by Rosana Modugno

Created on: March 07, 2010

First of all, I would like to clarify what a “diet” really is. According the the American Heritage Dictionary, a diet is “A regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.”

To be regulated means to be controlled. If you are going to be controlled on what you are eating, you probably will not enjoy being on a diet and that means it will not be a permanent way of life for you, which in turn will not bring you the success you are looking for because you will already have given up and gained back any weight you may have lost. This is why most diets do not work.  Diets are temporary and if that's the case, then your weight loss will be temporary as well.

Losing weight is a personal journey for the person involved and since every person is very different, each person has their own way to handle weight loss. For some, Gastric Bypass is the only solution, while others have no problem working out consistently and eating healthier. But for most of us, that involves discipline and that may not coincide well with who we are.

The most important thing to remember when trying to lose weight is your health and for that, you do need to see a doctor, who better understands your current physical state and can properly advise you on the best route to take in order to harmonize your health plan to your living style.

To begin, the best plan of action would be know where you want to be and how much you intend to lose. For this you will need your ideal weight according to your proportions and your BMI, or your Body Mass Index. Your BMI is just a measure of your total body fat based on your height and weight total, that applies to both men and women. There are many calculators online that automatically figure this out for you.

Once you have this, you have an idea on how much weight you need to lose and to find your goal weight. Then start by figuring that 2 lbs a week is a healthy weight loss rate to achieve. In order to reach your goal weight, you will need to burn calories and the only way to do that is to exercise. There just isn't any way around that.

We hear every day about the “magic” pill or DVD that will get you to lose all those unwanted pounds and inches in a short period of time  but the truth is, if you aren't moving your body consistently, your fat has nowhere to go but to stay on your body. And if you do lose some weight with a pill, as soon as you stop taking it, you will gain that all that weight back.

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