"I can't... I'm on a diet!"

Statements like this tend to be said with sighs of regret. After all, we think of dieting as a punishment from above, or - at best - a necessary evil. It's as if the words 'Dieting Is Evil' are carved in stone. We've come to accept them without question. After all, what can be pleasant about being on a diet?

This is partly down to all the media guff that goes with the latest (unhealthy) dieting quirks: gluten free, grapefruit, New Totals, high fiber... You name it, there's always some variation on the dieting theme. Nobody really likes the sound of these diets, and we fully expect them to be unpleasant... but that's okay, they'll 'do us good'.

But can we rely on them?

At first you could be elated by a rapid loss of weight. But sorry to say... all evidence suggests that most people quickly give up these diets. Not only that, they revert to their old eating patterns - and then some! This shouldn't surprise us. How long can you expect to avoid practically everything you like and keep your spirits up?

Give Me Answers Now!

Do you remember the old song by Queen: 'I want it all, I want it now'? We've become so used to this mentality that we apply it to dieting regimes as well. Are we sick of the sight of our bodies? Is our weight affecting our health? Okay, let's put it right - here and now! Often we suspect a certain program can't be good, but the advertisers and copy writers know how to push our buttons. So we part with our cash, telling ourselves we'll just give this rapid (but unhealthy) dieting plan a try.

The drive to reduce weight rapidly can be so strong in some dieters that they will choose stomach bypass procedures. They know these operations were designed for the extremely overweight, but they nevertheless choose to ignore their own doctor's advice and seek private treatment.

Counteracting Unhealthy Dieting

Deep down every dieter knows what has to be done, but they are often reluctant to face the facts. So let's - gently! - spell them out. Two things are required to gain a healthy, well-shaped body. One is to eat an appropriate amount of foods from the various food groups in order to meet our body's needs... The other is to subject the body to a reasonable amount of physical exercise.

Hold on, this is not necessarily bad news! Forget the diets that stick to one thing. You can indulge your passions. There's no need to feel deprived. As long as you have a regulated plan and stick to it, you'll feel great - and your health and weight will be fine.

Right now take all those morbid and unhealthy dieting regimes and ditch them. And with them goes all that physical misery and emotional hell. Bid a fond welcome to your new improved self, your shapely body and your emotional serenity. The cheese board or cookie jar are no longer forbidden territory - provided you stick to your limits and keep on the move. Down with unhealthy dieting plans... They suck!