (or who) is stopping you? Work on ways you can make that new habit a habit that truly sticks.

4. apply this technique to tease out and succeed with any resolution or dream

Simply replace any reference to eating and drinking or weight loss with another goal.

For example:

Here are some ways to be successful with your resolution to: "I am going to get fit this year"

1. Write down 3 specific "activity habits" that you need to work on.

• Walk an extra 60 minutes a day on two days each week.
• Keep a spare set of gym shoes/swimming gear/sports equipment in the car.
• Swap couch time for active time.

2. For each one, write down something realistic and easy that you could do to change that habit.

• Block out dates and times in my diary to give me 60 minutes spare or a walk/swim/play/other specific activity.
• Go out today and buy a second set of walking/running shoes to keep at the office so I can use them at lunch time.
• Work at a standing desk rather than sitting down.
• Watch the TV screen whilst standing rather than lounging on a chair.
• Set a time limit on all screen times (TV, computer, compact tablet, txt, sms msg phone, web browsing, FaceBook, Instagram)

3. Now set to it and practise the techniques you wrote down at step 2.

This mastery technique applies at all times of the year whenever you want to turn ideas, dreams and goals into reality and firmly planted into your life.

P.S. Do not tell the world of your goals. Rather than strengthening your resolve to succeed and reach your dream goal, an early announcement dilutes your attempts and effort. Tell only a few important people; people who will support you. Don't announce it on FaceBook and Twitter, in forums, or tell random people what you are planning to achieve.