Why do we need so many weight loss diets?

We've been bombarded by so much health and wellness information in the past few decades that has turned out to be completely bogus that it's difficult to know what to believe. "Are low-calorie diets the way to go? Or will I have better luck restricting carbs?"

Here's what most researchers agree on: what diet you choose - low-fat, low-cal, low-carb - doesn't matter as much as whether or not you stick to your diet. Most studies that measure the success rates of the Atkins diet or low-fat options measure weight loss only for a few months, not years. When researchers have conducted studies on dieters, they found that dieters who stuck with the plans lost similar amounts of weight.

And that's why so many dieters aren't successful in achieving their weight loss goals long-term. Any diet that tells you that you cannot eat an entire category of food (especially a category as essential as carbs) is almost ensuring the dieter will not succeed.

The key to long term, sustained weight management and, more importantly, a healthy body and lifestyle, is creating a meal plan that provides the essential vitamins and nutrients you require while also giving you the opportunity to enjoy the foods you love. Living a healthy lifestyle is the ultimate goal.

Here are a few tips to help you create a healthy diet and lifestyle plan:

•  Learn your metabolism type: If you're a carbs type and you try out the Atkins diet, you'll end up doing more harm than good. No two people are exactly the same, why do we expect one diet to work for everyone?

• Cut out processed foods. Processed, pre-packaged foods are  loaded  with preservatives and other chemicals designed to extend shelf life. The added bonus is that they mess up the  healthy functioning of your organs,  wreck with digestion, and may end up causing you to gain weight.

•  Nutritional labels are a great tool, but not everyone is on a 2000 calorie diet. 

•  Exercise is essential to the proper functioning of our bodies.

There's no one diet that works for everyone, and there's no magic pill that will make you ten pounds lighter while you sleep. Following a healthy lifestyle  plan, for life, that provides the vitamins, nutrients  that you need is the surest way to ensure success.