Are you still holding out for the magical diet that will be the one that works for you? Despite repeated attempts and failures with diets in the past, do you still jump on each new fad diet or diet-aid on the market in the hopes that this one will be different? If this sounds familiar, the first thing you need to do is change your thinking? Drum it into your head -- fad diets do not work! Most fad diets are a form of starvation, bottom line! Overeating is a normal biological response to starving and dieting. When the body is starving, it needs to be nourished. Chances are each time you have been on a diet and then gone off it, you have subsequently regained all the weight you lost -- and probably more.

Depriving yourself of the foods that you enjoy can cause you to obsess about them until you reach the point of giving in to your cravings. Because you feel that you won't be able to eat this food again for a long time, you end up bingeing on it.

Dieting increases the craving for food. With each diet failure, the dieter gets heavier and feels more out of control.

The cycle of going on-and-off diets is detrimental to your physical and mental health. These are some of the physical problems caused by dieting: Decreased metabolism. When the body is not fed enough, it is forced to become more efficient, burning fewer calories for energy.

Increased fat retention. In order to help the body store more energy, or fat, after dieting, production of the enzymes that make and store fat in the body increases.

Increased binges and cravings. Food restriction stimulates the brain to produce more cravings; eventually these will invariably lead to binges.

Impaired response to fullness. Because dieters usually stop eating due to self-imposed limits, over time the body will lose touch with inner cues of fullness. Meal sizes will likely increase after the diet is over.

Inappropriate diets can also cause psychological and emotional damage, including the following: Dieting has been linked to eating disorders; diet failure erodes confidence and self-trust and can contribute to low self-esteem.

These are just some of the many reasons we should not crash diet! Why would you want to inflict physical and mental harm on yourself willingly? This may sound extreme, but that is exactly what you are doing when you go from diet to diet.

Weight gain does not happen overnight; it is the result of lifestyle and habits over an extended period of time.

If you do not eat a healthy and balanced diet, you will gain weight. If you do not exercise and live an active life, you will gain weight.

Fad diets are short term -- you can only eat according to the rules for a limited period of time. If you revert back to the same eating habits that you have always practiced when you go off the diet, it is only natural that you will regain the weight.

So what should you do? Exercise regularly, for 30 to 60 minutes at a good intensity on most days of the week.

Eat a sensible and balanced diet following the guidelines of the Food Guide Pyramid; drink plenty of water -- at least eight 8-ounce glasses per day, and take care of yourself emotionally and spiritually.

But you must also remember that Rome was not built in a day. There are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss. The most effective way to lose weight and maintain that loss is to make small positive changes in your eating habits and behaviours and gradually work towards living a balanced lifestyle.

Think long-term -- make changes that you can live with.

Change your focus from weight loss to healthy eating and exercise. You will feel much better about yourself when you reach the point where you can say that you live a balanced life.

And keep reading BodyWise to help you on your journey to health.