On my drive in to work today, I listened with a mixture of amusement and concern to a discussion on the radio. The question of the day asked listeners to share their dieting stories.

As you can imagine, all sorts of people called in - from the person who followed an all-chocolate diet, to someone else who chugged a hefty dose of olive oil every morning to jump-start their diet for the day.

Some of the diets described seemed to have a rationale that made sense, and many appeared to actually promote weight loss (at least initially). But I felt like calling in myself to say that there is no substitute for a healthy well-balanced diet and a healthier lifestyle. True, most diets work in the short-term as a "quick fix," but how many of you have stuck with one for longer than a few weeks?

Try these guidelines before heading down a dietary slippery slope:

• Diets can be expensive when special food products or supplements are involved. You could better use the money to purchase some healthier foods for your pantry.
• Weight loss through gimmickry is often temporary and many report gaining back all the weight lost - and more.
• Diets that restrict eating to one or two foods soon become boring and difficult to follow long term.
• To stay healthy, you should lose only one to two pounds per week.
• Include exercise as part of your daily routine to help you tone your body and increase your energy.