There is no substitute for diet and exercise.

For today's chat, I would like everyone to grab a mirror, look themselves in the eyes, and tell themselves:

• There is no substitute for diet and exercise.
• There is no substitute for diet and exercise. 
• There is no substitute for diet and exercise.  

No matter how much we wish there was a drug that make us thin, there simply isn't. Even if there was, you shouldn't take it. Your body is made to work in a very specific way. Jamming chemicals into it to force it to dump weight or burn calories or whatever the miracle promise of the moment is just won't work. It may work temporarily, but when you stop taking it your body will begin to behave the way it did before the drug.

My thoughts on this topic were brought on by the FDA not approving a new diet drug.

For those of you who don't know me well, let me define what I mean by the word "Diet." I do not believe in dieting in a traditional sense. I do not believe in depriving yourself of everything delicious. I do not believe in no carbs, all protein, no sugar, nothing white, all cabbage or any other ridiculous thing. I believe in moderation. If you want a cookie, have one or two. Do not eat the entire plate. You CAN have whatever you want, you just have to share and watch your portions.

I believe in having an active lifestyle. Live your life. Run, jump, play, swim, take walks, bounce in place, have sex or do whatever makes you feel good.Exercise comes in many forms. Find one that works for you.

I have a friend who says it is unfair for me to say anything about weight loss and weight loss drugs because I am not fat, overweight, or whatever term you prefer. I'm certainly not tiny, but I don't worry about weight. My family has always focused on eating right and being active. We don't eat diet foods, but we love fruits and vegetables and try to not eat a lot of processed food.

It is my hope that we stop looking to the drug companies for solutions, and start looking at ourselves and seeing what we can do. I don't think dumping "bad foods" is a good idea. I think it leads to stuffing yourself later. I recommend steadily increasing your intake of good food.(Not that I'm a dietitian or anything.)

You get one life. Don't waste it alternately starving yourself and stuffing yourself. Be the healthiest happiest you. Also, don't look at magazines and movies. You are a real, non-photoshopped, person. Your curves are beautiful and genetic. We are not all meant to be 5'10'' and 120lbs, thank goodness. We are not all going to be ripped.

Okay, I'm going to go have a donut.