Most everyone wants to look her best at a college or high school reunion. Who doesn't want to turn back the hands of time and make perky cheerleader Betty Joe jealous of how good we look today, despite the demands of motherhood and working full-time. If you've been to a reunion before, you know what happens--all the men in the class look old or lost their hair and the women got fat (many times even the ones that were skinny in high school). Also, ever notice how a lot of the "most likely to succeed" and "in crowd" guys and girls wound up turning into duds 10 years later? When you ask most women who they are trying to lose weight for, they say "the other women."  It's clear that the women at most reunions work very hard to get back to the size they were at in high school. By contrast, most of the men have grown to the actual size of the high school!

With all this pressure, it's not uncommon for many to resort to rapid weight loss, quick-fix, fad diets such as retail diet pills to drop a few pounds. This can be unhealthy and could even wind up ruining the day because the woman is weak from losing too much weight using a quick weight loss method.

Nutrition and fitness experts agree that these are the most common mistakes:

1. Starting your diet too late. You didn't gain the weight in a matter of 4-8 weeks, so why set unrealistic goals and try to lose it within that short time frame? Instead, plan ahead, including a fitness or diet plan along with all the other things on your to do list.

2. Be realistic about your weight loss goal. If you've never been a size 4, why expect to be that size by your reunion day? You are unlikely to achieve a magical transformation, so don't even consider it.

3. Using a radical diet program to lose the weight quickly and with little effort. Yes, you've seen all the ads, TV commercials, and infomercials promising rapid weight loss without exercising. You've seen the dramatic before/after photos (with the disclaimer "results not typical"). Are you still going to fall for that? Experts advise against being tempted by such fad diets, taking over-the-counter diet pills or laxatives, or using diet plans that focus on eating one kind of food (i.e. the cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, etc.). Many of these diet products, including ones using herbs or stimulants, can be dangerous and are easily abused. Don't fall into that trap.

In addition, the weight you lose on a crash diet will probably come back, twice as much. After depriving your body of food, your body will crave fatty foods and junk food, leading to extra weight gain.

4. Not exercising.  Experts agree that diet (eating a healthy diet and the right foods, in proper portion sizes) AND exercise go hand in hand. Try to incorporate small periods of time when you can go to the health club for 30 minutes a few times a week (your local Curves outlet?), do some extra walking, jog for 20 minutes, go to that jazzercise class, swim for a few minutes, anything. Maybe even a fitness-by-phone personal trainer (see link on our home page: Diet Phone Counseling) . Just do it! Extra bonus -- exercising regularly will give you more energy to handle those reunion planning/organizing tasks and it acts as a relief valve.

5. Skipping meals. This is not a good idea. We know it's easy to get bogged down in reunion details and lose track of time. But, skipping meals is unhealthy and can lead to binge eating--something you definitely don't want to do if you want to fit into that beautiful dress in 6 weeks! To avoid this pitfall, try packing light snacks and eating several small meals during the day.

How To Do It

Experts agree that the best way to lose weight in a few months, for say, a school reunion, is to break the task into manageable goals. With a well-designed framework, you'll have a better chance for success--better than dieting with no goal or end in sight.

* You have a goal--to lose weight

* The goal is specific: lose 15 pounds

* You have a definite time frame--two months from now

* You have a way to measure how you are doing--the scale.

By giving yourself benchmarks which are achievable, you are allowing yourself to succeed.

In BestDietForMe.com's opinion, the best weight loss plans to use to get in shape for a high school or college reunion are those that don't involve making radical, major changes in your eating habits or lifestyle--those tempered by moderation. That would rule out restrictive low-carb diet plans such as Atkins, cabbage soup, or South Beach, and also such drastic measures as weight loss surgery. We'd favor programs such as Weight Watchers, NutriSystem or Jenny Craig, or plans developed by a registered dietitian or nutritionist. During this hectic time, you might find that a weight loss program that offers already-prepared meals that can be popped into a microwave, like Jenny Craig or NutriSystem, might be worth the extra money, at least for the short term. That way, you don't have to worry about cooking nutritious meals, measuring portion sizes, etc.--all the work is done for you.