Diets can never work long term, because the focus is always kept on what you can or cannot eat. Regimenting and restricting eating in such a tremendous way for a prolonged period of time is probably the most ineffective way to lose weight. The aim is obviously to burn fat fast, but how can you achieve permanent weight loss if for weeks and months all you are thinking about is running away from food?

You are likely to be very tempted to just eat, and because you are so starved you may find yourself developing many cravings. On a daily basis a diet tests your will and ability to keep up with the meal plan, the eating regimen, and exempted foods; and the end result is stress and anxiety. It's an unhealthy preoccupation with food which causes the kind of stress-induced emotions which trigger overeating in the first place. It is just a question of how long it will be before your will breaks.

One great misleading aspect of many diets, for example, is that low carbohydrates are most desired for weight loss. The fact is that carbohydrates are needed for health because carbohydrates constitute an indispensable fuel for the human body. If you learn the difference between the most ideal (whole grains, fiber rich) and less ideal (sugars, simple sugars) carbohydrates and choose the former more often, then you already have a very effective tool towards weight management. It is not necessary to wage war against carbohydrates or any other nutrient or food.

The fact is that there is nothing wrong with food. Once we take the time to understand our food and create a healthy relationship with it, then we can bring our weight loss efforts to the point of long-term success. The non-diet approach can be an even more effective weight management tool than the next new diet.