What's the one thing most Americans do when they decide to lose weight? They go on a diet. The problem with diets is they're almost always a short-term solution; most people who lose weight by dieting gain it all back within a few years. It becomes a constant battle of losing and gaining weight. Dieting is not the answer; healthy eating is.

Diets usually issue a strict set of guidelines of what you can and can't eat. Some diets tell you to cut out all carbohydrates. One diet will tell you to eat as much of this food as you want, but to cut out another food group entirely. This usually leads to unbalanced nutrition, depriving your body of the vitamins, minerals, and proteins it needs to stay healthy. While you do want to cut down on unhealthy processed foods of the sort you'd find in fast food restaurants, you don't need to starve yourself. Your diet shouldn't consist primarily of low-fat, zero-calorie foods.

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, fish, and meat. Whenever you feel tempted to eat a candy bar or a bag of chips, don't try to resist your hunger pangs. Replace it with something tasty and healthy, such as a sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes. Have some grapes, or maybe a smoothie made from yogurt and fruits.

Most importantly, pay attention to how you eat. It's easy to lose track of all the food you eat throughout the day. However, as long as you know you're eating good food at least 80% of the time, you can occasionally splurge and eat something that's not so nutritious.