Dieting?

I have tried fad diets, cutting calories, watching carbs, meal replacements, you name it. I'm not even 18 yet, but I've been taller and wider than a lot of adults I know since I was 13. What I've learnt through all of my 'dieting' experiences is that dieting is not a long term solution. If all we needed was the right balance of food, exercise and motivation, weight loss would be super-easy. But the reality is, you can spend months exercising your butt off and halving your calories, but if you don't devise a plan that you can stick to forever (and I mean a long, long time), at the end of your weightloss journey you're going to end up putting it all back on again, and then some.

I'm not saying that you should continue your weightloss routine when you've reached a weight you are happy with. You need a weight-maintenance plan to take up when you're done losing your weight. You can buy weightloss books and follow the meal replacement plans to a 'T', but if you're going to get anywhere and stay there, you need to devise your own weightloss plan that is right for you. Coming up with your own will also end up being much cheaper than most out there.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not bagging out weightloss books/websites or meal replacements, they can come in useful. I just wouldn't recommend following only one book, or one diet that has already been planned for you, and I'll tell you why.

• A lot of weightloss programs are expensive, and many seem to care first and foremost about profits.

• Not having any control over what you are 'allowed' to eat (or not having enough variety) will make you bored fairly quickly.

• Doing your own research means you're 100% involved in your own weightloss. Knowing the facts won't leave you feeling like you're being led mindlessly.

• In order to maintain your new body, you'll need to understand what makes you gain weight, how to effectively lose it, and how to maintain it. Fad diets, cleanses and meal replacements don't tend to cover maintaining your new lighter weight.