I’m pretty sure I could write a 600 page book on the best ways “to not lose weight” and how to “diet and gain weight and be a yo-yo” in less time than it takes to inhale a box of Twinkies.

You name the diet or diet pill and I’ve probably tried it (the grapefruit diet, Atkins, the popcorn diet, the three day diet, Nutri-System, Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Dexatrim, cleansing diets, dieting for dummies, liquid diets, fasting, raw food diet, Cabbage soup diet, Curves diet, LA Weight loss, the Zone diet, the chocolate diet, the apple cider vinegar diet, and many many more that would literally take pages of space to write).

But, to write you a condensed version of what I’ve learned: “the best way to lose weight, keep it off, and be healthy” is to do it the old fashioned way – diet and exercise.”  Yeah, what a bore and what a blow to the multi billion dollar diet industry that little tidbit of news is.

To me, (and please keep in mind that I’m not a nutritionist or medical expert- just someone who has decades of experience trying to lose weight), I think the best diet for women is one that includes everything in moderation.  Banning foods (especially chocolate and carbs) is, IMO (in my own opinion), a certain disaster.  After all, women have that special time of the month (lucky us) and what do most of us crave then?  Yep, it’s huge bars of chocolate and entire loaves of bread.  That means if we are doing our best to follow one of those crazy diets that completely bans carbs or completely bans sugar (get real please) we get to the point when no amount of willpower is going to keep us away from that Hershey bar or delicious soft pretzel.   Then, instead of having a single serving (aka – one normal size candy bar or just one soft pretezel) we typically say “Well I screwed up so I may as well eat the entire bag of chocolate candy or the entire box of pretzels.  Then, the downward spiral to gaining the weight back starts.

Personally, I think us women need to take a look at guys to help us understand weight loss better because a guy typically can lose weight so much easier.  Why?  It’s a well established fact that men’s bodies have more muscle than women’s bodies and, pound for pound, muscle burns more calories than fat.

But I’ve also noticed that, given a choice, most guys at a buffet head right for the proteins while women give the bread and dessert sections longing stares before heading over to the salad bar for some greens and fat free dressing.  A perfect meal to a lot of guys is a steak with a side of steak.  For a lot of women the perfect meal is warm crusty bread with a side of warm crusty bread and a little chocolate for a sweet ending.

While both men’s and women’s bodies need both protein and carbs for good health (the chocolate is healthy too as long as it’s dark chocolate), protein is a building block for muscle and helps to muscle that’s been stressed (from working out) to repair and build itself.

Plus, protein is satisfying and helps us feel full longer (and who wants to go hungry and feel like they’re starving when they are dieting?).

So, doesn’t it stand to reason that a diet that includes generous amounts of protein would be perfect for women (okay not steak with a side of steak though).  That doesn’t eating protein and excluding other food groups like the Atkins diet promotes.  I’m talking about a diet that includes a broad range of healthy foods from every food group: proteins, fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, whole grains, small amounts of healthy fat like olive and grapeseed oils; and treats here and there because everybody needs some wiggle room in their diet.

I’ve also noticed guys tend to never feel guilty if they eat something less than healthy.  They’ll eat a piece of chocolate cake, enjoy the experience, and move on.  Women, on the other hand, tend to feel guilty about possibly taking a tiny little bite of cake – whether or not they actually give in and eat any.

I’m not here to advocate a specific diet plan for women and that’s because I truly think there is no “one size fits all” diet plan.  Just as each of us are different individuals with different personalities and different lifestyles; we have different diet plans that are a better fit with our lives and our likes and dislikes.

But, to help women find the best diet for them that gives them the best chance of long-term success here’s the things I think should be looked for in a weight loss/diet plan:

- promotes healthy eating and doesn’t ban entire food groups

- includes at least 2-3 servings of protein a day

- promotes a slow and steady approach to weight loss; no more than 1-2 lbs a week

- encourages physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)

- includes emotional support (whether it’s face to face meetings or online forums) because us women are nurturers by nature and we need nurturing and support of our own when facing the challenges of trying to lose weight successfully

- fits your lifestyle (for example, the odds of failing are high if you love to cook and have to cook for your family but choose a meal delivery program that doesn’t allow you to prepare your own meals; and vice versa – if you choose a program that asks you to prepare all your own food when you and your kitchen appliances, with the exception of your microwave are sworn enemies).