Getting my weight under control has come from a process of treating myself as well as I treat others in every way. -Oprah Winfrey

You can't turn on the TV, drive down the road or go to a party without being confronted with America's hottest obsession: weight. Diets are a 100 billion dollar industry in the U.S. Companies spend millions and millions luring you to try the latest diet (low carb, high protein, low fat, no fat, you name it) with promises that this will be the solution. Finally your shortcut to a thinner body! Advertising efforts deeply affect our children, who develop distorted body images and are often on diets as early as 9 or 10 years of age.  According to the Media Awareness Network, research indicates that exposure to images of thin, young, air-brushed female bodies is linked to depression, loss of self-esteem and the development of unhealthy eating habits in women and girls.

The research group Anorexia Nervosa & Related Eating Disorders, Inc. says that one out of every four college-aged women uses unhealthy methods of weight control-including fasting, skipping meals, excessive exercise, laxative abuse, and self-induced vomiting. In 2003, Teen magazine reported that 35 per cent of girls 6 to 12 years old have been on at least one diet, and that 50 to 70 per cent of normal weight girls believe they are overweight.

Media activist Jean Kilbourne concludes that, "Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight." 

Our culture touts diet pills, celebrity workouts, convenience foods, and trendy diets to help us achieve our desired weight, but these quick fix solutions have backfired. America's populace has reached its highest weight in history. About half of Americans are overweight; one third are obese. Diets steer us away from our common sense and dip deeply into our pocketbooks while eliciting few, if any, lasting results.

Diets don't work because each person is unique, with different needs based on gender, age, ancestry and lifestyle; how could one diet be right for everyone? Diets don't work because they are extreme solutions. As in physics, if a pendulum swings to one extreme, it has to swing equally to the other. A diet might work for a short amount of time, but research shows that almost all diets result in a 10-pound gain once off the diet. Diets don't work because they are too restrictive. People who fail on diet plans are not flawed and weak. Diets by nature require discipline and restriction at levels that are unsustainable by a healthy human body.

Americans, especially younger generations, have been programmed to respond to and expect instant gratification. But it has taken generations of programming and lifetimes of experiences to create the bad habits and emotions that have contributed to our nation's weight problems. We need to realize that we can't expect to change overnight. Remember that you do not have to be a superstar healthy eater to improve your health. Every small step will have an impact. Being patient and learning to love yourself is necessary to heal your relationship with food and gain control of your weight.

Most people are disconnected from why they gain weight, and see diet as the only culprit. For example, ignoring or discounting emotions is often the first thing to cause weight imbalances. In our fast paced world, we have lost sight of many aspects of life that truly nourish and balance our bodies, such as slowing down, eating a home-cooked meal, and spending quality time with loving people. Eating consciously and making simple lifestyle changes will create positive results and release you from the endless cycle of dieting.

Balance and a sustainable weight are your birthright. Given half a chance, your body will balance out by itself, but this is only possible by getting out of the diet mentality and listening to what you truly need. Imagine taking all of the outward energy you expend on diets, fads and gimmicks and turning it inward, so that you can listen to your heart and inner wisdom. There is no such thing as a quick fix; you already have everything you need within you. With careful thought and loving reflection, you can feed yourself wisely and purposefully and be completely nourished. Working with your body rather than against it will bring about increased energy, stabilized weight and sustainable health.