Prior to you start any weight reduction efforts, you should be sure that you have all the information that you need. Preparing is the key to your best efforts in everything that you do, regardless of whether it is learning to speak Russian, preparing a great spaghetti carbonara, or reducing weight. The more you know, the easier your efforts will be. As an example, if you are learning to speak Russian (and why would you!) you would likely decide whether you want to use books, audio tapes or attend classes to learn the language first hand.