What really gets me is that these short term diets really don’t prepare you to keep the weight off even after you lose the 9 pounds. Maybe you do lose that weight and the jeans fit better. But most of us need to lose more like 35 pounds or more. Do you run through the program again and again to get it all off? OK. So, now what? How do you keep it off? And what about taking advantage of your body’s natural fat buring mechanism – muscle?

No, let me tell you the only way you will take off fat is to regulate your food intake and build muscle. We have to eat a balanced amount of good fresh foods MINUS the “junque” food forms like white bagels, cookies, donuts, desserts, fried foods. What we are looking at is more fruits and veggies, naturally raised meats, wholesome dairy, a few grains, nuts and seeds. And no, by fruits and veggies I don’t mean catsup and french fries!!

You can practically gorge yourself on fruits and veggies – you’ll get a belly ache before you eat more than is good for you (unlike fried foods, icecream and sweets of which you can eat thousands of calories before you get sick). Lightly steam the veggies if you like and add a dab of real butter. No margarine. Bad stuff. Drink good raw milk if you like milk. Eggs are good for you despite all opinion to the contrary. Whole eggs – whites and yolks are meant to be eaten together.

OK. One thing the quickie weight loss plans leave out is real honest to goodness, heart pumping exercise! Your body was designed to move; to work hard. By sitting for hours at a time, you are setting yourself up to die a long slow death. I know this because I am acting as caregiver to two 70 something year old people that have led sedentary lives and both are crippled by their weight and a misuse of their bodies. They should still be walking but neither one can go about without a walker – just to get to the toilet!!!

Please, listen to me! You need to do daily exercise. Even if you do Turbulence Training like I recommend here, you should be doing something on the “off” days.

So this rant started out picking on a quickie weight loss plan and ended up preaching to you about exercise but do take heed. Don’t fool yourself into thinking a sound diet and daily exercise just isn’t for you.  Stay active. Use it or lose it!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am a proponent of healthy eating for life. But notice I didn’t endorse dieting. I don’t believe in diets, per se. Diets are a temporary thing in your mind. It is something you do for a while to lose weight then you stop. Anyone who has been at the diet thing for long realizes that diets don’t work in the long run.

The person who comes to terms with the fact that when they want to lose weight, certain things have to change permanently. You will make better food choices for the rest of your life. You will exercise regularly for the rest of your life. Weight loss is part of a “rest of you life” thing. Not a temporary thing.

You must know that you cannot continue to eat the way you do and lose weight and keep it off. But that doesn’t mean you must never have another chocolate chip cookie again.

So, since we are going to eat better for the rest of our life, it stands to reason that we can add a “cheat meal”, here and there. Folks, we are talking about a cookie or a brownie or a small snickers bar, here. Not one of those giant industrial sized half pounders, either.

Oh, I know the reasoning behind getting the giant-sized food. Best bang for the buck. It is time to adjust your thinking here. There is no good price for junk food. Learn that it is OK to buy the small size Coke® even if the medium is only ten cents more. Yes, the Hershey® bars work out to be 58 cents each when you buy them in a box but you only need one 85 cent bar! Like you have enough self control to make a box of Hershey’s last two months, right? Don’t set yourself up for failure – buy one treat, not a box full. Repeat – there is no good price for junk food.

The point here is, allow yourself to have treats. Go so far as to plan them into your day/week. Make Saturday Night your dessert night. And have on slice or piece. When the family goes out for pizza, have a big salad and one slice of pizza.

Losing weight and staying healthy is for life, ladies and gents. The general rule is: Eat Less. Exercise More. Occasional treats. Enjoy life!