I go on a diet and lose weight but before you know it, I gain back the weight and sometimes end up heavier than when I started. Is this common? Why does this keep happening to me? Traditional diets that only focus on the foods on your plate can only work for so long. It's common for people to experience initial weight loss but as time goes on, "real life" can get in the way as people start falling back into their old weight-gaining patterns or habits. If this keeps happening to you, it's a sign that the new diet hasn't become a natural part of your lifestyle and it's time to start addressing your unique life patterns. How is your approach different than all the other diets I've tried in the past? The goal of my three-dimensional program is to weave targeted eating, exercise and coping strategies into your life in small, simple steps that are doable. As you focus your efforts on issues pertinent to your unique life patterns, you become focused, gain confidence, maintain motivation and feel in control of what once was an uncontrollable problem. How do I know your approach is right for me? The best way is for you to take our online Personality Quiz. First take the full Eating Quiz and get your free eating patterns profile. Read the pattern descriptions and see if you relate to the ones with the highest scores. You can also take the exercise and coping mini-tests. If you find that you indeed relate to these pattern descriptions, then you know that this approach will apply to you. How can I get started to eat and live healthier without feeling so overwhelmed? Follow the recommendations we give our patients, which is to work on one pattern at a time. In the book, we outline how to choose which pattern to work on first. Most patients start with one of their eating patterns. Once they start losing weight, they're usually more motivated to work on an exercise or coping pattern. Small steps really do add up to big results.  What can I expect from your program? First, you'll be given a 3-week plan (the same one I give my patients) that will help "jump-start" your weight loss efforts. Then you'll be given pattern- specific strategies to follow that can be incorporated into anyone's busy lifestyle. The focus is on progress, not perfection. The goal is to develop natural and comfortable lifestyle changes, not ones that make you feel deprived or uneasy. Weight loss will be a natural consequence of these changes.