It seems like one of the defining characteristics of America these days is its need to have everything right now. With things like high-speed Internet and Easy Mac, why shouldn’t we have instant results for every other aspect of life? But the thing is, everyone’s looking for an easy way to lose weight, and their desire for this is blinding them from the actual truth.

This whole trend started a couple of years ago with the whole diet fad: Atkins, South Beach, detox and so on and so forth. Some of them actually worked, but it really wasn’t the best thing one could be doing for their body.

Then we came into “The Biggest Loser” years, where everyone worshipped people like Jillian Michaels, Jamie Oliver and Dr. Oz.

And now we’re in a time period where people are all into organic and healthy food. This should be a good thing, but it’s not, because what people think is “healthy” is not.

I recently read a book called “Eat This, Not That” that outlined foods and drinks that were healthy and those that were not. It literally stunned me to see how many so-called healthy foods were actually horrible for your health. Yet people buy into this scam daily. It’s a scary thought to think about. I could give you examples upon examples, but really it’s best to check it out for yourself at menshealth.com.

Some people also have the worst logic about eating healthy. I know salad has this immaculate reputation as being something healthy, but when you drown it with ranch, croutons, and bacon bits, then you might as well be eating chicken strips. And let’s not kid ourselves, ordering a Diet Pepsi with your double bacon cheeseburger meal is not doing you any favors.

I know it’s tough to control these things, but honestly, the answer to losing weight is right in front of your eyes: Cut back on your food intake and increase your exercise.

I used to weigh 164 pounds, but now I’m 148. This transformation didn’t happen because of Jillian’s 30-Day Shred or some all-cranberry juice diet. I simply started going to the gym, cut back on my snacking, cut back on fast food and started drinking water for every meal. And it’s not like I don’t indulge. When I go out to the bars, I’ll have a beer or a drink that has soda in it. If I’m out with friends and we go to Coldstone, I’ll get ice cream. You can indulge, just not every single hour of every single day.

I feel that this is the easiest thing you could do. You’re not even putting yourself through torture or anything. But people just seem drawn to the new fad, anything that promises instant results. Losing weight is not an instant thing, though. It requires dedication and willpower. If you don’t have that, then you’ll fall prey to every single doughnut that winks at you.

And I urge everyone who reads this to do a little research on your eating habits. Despite the names, Vitamin Water and Anti-Oxidant Snapple water are not good drinks to be guzzling down whenever you have a chance. Organic isn’t always good. And Applebee’s new healthy menu is anything but. You owe it to yourself to look into this trick that food companies are pulling on the general public.