Over the last fifteen years I have had the opportunity to work with thousands of individuals with their weight loss issues; and the one common mistake that I find over and over is that people are continuously looking for that miracle diet. It does not exist! Yet, thousands of old diets keep getting reincarnated and new ones are popping up daily. There is no such thing as a miracle weight loss plan! The answer is the same old answer: change your lifestyle for the long term not the short term, eat 90% clean and believe in yourself.

To begin, short-term diets are just that: short term. You will not reach the weight loss goals you are looking for on a permanent level if you have a plan that is short term. Statistics report that anywhere between 10% and 20% of dieters release their weight permanently. These numbers are quite disturbing when you look at the vast amount of people on some sort of reducing program. I believe the problem is society selling the idea of a quick weight loss, short-term program. Desperate people are buying into this idea. If you find a program that you are working and you are telling yourself that you cannot wait for it to be over, you are definitely on the wrong program for you. The style of eating and exercise that you choose has to "fit" into your lifestyle long-term. It has to be a way of living that feels very comfortable and workable for you. I had been a member of the "diet rotation club" for almost 20 years of my life before the light bulb went off and I realized it was not working. I chased down every new diet promise that was out there. I wall papered my bookshelves with all the latest diets. I swung from low fat, high carbohydrate diets to high fat, low carbohydrate diets and everything in between. Now, I eat six small well-balanced meals daily and exercise six days a week. I don’t even think about it; it just is! I don’t count anything or measure anything. I lift weights on Monday Wednesday and Friday and cardio on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This style of eating and exercising I can live with permanently, making minor adjustments along the way if need be (Weight Loss By The Sea!).

In addition to having a long-term plan that fits my lifestyle, I have designed my eating to be as natural as possible. I stay away from white sugar, white flour and fried foods and drink tons of water. I have seen remarkable toning and total control of cravings and binges. I mostly shop the periphery of the grocery store where all the "real" food seems to be. That’s it! No bells, no whistles, no "special" formula, just common sense eating. I am on the 90% plan, leaving me room for error and to be human. This means that 90% of my waking moment I am eating totally clean and natural. I am eating small amounts of protein (3 oz) and whole carbohydrates six times a day. I include vegetables in at least two of those meals. This goes on like clock work…no exceptions, no excuses. Every two to three hours I am refueling myself with protein and a carbohydrate. On days that I am at a conference or rushing I will use a protein bar (without sugar) or a protein shake. There are times that I want to indulge in foods that are not so healthy for me. I do this no more than one day a week and usually just at one meal or what I call one free hour. This leaves me the opportunity to eat the foods that I think I may be missing. Generally, Sunday is my free day to eat as I please and not exercise. It is my day to sleep in, renew and pray. After I have this small indulgence I always realize this is not the "norm" for me and that I don’t feel so good. I "feel" just how awful those foods are for my system, which makes me appreciate my good clean eating of 90%. I am so ready for my Monday routine to begin again. I welcome my 6 small meals and exercise routine.

Combined with my long-term plan and 90% of "clean" eating I know a third link to my years of success is to believe in myself. I know my own truths. I will never be a size 2, 4 or even 6. My body was designed to carry more weight than that. I know that I am now free in my mind because I am doing the very best that I can which keeps me in the running. I know that I am doing this for me and that it fits "my" lifestyle. You can find the right eating and exercise niche for you as well. Take the time to really know yourself and what your needs are (Love Thy Self). Be realistic on what you can do and what you want to do. If it feels right and it is a plan you can live with, and you believe in yourself, you may be on your road to slimness. Most fad diets promise a host of miracles in a short period of time. We want to hear this! We want to join the fantasy world of make believe because it sounds so much easier, so promising. But the truth is you are setting yourself up for one more let down. A change of eating behavior and thinking must be long-term or it will only be a short-term success. So if you are wishing to lose 20 pounds in nine days you are one of the millions of people looking for the miracle diet that does not exist. Believe that you can release your weight forever, through a change of your lifestyle, and you will. Think of the little childhood story: The Little Engine That Could (Power Thoughts!). The little engine had a repeated mantra of "I think I can" until it became, " I know I can" and the end result was he did!!! All you have to do is think you can and in time you will know you can and your end result will be you did!