Janet is a working wife and mother who has had difficulty losing that last 20 pounds she gained with the birth of her second child. She hasn't worried that much about it until recently when her father was diagnosed with diabetes. He is only 62 but is beginning to have multiple physical problems related to his diabetes. He has expressed his concern to her since his doctor told him that type II diabetes is a disease that appears to run in their family. But it is a disease that can be controlled or even possibly prevented by a healthy diet and weight management.

Janet has decided that it is time to get serious about her health, both for her sake and so that she will be at her best for her husband and children. She may only be in her 30's, but she knows that the longer she waits, the harder it's going to get to lose the weight and improve her health. Janet, and many other people, frequently fail in their efforts to change their eating habits because they don't have an individualized plan.

As a first step, lets learn about the importance of planning before starting on any kind of change program.