According to ABC News the Weight loss industry makes a small 20 Billion dollars a year selling us books, diet plans, shakes, equipment, and diet drugs. There are 100 million of us on a diet each year, so why aren’t we a nation of the fit and skinny?

The diet industry flourishes by selling us dreams. It takes our insecurities and almost promises them that we too can lose weight and gain muscle if we just; buy this electric ab machine, try this miracle body wrap, go on this 60 day diet, sign up for this monthly food delivery, drink these amazing shakes, take these pills, or become a member of nutrition club. Our low self esteem doesn’t believe that we can lose weight on our own, so it looks at these products, listen to the carefully written marketing sales pitch, and then spends our money with the hope that this time, THIS time, it will work.

Why do we feel the need to look at these high-priced sales pitches and think…Oh my goodness, this is it, this time it is going to work, this is going to get me bikini skinny. All this time it was THIS (insert new diet here) that I was missing. I must have this. I must buy it now. I must start this now!

I grew up with a mother who tried every diet fad. She has been on a perpetual diet since the day I was born. The funny thing is that I can only remember her very thin only once in my life. I also remember her very plump only once. But most of the time she was “normal”. She taught me ,unfortunately, how to be on a perpetual diet my entire life as well.

The Shake Diet moved through my town and at first I was completely against it. But then insecure me thought what if everyone else loses weight and I am the only one left out? I would be the only sucker not on the Shakes. I would look stupid to have doubted the most amazing weight loss shake in the world. So I was willfully sucked in.  *But there was a catch, for these shakes to really work, we had to drink two a day (which was more money) and eat healthy. And of course they worked, I lost weight, so did my friends, and even my mother.But after the hype left town and the shakes were old news, most everyone put down their shakes and went back to life. Many of my friends put the weight back on and just like that, the shakes were old news.

Three months after the shakes, up pops body wraps. I see picture after picture of all my friends losing inches from their waste from sitting on a table and letting someone wrap them up in plastic. I found myself getting jealous. I wanted to lose inches by sitting and doing nothing. What if THIS was the real answer? So I called up a friend and scheduled my body wrap. After the first one I was amazed. I looked tight and skinny. *But in order to keep the results I needed to do a couple more wraps (which costs more money) and I had to eat healthy.

Two more months down the road we come to the new year.  And as I watch millions of commercials on diets, and I read post after post on Facebook about diets plans I have come to my conclusion. The only way to be fit is to work hard and eat healthy. That is also why most of these diet scams have fine print that says “use (the Product) along with exercise and a healthy diet.” What? Exercise and eating healthy? Yes that is right…read the fine print. So while we think that these products are magic, they really are just a tool.

We feel we NEED a 25 day challenge to hold our hand. It gives us confidence and support. And if it doesn’t work, it is easier to blame the challenge than realize we failed. If we are strong enough to drink two shakes a day instead of real food, then we are strong enough to make ourselves eat healthy food. It is certainly more delicious. We go to the gym but we complain that we are not losing weight, but are we really being honest with ourselves? Do we really put 100% into ourselves? We may think we do, but then we give into beer and wings while we are watching football…every weekend.

The scheme holds our hand while we do the hard work. We were sold the dream, but in the end we are the ones that have to put in the sweat and eat right. There is no easy way. Just like there is no easy way or magic pill for money, success, love, or gold medals. If we are not working hard and eating right, then we should not be fit and skinny. Bottom line. And no magic lotion, potion, or pill will do it for us. So why do I still want to pick up the phone and order my three-month supply of  Raspberry ketones? Because I think in a strange way I think I am weak and powerless without help. And what IF this time this really is the magic pill?

We need to start realizing that we are stronger than we think we are. We are smarter than we think we are. We do not need to get sucked into the next best thing. We ARE strong enough to believe that we are all we need. Once we realize that WE are in control then we will only need to invest in ourself. We need to stop trying to take the easy way out and put the effort we need to succeed, with NO excuses.