Are you interested in losing a couple pounds, or perhaps a lot of extra body weight, but are struggling to find a healthy diet that works?

If you are someone that has had success in the past, and know of some healthy dietary programs, please share them here, if the follow along with the following guidelines:

1. Exercise need not be mentioned, unless your diet calls for a very specific regimen. It is no secret that exercise is a major component to weight loss and getting healthy. If you do not believe this, you are deluding yourself. Without exercise, you may drop weight, but you are setting yourself up to gain it right back, as your metabolism will not cooperate without training it.

2. Cost efficiency. So many of the diets that are out there in the mainstream of the disadvantage of being rather expensive. To some extent, this is unavoidable. Fresh fruits and vegetables are surprisingly expensive. May be good reason to create a separate thread on gardening tips.

3. Ease of adherence. Diets can be difficult to stick to, when temptations surround us no matter where we go, or in the trouble it takes to fit proper eating schedules and meal preparation into a busy lifestyle.

4. Ideal but realistic results. Give an idea of what one should expect if they follow the program to the letter. Everyone's physiologies are different, but it should be reasonable to create a rough scale for someone to go by.

5. This is not so much a guideline, as a suggestion to anyone dieting. Stay away from the scale. Especially if you are engaging in a vigorous physical training program. Some might call this an excuse, but muscle does weigh more than fat, and sometimes, it can feel like you've reached a plataeu, an nothing is changing. The weight isn't coming off. But the fact of the matter is, your body may be changing and you may simply be gaining lean muscle at the same weight as body fat loss. Do not be easily discouraged. Don't look to the scale for results too often. Judge your progress based upon how you feel, your energy level, and how toned your body is.