I am so tired of fad diets. Ever since my mom brought home a box of the ill-named AYDS candies in the early 80's I've always been suspicious of fad diets. They never seem to work. Ever. Or, if they do, it's for the short term only. So why do folks insist on taking up every new fad diet out there like it's the next best thing? Is there, in fact, a fad diet--any fad diet--that actually works?

Well, America, we may finally be on to something that works. It does not require eating hordes of a particular vegetable, say cabbage (a la the cabbage soup diet--remember that one?) or restricting certain food groups like the guilt-inducing no-carb high protein diets that chastise for even thinking about a dinner roll. It does not require the purchase of any pills or medications. The only thing that is required is that we find a way to cut 50 calories a meal from our diets.

The concept is a simple one, involving our old friend math. According to a recent article by Karen Collins, R. D. who writes for the American Institute for Cancer Research, if we cut just 50 calories from each meal we'd be cutting 150 calories a day. Considering a pound is 3500 calories, it would take just under 24 days to lost a pound (3500 / 150 calories a day = 23.33 days).

This process for losing weight can seem dauntless and never-ending, but it's certainly considered safer and more effective than crash-dieting, especially in the long-term. When we starve our bodies, they essentially react by holding on to whatever fat stores we have. We also know that a crash-diet lifestyle is nearly impossible to sustain. After all, even those of us who love cabbage don't want to eat it every day for the rest of our lives.

A quick look at the weekly menu should give immediate insight as to where those extra calories can be cut, regardless of how our diets differ. Using the shave method by consistently cutting 50 calories here and there is also a much more sustainable process, even for those of us with busy or varying schedules. Often we end fad diets due to a shake-up in our daily routines--or because of something as simple as going on vacation.

With the 50-calorie approach, our bodies don't think they're starving, and we don't necessarily have to change what we're eating or need to deny ourselves anything. According to the article, the idea is to cut back, not cut out. For me that means one tablespoon of peanut butter instead of two rather than no peanut butter at all. I can handle that.

And while 150 calories a day may seem like a long haul toward weight-loss goals, consider that this diet doesn't even take into account the extra calories burned through physical activity. Regular, consistent exercise will help achieve those goals more quickly while adding to overall fitness.

Additionally, by making healthier food choices such as oil and vinegar as an alternative to my beloved thousand island dressing, I can cut even more calories without sacrificing taste. While this so-called "diet" doesn't necessarily recommend cutting out foods that are considered "bad" like full-fat dressings, looking for low- or non-fat versions of your favorites can cut down on calories and keep your insides healthier too.