Dieting works. The truth is that controlling the amount and or type of food consumed does often lead to weight loss. So in essence dieting works—it leads to weight loss.

It does not seem to matter much which diet is chosen. And there is a huge array of diets to choose from. What matters is that you stick to the restrictions of the diet. If you stick to the diet, chances are good that you will lose weight.

It is also true, more 90% of the time, dieters find the excess weight quickly returns once they stop dieting. This is not particularly good news.

Who wants to be on a never-ending diet? Most people end up feeling deprived in one way or another. Either they cannot have the foods they crave and love, or they cannot eat when or how much they want. It is these feelings of being restricted and deprived that lead many to abandon their diets.

When it comes to eating habits, people are reluctant to change. They may realize that they are eating too much or eating the wrong foods, but they procrastinate doing anything about it. Their motto is tomorrow I will start eating better and taking care of myself.

Until suddenly it is only three months or worse yet one month until the wedding, reunion, or other event that they want to look fabulous for. Now they are susceptible to those fads and gimmicks that promise fast weight loss. And at times they will even succeed in losing weight for the event.

But looking good for that special day comes at a cost. Dieting can lead to a preoccupation with food. Feelings of being deprived can lead to binge eating. If your caloric intake is too low, your body will react by slowing your metabolism.

The cost is paid once the diet is over. Most dieters find, once they stop dieting, that they gain weight faster and easier than ever before. When you factor in multiple bouts of dieting you end up with an extremely frustrating cycle of weight loss and weight gain.

The real good news is that there is a way off the loss-gain roller coaster. There is a way to lose weight without the subsequent weight gain.

Even better, it is painless and does not require a great deal of time or money. What works most successfully for long-term weight loss, is resolving the issues that lead to struggles with weight in the first place.

Once these issues are resolved there is the hope of enjoying food for nourishment and pleasure, without using food to fill some void or satisfy emotional needs or cravings.

In the end even though dieting works; it is not worth the price it extracts from the dieter once the diet is over.