I am not a fan of any gimmick diets - the best way to lose weight is to eat all natural foods, eat smaller portions more often throughout the day - it's like animals graze. Tiny bites more often.

Then drink water as your main fluid, detox (many people lose weight when they detox), exercise regularly (even if just walking the dog every night), and take some quality vitamins to help boost your body's immune system and metabolism.

Avoid anything unnatural. A good rule of thumb: if the other animals in nature don't do it, then don't do it!

You are absolutely right. All diets should be a full-spectrum selection of the food groups for the body to pick from like a cafeteria line. The key is to detox whatever is causing false weight, like yeast does, and to eat a balanced selection of foods in smaller portions and more often. Our bodies were meant to rehydrate with water and natural fluids.

Welcome to the Forum.

Candida is notorious for adding the mid-section gut weight. Many people write me and tell me they lost 7-8 pounds the first week they detoxed. It's what I call false weight - it's the bad fats and oils, the chemicals, the insulin production from diet sweeteners that never get burned up that add weight. Diet sweeteners have been proven to cause weight gain, and processed foods and junk foods cause weight gain. Detoxing and eating smaller portions more often throughout the day, plus drinkings enough water every day will drop weight and keep it off.

Thanks. Stick with us. We always appreciate great input.

NOW has a good Whey Protein powder called Lean Gro. It's great for a morning smoothie or a mid-day smoothie snack.

I agree - all the way around a balanced diet is the best, and most natural, way to feed your body.

Researching your body type helps, also, because eating the foods that are right for your "type" creates more energy and weight loss. Checking your pH regularly, too, is a good way to know which foods you need more or less of. Gimmicky diets are not healthy and they seldom ever work.