Dottie says that diet is DIE with a t. That is not true.

A diet is basically what you eat on a regular basis.

What people tend to think of diets are eating meaningless salads and completely healthy fruits while starving yourself just to loose a few pounds. In the end all that does is make you gain more weight.

After doing some research, mostly cause I hate health food, i found out a few things.

1) as our bodies age we process sugars differently. When young most of the sugars we take in are used up in our daily activities, which usually were used to play being active. As we get older we tend to eat the same as we used to even though we don't actually do the same level of activity that we used too. Over time our bodies store the sugars as fat. It takes time but eventually love handles appear, thick thighs, etc etc. When we notice we already think it is too late.

2) because our bodies don't process the sugars as well as we used to we eat more of them to get the same energy level for our daily activities. As we were young it was 20% sugar stored and 80% used up. Older it can be the other way around. Hence we gain even more weight.

3) our bodies react differently as we grow. Salt which was meaningless before can have a big impact on our blood pressure. So does things like cholesterol.

So how then to diet without starving ourselves? Well there is the Atkin's diet where you eat only meat. There is also pill diets to help you metabolize some of the fat in the foods.

Personally what I have been doing is reading the backs of some foods, ie the nutritional listings on the back.

I look at the sugar content. 10 sugars and under seems to work fine for me. It will depend on how well you process sugars. I also look at the salt content and fat listings.

Saturated fats can be good fats, this is where the good cholesterol is. Good cholesterol is omega 3 and omega 6. These two actually remove fat deposits from the lining of your artery's. First they allow the bad ones to pass but over time remove the deposits from the lining as well making your blood flow better.

Trans fats are the ones that like to stay in the body and not process well. Eating trans fats will actually make you hungrier.

Hydration is important. Two to three liters of water a day are what your body should use. Fruit juices sold in frozen cans can be used to take care of this. I prefer to water mine down bit by bit. Eventually your drinking less juice(sugars) and more water which is a good thing. One of the reasons we loose weight in hospitals is not because of the horrid food but because of the saline drips they hook up so we are not dehydrated. When you eat you eat so much because you are also thirsty. Drinking water before a meal is an old trick to help you feel full with less food. Dont believe me? Try this - about an hour before you go out for a meal drink down a full liter of water and then at the actually meal have one more glass of water.

All the diets that people say work so well is because of your reduced intake in the amount of sugars your body just can't process the same as it used too. You can still eat to the point your stomach is burst and loose weight just by reducing the amount of sugars you take in a day.

Other sugars that are hidden are starches. Pasta and potatoes carry lots of these. It doesn't mean you have to eat only meats, it just means you have to eat less of them and more of something else like corn on the cob or carrots. Garden vegetables are great since most do not have sugars in them. Having a meal with radishes, corn, carrots, beans, peas, and tomatoes is actually quite enjoyable.

breads are both a good and bad thing. Homemade bread with much of the sugar cut out is actually good for you. Store bough bread is usually made with prepackaged ingredients. for example home made bread uses one packet or table spoon of yeast and 1 cup of sugar for 4 loaves. You can cut the sugar by half if you wish. Store bought uses 4 packets of yeast and 2 cups of sugar for ONE loaf. It's not very filling because of that so you eat more of it. Store bought also uses starch especially in the "healthy" whole grain loaves.

You don't have to cut bread out of your diet just make it yourself it you really want it. Bakery bread is usually made with better ingredients so if your unable to make bread yourself and absolutely need it go to a real bakery for it. You might be surprised at the price too. It's not that expensive.

Your probably asking what I would suggest you eat then? Well in truth what works for me may not work for you. Not everyone loves fish or beef or chicken. You have to find what works for you for meals.

Highliner fish sticks for example contain omega 3 and 6 so as a basic staple it works. 25 mins at 400 for 7 fish sticks sprinkle with a bit of vinegar and eat. I find it filling but others may not.

Having a can of pepsi, coke, or cola is fine every two or three days.

A burger once a week that is homemade from extra lean ground beef, egg white, and ground down bread crumbs is also fine to eat.

A steak without any bbq sauce is actually healthy. I found that slicing up some onion and laying them onto of the steak put on a foil covered baking sheet with the sides turned up a bit so that the fats dont go everywhere works quite well in the oven. Takes about 30-40 mins at 350 to cook and the onions catch some of the beef flavor that tends to seep out of the beef while keeping the juices in the meat.

deep fried chicken is not really all that good for you as many use oils to fry them high in trans fats. You can get the same taste if you wish with some spices, a dollop of real butter and wrapping the chicken up completely in tin foil. Slow cook the chicken till its nice and white.

Margarine is made from saturated fats. Not all saturated fats are good for you. Butter comes in two types salted and unsalted. It costs a bit more true but is actually better for you as your body processes it better.

Exercise is a touchy subject for some. Good exercise is aerobic(meaning you don't push your body hard) aerobic exercise does not leave your muscles cramped and aching. A good example of aerobic exercise is walking. Another one is bicycling. Note this does not mean power walking or going as fast and as hard as you can on the pedals. A nice enjoyable leisurely bicycle ride burns lots of calories without you sweating buckets. As a general rule it's best to talk to local police about riding in your area. Some prefer it if you ride on unbusy sidewalks and bicycle routes, while others are ornery about if you even get near a sidewalk with people on it. Some areas helmets are required others are not. If your on a roadway a helmut is a good idea regardless as your taking your life into your hands being around cars.

If your new to exercise, even if you believe you get lots at work, take it easy and don;t strain yourself. Doing in home things like going up and down the stairs 5 times is just different enough that your body goes from storing fat to using it.

For me I found that if my body is storing fat I get hot way to easy. While if I'm burning fat I get cold easier. Ie storing fat 21 c is too warm. Burning fat 23c is cool.

Learn how your body works storing sugars and or burning it. Dropping 5 pounds a month is a good way to permanently lose weight. (sorry it just doesn't work in kilograms for weight loss)