Diets don’t work-not for the long-term, anyway. By diets, I mean special courses of food we eat temporarily then ditch after achieving desired results or giving up because it was too difficult to sustain.

Those who get desired results are more likely to gain the weight back-sometimes more than what they lost. Several studies estimate that at least 80 percent of people who lose weight regain it within a few years.

People sometimes find themselves in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, which yields hormonal changes that could cause an increase in appetite and a slower metabolism, making it more difficult to lose weight.

It’s understandable that some people get frustrated and desperate for a perceived “magic bullet” to get the weight off. To make things worse, there are so many trendy diet choices from Whole30 to Paleo. The concepts of some aren’t bad, but without a consistent shift in lifestyle, you’ll revert to the SAD (Standard American Diet) way of eating.

Recent studies have explained why this may happen. One study by Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, states that dieters fail because they approach diets with an all-or-nothing attitude. Those who have success, researchers said, add healthy foods they enjoy instead of avoiding foods they like the most. The study, “Saying ‘No’ to Cake or ‘Yes’ to Kale: Approach and Avoidance Strategies in Pursuit of Health Goals,” was published this month in the journal, Psychology and Marketing.

Generally, dietitians have also noted that it’s key to eat a variety of foods while not depraving yourself of favorite foods, no matter how “bad” it’s perceived to be.

If you feel like you can’t live without French fries or milk chocolate, there is no use in avoiding it like the plague. Instead, find a way to balance it into a healthier diet, such as shrinking portions, finding alternative recipes for the food, or limiting the times you eat it.

Another study by Texas A&M University researchers suggests the weight loss game depends on genetics. In other words, while your friend may lose 30 pounds on Atkins, but the scale needle didn’t move once for you on the same diet, it doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t put effort into the plan. It could be that different genetic compositions in individuals respond differently to various diets, according to the study.

While there are some things you can’t control, healthy eating just comes down to a common sense strategy: pay attention to your body and what works, make fresh nutritious food the focus of the diet, stop punishing yourself for mistakes, get to the bottom of why you have weight to lose, and stop calorie counting and worrying about macronutrients. Of course, you may be an exception if you have a medical condition that requires a specific diet.

For many of us though, we don’t have to make it complicated.

Like author and food advocate Michael Pollan famously said, “Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants.”