This article originally appeared on the Operation Homefront Web-site.

About five of years ago, my sister came to visit from Italy for a couple of weeks. We were both training for races and, as always, wanted to lose a few pounds. We threw ourselves headlong into a popular diet. We went out and bought all the food products and ingredients we needed, the thick, expensive book that talked about the actual diet, a recipe manual and even some flash cards, in case we needed any more information. We were ready.

Two days later, we fell off the wagon and found each other in the kitchen in the middle of the night looking for a piece of fruit. This particular diet demanded no carbohydrates for two weeks. For two Italians, this was torture. We could endure being without pasta for a while — barely — but we couldn’t be without our fresh apples and peaches.

We had happily overlooked the fact that this fad diet would never work for us because it was too different from our usual eating, and completely cutting out carbohydrates was not sustainable for the long term.

There’s much debate over the health risks of restricting carbs. But most nutritionists and health care researchers agree that even if they help you lose weight in the short term, such fad diets don’t work over months or years. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in April 2009 followed 800 adults in Louisiana who were randomly assigned to different diets, low-fat or low-carbohydrate. The results were the same for both groups. People who maintained their weight loss were those who cut down on the calories they consumed; the manner in which they did it was less important (see Related Links).

Operation Homefront talked with nutritionist and triathlete Lori Tubbs, who dispels myths about fad diets, warns about common pitfalls and shares a simple five-step plan for health and nutrition.

Tubbs, a registered dietician, triathlete and certified specialist in sports dietetics, is leading Team Operation Homefront for the Marine Corps Marathon. She said that the best plan for weight loss is summarized by the American Dietetic Association: variety, balance and moderation.

“It takes about 30 days for any behavior modification, but it can be done,” Tubbs said. So it might not be easy at first, but you will get used to your healthier diet relatively quickly.

If you’re ready to get healthy and work on a long-term sustainable plan, begin with water. Tubbs said the first thing we should do is eliminate all sugary and sweet beverages and get used to drinking plain water again.

“Vitamin Water is nothing but a waste of money,” she said. “People are better off putting a small amount of juice in their water and saving the money.”

Tubbs said that more than an hour of activity requires electrolyte hydration from sports drinks.

Having a spouse’s or family member’s support is helpful, especially if he doesn’t buy sodas or ice cream and put them in the fridge for you to see.

Once you are ready to start your diet, Tubbs recommends starting with these five simple tips.

1. You must have breakfast. This is the best way to get your metabolism going. A study by Dr. James Hill and Dr. Rena Wing looked at 4,000 participants in the National Weight Control Registry and recorded the habits of those who kept their weight off. Having breakfast was a common shared characteristic of those who succeeded.
2. Include some of every food group in your diet. The food groups are bread, cereal and potatoes; protein; dairy; fruits and vegetables; and foods containing fat and sugar. For each meal, try to include at least three food groups. For example, Tubbs suggested a breakfast of a bagel with peanut butter and fruit.
3. Avoid too much meat and dairy in combination, which increases saturated fat. Cheese on meat will sabotage any attempt at eating healthy, she said. Some pasta with lean chicken and a little bit of parmesan cheese is fine, but chicken parmigiana is not a good choice.
4. Include at least seven servings of fruit and vegetable in your daily intake. The rule is nine to 11 servings of fruit and vegetables for men, seven to nine for women and five to seven for children. Suggested snacks: baby carrots with hummus or string cheese and an apple.
5. Keep a food and exercise log. Frequently, it’s not until a person writes down what she’s eating that she actually realizes where the extra calories are coming from.

As for me, my sister is due to visit again at the end of the summer. My days of fads are over. This time, we’ll be firing up the stove for some pasta – in moderation, of course.