It's most amazing. People keep spending money on diet plans that don't work and then continue to reinvest in what they think are new diets. Basically, there aren't any new diets; they are just old diets dressed up and packaged differently. More than 30,000 diets are listed with the Food and Drug Administration. This number of weight-loss programs is testimony to diets' ineffectiveness: If one diet worked, everyone wanting to lose weight would be on it. Approximately $33-billion a year is being spent in the elusive search for a magical diet. Yet there are more overweight Americans today than ever before. Obviously, dieting isn't working. Here are some reasons why: 1. Many diets cut food intake to about 1,000 calories per day. Initially, people eating so few calories will lose weight; however, when the body becomes aware of the shortage of caloric intake, the metabolism will slow down. The slowing down of the metabolism acts as a protective device to conserve fat when there begins to be a shortage of food. You may be consuming fewer calories, but because the metabolism has slowed down, you are burning fewer calories. 2. When you reduce your daily caloric intake to 1,000 calories or below, your body will not receive the necessary nutrients for optimum health. It then is forced into taking protein and other nutrients from the bones and muscles. Muscle is metabolically active -- it has been referred to as the furnace that burns fat. When muscle tissue is lost, the body reduces its ability to burn calories, and more fat weight is gained. 3. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (1992): "The very act of dieting results in binge-eating behaviors. It is known that the onset of binge behavior occurs only after the experience of dieting." 4. Diets are bound to fail when people use food to nurture their emotional needs without addressing the emotional issues causing the problem. 5. You can't continue a diet forever, and when you return to normal eating patterns, the weight will begin its return. For people choosing to go on diets, a good question to consider is: "Can I stay on this diet for the rest of my life?" Do you ever wonder why people continue to "go on diets" even after many attempts have failed? The quick-fix mentality has much to do with dieting -- "I need to lose 10 pounds before I go on a cruise next month," "I'm going to a high school reunion, and I need to lose weight." Following a structured diet program that tells you what to eat, what not to eat and fuels you with seductive ads that glamorize diets with dramatic statements such as "guaranteed quick-weight loss" and "eat all you want and still lose 10 pounds a week" may be appealing, but they are illusory. Allowing yourself to do an internal investigation of how you live, eat and cook, so that you can begin to make lifelong changes in food and exercise, is a much more successful form of weight management. The basic behavior problem must be addressed. Another reason some people continue with the diet approach could be that they are not aware of the potential risks of some diets. They probably don't know that severely lowering their caloric intake is unsafe and ineffective and is considered a starvation diet. When the essential daily nutrients are eliminated -- which they surely will be when food consumption goes below 1,200 calories -- energy levels are lowered, and the body's immune system is compromised, lowering the resistance to infections. Be suspicious of any program that promises quick weight loss (more than 2 pounds per week). Question any diet program that recommends a low intake of carbohydrates or protein or suggests a high intake of protein and fat, and most certainly stay away from dehydration as a means of weight loss. Some diets stress very low or no carbohydrates and allow high-fat foods such as steak, bacon and sausage. Any excess protein intake is stored as fat, and the high protein in these diets can have a negative impact on the kidneys, liver and immune system. Start to reduce the fat content in your foods. Unless you are at high risk for coronary heart disease, you do not have to lower the fat content to 10 percent. Twenty-five percent is a reasonable amount. Review what you eat; include where and when you eat. Do you have ritual foods -- doughnuts for a coffee break? Chips or a candy bar for a snack? Use this as a guide to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger. Notice the size and content of your meals. One of the best ways to begin a weight-management program is simply to reduce the size of your food portions. Try using a smaller plate, and say no to seconds. Before you commit to seconds, be aware that after eating, it takes your brain 15 to 20 minutes before it becomes aware that the body is full. You may not feel the need to eat anything more after the 20 minutes. Do not eliminate meals. Many people skip breakfast and some even try having just one meal a day, mistakenly believing that avoiding meals would help them lose weight. Remember, severe caloric restrictions will slow down the metabolism, which makes weight loss harder to achieve. When you eat fewer than three meals a day, both the triglyceride and cholesterol levels are higher than they would be if you ate more frequently. Eating breakfast is one of the most efficient ways to rev up the metabolism -- even something as easy as toast and fruit. Eat a wide variety of foods from all the food groups. The basic nutrients -- carbohydrates, protein and fat -- need to be included daily. The U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that about 58 percent of your total calories should come from complex carbohydrates (grains, fruits, vegetables). Limit the simple carbohydrates, such as sugar. You could lose one pound a week by eliminating 500 calories a day. You can accomplish this by making moderate changes in your food intake and by exercising (try walking). Always include exercise in a weight-management program. Exercise is a key component of weight loss; it will burn calories and increase the body's metabolism. There are no good or bad foods; all foods are okay -- in moderation. If you start to deprive yourself of your favorite "bad" foods, you probably will want them even more. Just limit them. Be patient with yourself. We are talking permanent weight loss. Some people may lose weight quickly and then plateau for a while, and vice versa. Substitute. Try pretzels or popcorn instead of chips and dips; skim milk for whole milk; low-fat salad dressing for high-calorie dressing; baked, broiled, grilled instead of fried; lean meat instead of fatty meats; marinara instead of alfredo. Read labels. Ingredients are listed in order of concentration, from the highest to the lowest. If fat is listed near the top, you can be assured that it is a high-fat food. Drink plenty of water. Reward yourself, not for the numbers on the scale, but for the positive changes that you will be making. -- Sally Anderson is happy to hear from readers but cannot repond to individual queries. Write her in care of Seniority, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731.

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