Before you begin on any diet programs, it's important to know exactly what diet programs are. When people talk about diet programs, they rarely ever discuss the actual definition. In plain English, diet programs are restrictions of foods or calories that you will need to consume every meal or every day. Essentially when people seek to start diet programs they are seeking to lose weight, or particularly body fat.

The problem is that most people don't understand

the various aspects of “weight” and therefore have

trouble succeeding at losing it.

This is the reason that it seems as if many diet programs fail. In reality, it is not the diet programs that are failing to do their job.  Instead, it is our lack of understanding of weight and all it encompasses that causes us not to set proper goals and take proper actions within our diet programs. Weight is broken down into several factors, some of which are more important for dieters to focus on than others. Often times what a dieter sees on the scale is a measurement of total weight, which can be misleading. Water weight often makes up a large portion of total weight, as well as body fat and muscle mass. When dieterschoose diet programs that allow them to lose weight quickly, they are usually losing water weight and unfortunately muscle mass rather than the body weight they are wanting to lose. This is because they do not eat the right foods and perform the right (or enough) exercises within their diet programs. It is more important to focus on gaining muscle mass and losing body fat within diet programs. Increasing muscle mass makes it easier for one to burn calories and in turn, body fat. Losing water weight does nothing but cause dehydration. 

Many diet programs that the general public follow are actually fad diets. They promote rapid weight loss without any behavioral or lifestyle changes. The problem with fad diet programs is that they exclude foods necessary for a well-balanced diet, tend to cause the loss of muscle and lean tissue rather than body fat, and do not allow for the creation of healthier habits to encourage long-term weight maintenance. In other words, while fad diet programs can help a person reach their weight loss goals quickly, such diet programs can actually do the body more harm than good.  

The best diet programs are those that encourage a variety of healthier foods and beverages from all of the food groups which contain less trans or saturated fat, less sugar and sodium and fewer calories than the average diet. Successful diet programs will also encourage a variety of exercise including cardio (for burning fat) and weight training (for increasing muscle mass). In order to be successful with any of the diet programs you may choose, make your first step to educate yourself and learn more about all of the factors that make up body weight and what you need to focus on to be healthy, not just to lose weight. Then be sure that you choose foods and beverages that you actually like but that are low in calories, sugar and/or sodium. It is better not to force yourself to eat foods that you don't like, as you are less likely to stick to the diet programs you try. Beware of diet programs that eliminate one or more of the food groups, or diet programs that boast weight loss without exercise. Otherwise you are more likely to lose what your body needs and less likely to lose body fat. Diet programs can be successful when you educate yourself and incorporate the right foods and actions. Be sure to do your research and seek your doctor's assistance when putting together diet programs to ensure you keep your body healthy and keep the weight off.