Just the word diet is enough to make people cringe. It implies discipline, hard work, and change. But to most people, it also implies deprivation, which is why people who go on diets gain the weight back.
According to a study at UCLA, dieters do lose 5-10% of their weight in the first six months, but within five years up to 66% gain more than they lost, weighing an average of 11 pounds more than they did before dieting. In the opinion of researchers, these people are better off not dieting at all due to the wear and tear on their bodies from losing the weight and putting it back on. Obese people are even more at risk, with 83% regaining their weight after two years of going on a diet.
Walk into any bookstore or surf over to Amazon and you will see hundreds or thousands of diet books. Ranging from the sensible to the absurd, there's a diet plan for everyone. Some include drastic methods and insane menus for a set period of time, only to follow with a maintenance plan to continue for the rest of your life after you finish the first part of the diet. Then there are the juice diets, promising insanely quick weight loss by drinking liquids and eating laxatives. These diets not only promote unhealthy eating habits, but sometimes include dangerous methods that have serious effects on long term health.
The attitude that you are changing your eating habits instead of going on a diet is more realistic. Habits can be changed, and there's no falling off the wagon because you weren't on some crazy diet in the first place. A sensible, balanced eating plan with moderate exercise and natural supplements to help you curb appetite is a better approach. If hunger is a problem, try using an appetite suppressant like a hoodia shot. This all-natural approach is better than an over the counter diet pill that contains harsh stimulants that leave you feeling cranky and jittery. The best thing about hoodia is that it has no known side effects and doesn't drain your energy.