There is no such thing as the "perfect" weight loss diet. At best, even "good" diets are temporary. At worst, severe restrictive diets can destroy your health.

People who make dieting a lifestyle can become obsessed with becoming thin at any cost and often find that they lose their emotional well-being in the process. The only sure way to achieve your goal and make it permanent is to make exercise and sensible eating habits a part of your life.

Here are a few ideas that can help you understand why a nondiet approach is best:

• There is no such thing as being on or off a diet. Why? Because as soon as you get off the diet you will be right back to the very lifestyle and eating habits that got you overweight to begin with. It is better to adopt a way of life with healthier habits that work for you rather than using a plan that someone else imposes on you.

• There is no such thing as good or bad foods. There will always be times when something tastes so good that you will over eat. On the flip side you may also have times that are so busy that you miss a meal or snack. That's normal.

A lifetime eating plan should not be a rigid list of food choices. It should allow some flexibility and include all the foods you normally eat. Forcing yourself to eat "diet" food will only make you unsatisfied and set you up for an eating binge.

Eating is one of the great pleasures in life. The key is moderation and balance.

• Don't let guilt get the best of you. There is room in a healthy diet for that one bowl of chocolate ice cream. The secret is how often you eat it and in what amounts. When it comes down to it, guilt can kill a diet. For example, you feel so guilty for eating one chocolate chip cookie that you might as well "sin" all the way and have four more. This is counterproductive.

• In order to have successful long-term change, every small change you make adds up. For example, drinking water instead of drinks with sugar can help you lose several pounds in one year. Cut back on the mayonnaise on your sandwich or butter on your toast.

• Slowly add foods high in fiber – whole grains (like wheat bran, whole-wheat bread and cereals), oats, oat bran, beans, fruits and vegetables. Typically, these foods take longer to digest and keep you from feeling hungry between meals.

It also takes longer to chew fibrous food. Eating slower gives your brain and stomach time to realize that you are full. Make sure to drink eight to 10 glasses of water daily, otherwise, you could actually end up constipated.

• At the end of the day, it's all about total calories. There are many studies that show decreasing overall calories will result in weight loss. It doesn't matter if you do it by cutting fat, protein, or carbohydrate. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie.

Carbs don't make you fat. Calories make you fat. It's like balancing your checkbook. It's a matter of how much you put in and how much you take out. The more you eat and the fewer calories you burn up, the heavier you'll get.

• On the other hand, starving is not the answer either because it will slow down your metabolism. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. In order to lose 1 pound a week, you need to create a 500-calorie deficit per day. For most women this is around 1,200-1,500 daily calories which is about as low as you should go so you body doesn't go into starvation mode.

Calculate you caloric intake exactly and space meals throughout the day. Tracking your meals and calories will help you become more consistent with your food choices.