Whenever people exclaim that they plan on going on a diet, the words dread, hunger, deprivation, and misery are often synonymous; but that doesn't need to be the case! In fact, the most healthy people allow themselves the freedom to eat what they want just in the right amounts. There is plenty of room in any diet to eat your favorite foods, just so long as you don't over-do it and you balance those food that may not necessarily be the best for you out with healthy fruits and vegetables.

Weight loss and management comes down to two factors: calories in versus calories out. Keep the two numbers equal and you will maintain your weight, create a caloric deficit and you will lose weight, and when the calories coming in is more than the calories going out that is what leads to weight gain. To successfully lose one pound you need to trim 3,500 calories; you can do that by eating less, exercising more, or a combination of the two. The best tactic is to aim to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories each day to lose about one pound each week.

Now we come to the part where so many diet myths and rumors start: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. Exactly what are these terms and how do they apply to weight loss and management? Fat, carbohydrates, and protein are all energy sources that make up the foods we eat. Each of them have a certain amount of energy that they provide us with fat containing 9 calories for each gram, and protein and carbs both containing 4 calories for every gram. Fat has gotten a bad reputation because of its confusion with the fat tissue on our bodies, and also because it has more calories for every gram. This is why many high fat foods are also high in calories. But fat, just like the other nutrients, has a crucial place in every diet. Now carbs too have been shunned by many and looked to as the culprit for weight gain, but this shouldn't be so. Carbs are also critical for our energy levels and keeping our insulin levels even. Protein is the nutrient most adept at helping to build muscle mass. A healthy diet needs a combination of all three of the nutrients.