Weight loss is such a big issue in this country that the industry catering to it is a multi-billion dollar one. This is rather amazing given the fact there is a significant problem with diets.

A diet is essentially a change in a pattern of behaviors. You probably never really thought of it that way, but this is an accurate portrayal. The change of behaviors occurs in what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat. If you conform with the dictated changes, you typically lose weight. If you do not, you don't.

If you have tried to lose weight, you know there is an inherent problem with most diets. What is it? Surprisingly, the issue is not whether the diet "works" or does not. Obviously, some are far better than others, but most will work to some extent. No, the problem is what happens afterwards.

Most diets are tailored to aggressively change your eating habits. Why? Well, the creators of the diet want you to lose weight. If you do, you are likely to tell others which leads to more customers and so on. This is a form of marketing called viral marketing and it is all the rage in the weight loss industry. The statements of a satisfied customer to an overweight person will always be more credible than any advertisement of diet plan can come up with, even if it contains professional football players!

Regardless, this aggressiveness leads to problems. Sticking with the diet is difficult. At some point, the diet will end. This will occur either because you meet your weight loss goals or you fall off of the diet. In either situation, you return to normal eating patterns. Guess what happens next? Yep, you start packing on the weight.

The problem with most popular diets is they are designed to only cover a certain amount of time. The diet may or may not work, but what about afterwards? If you don't have an effective answer, you will return to your old eating habits and gain back the weight. This is known as yo-yo dieting and is extremely common.

If you really want to lose weight over the long run, you need to pick a diet you can stick with for the rest of your life. Going with a diet that ends after a certain period of time is a recipe for failure.

About the Author

Pat Craig writes about weight loss for WeightLossLodge.com.