The American Heart Association found it necessary to have a rebuttal to all of those fly-by-night diets floating around, and the No-Fad Diet is it. There is no magic here, they say. To be more accurate, it is a lifestyle change -- not a diet. The goal of the American Heart Association is to provide you with the tools you have to create a personalized weight loss plan that works for you for life.

Using their Circle of Success, you will rely on three key components for your license to lose: Think Smart, Eat Well and Move More. The circles are intertwined and you will need all three to reach your goal. As the major authority in heart health, the American Heart Association is not going to turn you on to anything drastic or controversial. It is more a common-sense approach than anything.

Think Smart: Take a close look at the way you think. Instead of devoting so much energy to negative thinking, adopt a positive attitude about healthy living. Planning is a necessity. Examine how your current habits fit with your healthy new lifestyle. If they are in direct conflict, it is time to make some adaptations. Change your method of thinking to make it more cohesive with eating healthy and getting active.

Eat Well: Eat less and make smarter choices. Use the American Heart Association's calorie calculation and BMI chart to determine how many calories you should be eating on a daily basis. Log what you eat in an eating journal. Get the proper servings of each food group. Eat a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein and moderate in healthy fats

Move More: It's that simple. Integrate a walking program into your schedule. Join classes or play a sport. Find the fitness program that is most suited to what you enjoy doing. If you are having fun while getting fit, you will be more inclined to stick with it.