Think about this.  Most people who are 'dieting' are doing so because they are fat. Most of those people view 'dieting' as something you do for a short period of time until you have lost the extra weight.  It usually ends one of two ways, they either give up trying without losing any noticeable weight and go back to eating the way that got them fat in the first place or they lose some weight and then go back to their pre-weight loss eating habits. Bottom line is they end up fatter because they always planned the 'diet' to be short term.  Real weight control is something you do every day. You make good decisions and if you make a bad one you adjust future decisions to compensate. Fat people really believe that fit people can 'eat whatever they want ' and stay fit. Like getting fit is a destination and once you arrive you are good forever.