I was talking to a friend in the diet aid section of a grocery aisle. As we were talking, a man walked up, picked up a popular diet plan, read the box, and put it in his cart to purchase.

It seems that there is a new diet plan on the market almost every week. The diet plan is either a new spin on an old theme, or some celebrity-endorsed tool made to accommodate the consumer’s want to trim down and be healthy. Little or no comparisons are made to show quantitatively how effective these diet plans get results, just a lot of famous names, or medical personnel endorsing products that may or may not work. And, of course, there are slim, good-looking models on the packaging that portray what the diet’s creator is hoping you would perceive yourself to appear to be after the diet.

The issues I have with these “diets” are that they are temporary and deceiving. Study after study in the literature show that they do not work. Furthermore, they can be very expensive and create a false sense of security that the dieter is actually creating long-lasting results. Once the “diet” is stopped, the weight creeps back on and frustration builds in the individual.

Those “diets” that would help take a few pounds off to get you to your goal weight will work for a short time; however, in order to keep those few pounds off, the dieter has to expend more energy (exercise) or reduce the amount of energy (food) taken in. The one universal law still has to be followed: Energy in = Energy out = Weight maintenance. If there is imbalance in the equation, expect to see an imbalance in your physical appearance.

When the individual comes to the understanding that a “diet” is not a specialized way to loose weight, but a lifestyle characteristic of daily nutrition, they would experience an epiphany that would create long-lasting, verifiable results and habits that would transform their behaviors to consistent action in the direction towards healthy outcomes.

I urge you to re-read the last paragraph a few more times to really understand the “holy grail” of permanently maintaining your weight (or weight loss), and do yourself a favor by stop giving away your money to these diet fads.

Until next week, stay healthy.

Dion