Dear Dr. Bob,

I make a New Year's resolution every year - usually about losing weight. I never succeed. How do I lose the pounds and keep them off?

Thank you,

Dear Diane,

Now that the New Year is here, a common topic of discussion is weight loss. After practicing medicine for more than 20 years, I have sure seen a huge amount of diets hit the market. In a nutshell, all diets work to some extent, but in order to be effective for the long term, a diet must be something you can live with forever. Most diets don't do that, thus we go on and off them and do the typical weight loss roller coaster.

Simply put, weight is a balance of calories in and calories out. Only when the calories going out exceed the calories going in, can a person lose weight. Starvation diets can work for a bit, but obviously cannot work in the long term. Simple calorie cutting will also initially work, but the body will usually at some point reset its basal metabolic rate, and one will stop losing weight.

I have also found that people who begin a new extreme diet cannot stick with it. We are all creatures of habit and eventually fall back into our typical food routines. Often when this happens, individuals ride the weight loss roller coaster.

In my opinion, it seems that the best option is to cut back on the daily calorie intake while beginning an exercise program. Studies have shown that any exercise will work, and I have people workout up to 40 minutes of exercise 3-4 times per week. Calorie cutting can be as simple as changing regular sodas to diet sodas or tea, and easing off the super sizing.

Good luck to all and have a great new year. Just remember to live life in moderation.

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