Rigid Diets Don't Work

Weight loss from a rigid diet usually proves temporary, says ThirdAge fitness expert Chad Tackett. "Most diets are too drastic to maintain; they are unpleasant and physically and emotionally stressful," he says.

"On diets, we distrust and ignore internal signs of appetite, hunger and our need to be physically and psychologically satisfied," says Tackett. Instead, we depend on diet plans, measured portions and a prescribed frequency for eating. As a result, many of us have lost the ability to eat in response to our physical needs.

The reason 95 percent of all traditional diets fail, according to Tackett: When you go on a low-calorie diet, your body thinks you're starving and slows your metabolism to store fat more efficiently.

When you resume a regular diet, your metabolism remains slow, so you gain the weight back even faster, even though you may be eating less. "Dieting can help you lose weight in the short term, but it's so unrealistic that it can never become a sustainable lifestyle," says Tackett.

For long-term good health, you need to move away from low-calorie diets and focus on enjoyable physical activity and good nutrition.