9 out of 10 people who diet fail before they reach their goal.

It's not easy...unfortunately, most of the people selling diet e-books and other weight loss programs don't want you to hear this.

Earlier this year I also learned a very valuable lesson:

It's a hell of a lot easier to sell hope-in-a-box than it is to sell realistic-expectations-in-a-box.

"You can't buy good health, you have to earn it."

If you arrived at this hug page hoping to get lose belly fat fast or buy a magic success pill, I have bad news...I'm fresh out.

So I ask...Why do you have to make it so complicated?

Born out of frustration and inspiration, after you finish reading these tips you can begin to understand why so many people love to hate diets...

In other words, if you eat for the sole purpose of satisfying your cravings, if you don't clean up your act you're going to be in hot water.

Eating is not a survival issue anymore for anyone who needs to lose weight.

The irony is that our natural instinct for survival is a quest for more calories.

The indigenous Mediterraneans have figured out over the last 5-7 thousand years that they do not need to fear fat as long as it is one of the right kinds of fat.

Have you ever considered the easy-to-digest, heathful and enjoyable Mediterranean diet as the ideal meal?

It's a simple way of eating...

Dietary choices rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, fish, olive oil...

Oh yeah, then there's the red wine too.

Compared to traditional American menu, high in red meat and in butter and other dairy products.

Let's face it, people in the US do eat a lot of dairy, sugar, and red meat, and fat because they're so cheap.

Plain and simple...it's a matter of simple economics, right?

The Mediterranean way of eating is lower in saturated fat, more varied and often more satisfying.

Of course they eat meat, but meat is the side dish and vegetables are the main focus.

Of course they eat sweets, but in tiny portions.

Decades worth of research also suggests that this way of eating is healthier.

Many studies have already seen the reduced rates of heart disease and cancer among those folks lucky enough the follow a Mediterranean diet, compared to those eating more red meat and dairy-based diets.

Most of these studies have involved observations rather than actual intervention trials.

However, now the British Medical Journal has published a systematic compilation of a dozen of the most methodologically sound studies, which included over 1.5 million people followed for up to eighteen years.

The study analyzed cardiovascular results and some other important health outcomes.

This analysis found decreased cardiovascular death as well as cancer mortality, and a lowered incidence of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease...

This is good new for people who are following the Mediterranean way of eating versus those on other diets.

The new study further supports the idea that the Mediterranean foods reinforce the important health benefits.

Now you might be excused for thinking how do you use the "ideal meal plan"?

The basic key to eating healthy still remains true as it always has and that means...stop eating too much food.

As you know there are a multitude of different diets available, many even promoted by physicians.

Which diet should you follow:

Vegan diet?

Vegetarian diet?

Raw organic food diet?

Low-glycemic diet?

American diet?

Italian diet?

Greek diet?

Turkish diet?

Lebanese diet?

Chinese diet?

Japanese diet?

Swiss diet?

Peruvian diet?

French diet?

South Beach diet?

Atkins diet?

Weight Watchers?

I agree that there doesn't seem to be enough data to determine the "best" diet.

There are certainly other diets around the world that are even healthier than the Mediterranean diet.

Look, it's a mistake to think of a diet as a temporary measure...

Just maybe it is more of a lifetime way of eating healthy choices.

Need to lose weight now?

Just take comfort in knowing that even a modest incremental shift in some foods you eat means you can enjoy significant health benefits.

That means lowering your risk of heart disease or diabetes.

The fact is crash diets only serve as a quick fix.

If you don't have a way to measure or monitor your progress, then any diet will set-you-up for a life of misery.

Want up and down weight loss, only to regain it over and over again?

Whatever eating habits you change must be aligned to your goals and core values whereby it motivates you with sustainable results over the long term.

Many researchers regard this as the Mediterranean diet's greatest strength because you can stick to it, year after year.

Having said that...the truth is, even the longest-lived people in the world are now fading from view.

The governments of Greece, Italy, Spain and Morocco have asked that UNESCO designate the Mediterranean diet an "intangible piece of cultural heritage."

But as The Times recently reported: "fast food is proliferating across the Mediterranean region, threatening to propagate a U.S.-style obesity epidemic."

In Greece, three-quarters of the adult population is now overweight or obese, and at increasing risk for diabetes, heart disease and arthritis, among other maladies.

"Much of the highly praised diet didn't exist any more," said a senior economist at the United Nations who conducted a recent survey of regional eating habits.

"It has become just a notion."

Rather than turning our backs on this traditional diet, the new data suggest we could all benefit from substantial health benefits eating this way...

So in conclusion, even though there are many differences in seasonings and cooking techniques, the nutritional content of these diets is actually quite similar.

Even the attitude to eating is similar:

They're enjoying food in the company of friends and loved ones, eating slowly, and relishing every bite because it all has to do with an attutude for a certain way of living.

And then there is energy in and energy out.

Eat less, eat healthier for sustainable health and wellness.