Basic Pursuits

I think that the word diet ought to be expunged from the language when referring to a way to lose weight. Nevertheless, it still is in mass usage and as deceptive as ever.

It's deceptive because it gives the impression that a temporary adjustment in eating habits, "going on a diet," will solve a weight problem. When the diet is over, most people go right back to doing what they were doing. Same unhappy results.

The permanent answer is to learn how to eat well and making a lifelong habit of it.

WebMD has some good tips on how to recognize a fad diet. In my opinion, all diets are fads because like fads they come and go. Good habits can serve a lifetime, a longer lifetime.

WebMD agrees:

"Devoting yourself to a lifestyle that includes exercise and eating a proper diet with moderate portions is still the best method to lose weight and to keep it off. Most people who make the change from a typical high-fat diet and sedentary lifestyle to one that follows a diet based on the recommended food pyramid will slowly and safely lose weight.

The big question is how you do it. Our purpose here is to provide the resources that you need to nurture those healthy eating habits.