Usually we decide to change our eating habits and lose weight when we discover we can no longer fit into our dresses or shorts. Or we've been told by our doctor that we have "fitness issues" and high cholesterol and threatened that unless we lose weight we'll begin to have health problems.

Other times we simply realize the fact that we are overweight and decide that we have to lose the weight the same way we gained it - by changing our eating habits. We're going to have to bite the bullet, even if it means eating bean sprouts and celery. Sure it's possible to lose weight by exercising alone, but let's face it, we know we're lazy and are not going to embark on any 60 day marathon exercise program. So we instead decide that we're just going to have to change our eating habits.

Now most of the time when we go on a diet, we do it by limiting our food intake. We count the number of calories we eat, we count the number of fat grams we eat, we count the carbohydrates we eat, and so on. My favorite method is changing my diet from high-calorie to low-calorie foods, but eating twice as much of it. Somehow, my approach rarely seems to work.

Diet Program Comparisons

There are quite a few web sites you can go to and find reams of information on dieting and losing weight. You'll of course discover that not all diets work the same for everybody. Some diets will work better for you and some will work better for me.

The Atkins diet - this requires a drastic cut in carbohydrates, which is definitely not an option for me. I just love pasta way too much.

The South Beach Diet - this is a popular diet to lose weight because it allows dieters to eat many of the foods they eat anyway and is not quite as restrictive as others. It's the one that president Clinton was on.

Weight loss systems - OK, these are programs such as Jenny Craig, the LA Weight Loss Center, or Curves for Women. Even though all these programs are pretty good, they all require exercise, which I'm just not ready to commit to at this point. But if you're willing to exercise, these may be for you.

The most important thing to do before you decide to go on any drastic weight loss plan is to consult your doctor or dietician and get their feedback on your plan. This is especially true if you are elderly or have major health concerns that could be impacted by dietary changes.