The dieter's paradox is known as this: being skinny and having a positive view of your physical body can motivate you more to exercise and maintain that physique.

But, to get there, you have to torture yourself losing weight and exercising to get to a point where you're happy with what you look like. The long-term view is what many dieters forget. Transformation does not happen overnight, even in the instant gratification society we live in.

In a recent rat study, this phenomenon was studied and confirmed. Why do so many people fail at dieting? Because they are not skinny to begin with -- and there's the paradox. You have to look past that fact and to the day when you are skinny enough.