We are bombarded these days with TV commercials for this diet or that diet. “Buy our pre-packaged foods and lose 100 pounds!” Or “Drink three of our shakes a day and feel better in no time.” Companies spend millions of dollars marketing these miracle diets and sadly, consumers spend just as much buying into the hype.I realize there are underlying health issues for some weight gain, but that’s another topic. For many Americans, losing weight is not rocket science. Here is one example of a patient I have. She’s a 48-year-old female, whose doctor informed her after a physical that she had high cholesterol levels. When she told me this, I concluded that her sedentary desk job and her sweet tooth probably had a lot to do with this. As I’ve mentioned so many times before, cholesterol as well as disease in our bodies is caused by inflammation. Diets high in sugar and lack of exercise can lead to inflammatory responses in our bodies.But back to the subject at hand, this patient made an effort to cut out sweets in her diet and start exercising, simply by walking her dog each evening after work and on weekend mornings. She has not had her cholesterol re-checked, but I would bet that the levels have dropped. However, since she started eating a healthy diet and making an effort to get some exercise at least three times a week, she has lost 20 pounds! No miracle diet or magic formula, simply a healthy diet and exercise!